Climate Warming Mitigation from Nationally Determined Contributions

Individual countries are requested to submit nationally determined contributions(NDCs)to alleviate global warming in the Paris Agreement.However,the global climate effects and regional contributions are not explicitly considered in the countries’decision-making process.In this study,we evaluate the global temperature slowdown of the NDC scenario(ΔT=0.6°C)and attribute the global temperature slowdown to certain regions of the world with a compact earth system model.Considering reductions in CO_(2),CH_(4),N_(2)O,BC,and SO_(2),the R5OECD(the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development in 1990)and R5ASIA(Asian countries)are the top two contributors to global warming mitigation,accounting for 39.3%and 36.8%,respectively.R5LAM(Latin America and the Caribbean)and R5MAF(the Middle East and Africa)followed behind,with contributions of 11.5%and 8.9%,respectively.The remaining 3.5%is attributed to R5REF(the Reforming Economies).Carbon Dioxide emission reduction is the decisive factor of regional contributions,but not the only one.Other greenhouse gases are also important,especially for R5MAF.The contribution of short-lived aerosols is small but significant,notably SO_(2)reduction in R5ASIA.We argue that additional species beyond CO_(2)need to be considered,including short-lived pollutants,when planning a route to mitigate climate change.It needs to be emphasized that there is still a gap to achieve the Paris Agreement 2-degree target with current NDC efforts,let alone the ambitious 1.5-degree target.All countries need to pursue stricter reduction policies for a more sustainable world.

Comparing and evaluating the nationally determined contributions of the top six emitters under the Paris Agreement goals

Comparing and evaluating the Nationally Determined Contribution(NDC) is an important element in global stocktake in the post-Paris climate negotiations, aimed at closing the emissions gap with the Paris Agreement goals. To date, however, there has still been no explicit guideline or method. By applying emissions allowance allocated by 16 schemes as benchmarks, this paper tries to compare and evaluate the NDCs of the top six emitters, which jointly account for about 70% of the world's CO_2 emissions. Results show that the four developed countries' NDCs lack ambition with respect to most allocations under 2℃ and all under 1.5℃, indicating they need to substantially ratchet up their NDCs and lead elevating mitigation. Evaluating cumulative emissions is more likely to clarify the ambition and fairness of China's NDC. If considering cumulative emissions, China's NDC is aligned with the median of cumulative allowances under 2℃ and within the 1.5℃ range. The Paris Agreement invited the Parties to communicate the mid-century low emissions strategies. This paper also tries to explore the mid-century mitigation in the perspective of allocations, which might provide decision-makers with some useful information when envisaging the post-NDC mitigation.

Pedigree analysis of nationally approved soybean cultivars from 1984 to 2013 and implications for breeding

To reveal origins of 316 state authorized varieties from 1984 to 2013, rules of their parentsJ selection including types and hybrid configurations of direct parents, geo-graphical sources and types of their ancestors were analyzed. Various important direct parents and ancestors were summarized and nuclear contribution of ancestors was also estimated by pedigree analysis. Among 316 registered cultivars, 298 （94.3%） were bred by hybridization, and most of their direct parents were cultivars or breeding lines （65.5%）. Cultivars and breeding lines were mostly used as female parents, with 53.0% and 38.7% respectively. The 316 released cultivars were traced to 373 final ancestors, mainly com-posed of landraces （55.5%） and breeding lines （36.7%）. The 373 final ancestors came from different regions, including 121 from northern area, 110 from Huang-Huai-Hai area, 53 from southern area and 76 from abroad. These ancestors were mainly from the same ecologic zone as the approved cultivars. Newly approved cultivars always have more ancestors and a broader genetic base. However, distribution of these ancestors was unbalanced, and a few ancestors provided significant genetic contributions to later generations, such as the most concentrated final ancestors from Huang-Huai-Hai region followed by northern and southern regions. These results offer more information regarding their important parents and provide valuable references to soybean breeding. We should increase soybean germplasm exchanges with different regions and make use of elite lines, foreign cultivars and wild soybean germplasm to broaden the genetic background.

Uncertainty of temperature rise under nationally determined contributions and carbon neutral policies

Nationally determined contributions raised by Paris Agreement aim to control the temperature rise below 2°C or even 1.5°C at the end of the 21st century,compared to pre-industrial levels.However,the climate response of the Nationally Determined Contributions(NDCs)remains uncertain due to unstable policies and their credibility.In this study,we calculated the uncertainty of global temperature rise caused by uncertain NDCs and carbon-neutral policies and discussed the difficulty of policy implementation.The results show that there will be 8 GtC uncertainty in emission at the end of the 21st century,responsible for the temperature rise of 0.37°C(1.73–2.10°C).A delayed policy in emission reduction by major emitters would result in a temperature rise of over 2°C,while under non-delay policy,the 2°C target will be possibly achieved.Besides,low-emission countries would introduce a 30 GtC cumulative emission uncertainty at the end of the 21st century if there are no restrictions,leading to a 0.3°C global warming uncertainty.Developed countries need more substantial reductions in carbon intensity to achieve their climate policies while developing countries are under less pressure.The reduction of carbon intensity requires the strengthening of technical and economic methods.This study provides a reference for the realization of emission policies and temperature rise targets.

Challenges and Countermeasures for the Sustainable Development of Nationally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems in China

In 2012 the Ministry of Agriculture of China launched a project exploring Nationaly Important Agricultural Heritage Systems （China-NIAHS）. Through two rounds of applications and selection in 2012 and 2013, 39 traditional agricultural systems were selected and designated as China-NIAHS, including 19 forestry systems, 14 planting systems, four agricultural complex systems and two other systems. From a system origin perspective there were 24 agricultural systems, some dating back 1000 years. Twenty heritage systems are located in areas inhabited by ethnic minorities. Agricultural heritage systems face general challenges, such as ecosystem degradation and destruction, loss and abandonment of traditional agricultural technologies and landscapes, lagging agriculture scale and industrialization, and limited farmer beneift-sharing and incentives. Compared to other types of heritage, the conservation and development of agricultural heritage systems is more complex and dififcult. In order to achieve sustainable development of agricultural heritage systems, the government should play a leading role and improve ifnancial support functions. Local people should also explore market-oriented approaches and adaptive management methods on protection and development of NIAHS. Multi-participation and beneift-sharing mechanisms should be established and basic research needs to be strengthened.

Sufficient or insufficient: Assessment of the intended nationally determined contributions (INDCs) of the world's major greenhouse gas emitters

The recent Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change has resulted in the submission of the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) of 190 countries. This study aims to provide an analysis of the ambitiousness and fairness of the mitigation components of the INDCs submitted by various parties. We use a unified framework to assess 23 INDCs that cover 50 countries, including European Union (EU)-28 countries as parties to the Convention, which represent 87.45% of the global greenhouse gas emissions in 2012. First, we transform initial INDC files into reported reduction targets. Second, we create four schemes and six scenarios to determine the required reduction effort, which considers each nation's reduction responsibility, capacity, and potential, thereby reflecting their historical and current development status. Finally, we combine the reported reduction target and the required reduction effort to assess INDCs. Evaluation results of the 23 emitters indicate that 2 emitters (i.e., EU and Brazil) are rated as "sufficient," 7 emitters (e.g., China, the United States, and Canada) are rated as "moderate," and 14 emitters (e.g., India, Russia, and Japan) are rated as "insufficient." Most pledges exhibit a considerable distance from representing a fair contribution.

Influence of Human Activity Intensity on Habitat Quality in Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park,China

Due to long-term human activity interference,the Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park(HTRNP)of China has experienced ecological problems such as habitat fragmentation and biodiversity loss,and with the expanding scope and intensity of human activity impact,the regional ecological security is facing serious challenges.A scientific assessment of the interrelationship between human activity intensity and habitat quality in the HTRNP is a prerequisite for achieving effective management of ecological disturbances caused by human activities and can also provide scientific strategies for the sustainable development of the region.Based on the land use change data in 2000,2010,and 2020,the spatial and temporal variations and the relationship between habitat quality(HQ)and human activity intensity(HAI)in the HTRNP were explored using the integrated valuation of ecosystem services and trade-offs(InVEST)model.System dynamics and land use simulation models were also combined to conduct multi-scenario simulations of their relationships.The results showed that during 2000–2020,the habitat quality of the HTRNP improved,the intensity of human activities decreased each year,and there was a negative correlation between the two.Second,the system dynamic model could be well coupled with the land use simulation model by combining socio-economic and natural factors.The simulation scenarios of the coupling model showed that the harmonious development(HD)scenario is effective in curbing the increasing trend of human activity intensity and decreasing trend of habitat quality,with a weaker trade-off between the two compared with the baseline development(BD)and investment priority oriented(IPO)scenarios.To maintain the authenticity and integrity of the HTRNP,effective measures such as ecological corridor construction,ecological restoration,and the implementation of ecological compensation policies need to be strengthened.

Terrain or climate factor dominates vegetation resilience?Evidence from three national parks across different climatic zones in China

Vegetation resilience(VR),providing an objective measure of ecosystem health,has received considerable attention,however,there is still limited understanding of whether the dominant factors differ across different climate zones.We took the three national parks(Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park,HTR;Wuyishan National Park,WYS;and Northeast Tiger and Leopard National Park,NTL)of China with less human interference as cases,which are distributed in different climatic zones,including tropical,subtropical and temperate monsoon climates,respectively.Then,we employed the probabilistic decay method to explore the spatio-temporal changes in the VR and their natural driving patterns using Geographically Weighted Regression(GWR)model as well.The results revealed that:(1)from 2000 to 2020,the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index(NDVI)of the three national parks fluctuated between 0.800 and 0.960,exhibiting an overall upward trend,with the mean NDVI of NTL(0.923)>HTR(0.899)>WYS(0.823);(2)the positive trend decay time of vegetation exceeded that of negative trend,indicating vegetation gradual recovery of the three national parks since 2012;(3)the VR of HTR was primarily influenced by elevation,aspect,average annual temperature change(AATC),and average annual precipitation change(AAPC);the WYS'VR was mainly affected by elevation,average annual precipitation(AAP),and AAPC;while the terrain factors(elevation and slope)were the main driving factors of VR in NTL;(4)among the main factors influencing the VR changes,the AAPC had the highest proportion in HTR(66.7%),and the AAP occupied the largest area proportion in WYS(80.4%).While in NTL,elevation served as the main driving factor for the VR,encompassing 64.2%of its area.Consequently,our findings indicated that precipitation factors were the main driving force for the VR changes in HTR and WYS national parks,while elevation was the main factors that drove the VR in NTL.Our research has promoted a deeper understanding of the driving mechanism behind the VR.

Summary Analysis of National Surveillance on Kashin-Beck Disease from 1990 to 2023

Objective To analyze the epidemiological characteristics and epidemic situation of children with Kashin-Beck disease(KBD)in China,and provide the basis for formulating prevention and control measures.Methods Fixed-point monitoring,moving-point monitoring,and full coverage of monitoring were promoted successively from 1990 to 2023.Some children(7-12 years old)underwent clinical and right-hand X-ray examinations every year.According to the KBD diagnosis criteria,clinical and X-ray assessments were used to confirm the diagnosis.Results In 1990,the national KBD detectable rate was 21.01%.X-ray detection decreased to below 10%in 2003 and below 5%in 2007.Between 2010 and 2018,the prevalence of KBD in children was less than 0.4%,which fluctuated at a low level,and has decreased to 0%since 2019.Spatial epidemiological analysis indicated a spatial clustering of adult patients prevalence rate in the KBD areas.Conclusion The evaluation results of the elimination of KBD in China over the last 5 years showed that all villages in the monitored areas have reached the elimination standard.While the adult KBD patients still need for policy consideration and care.

Exploring impacts of COVID-19 on spatial and temporal patterns of visitors to Canadian Rocky Mountain National Parks from social media big data

COVID-19 posed challenges for global tourism management.Changes in visitor temporal and spatial patterns and their associated determinants pre-and peri-pandemic in Canadian Rocky Mountain National Parks are analyzed.Data was collected through social media programming and analyzed using spatiotemporal analysis and a geographically weighted regression(GWR)model.Results highlight that COVID-19 significantly changed park visitation patterns.Visitors tended to explore more remote areas peri-pandemic.The GWR model also indicated distance to nearby trails was a significant influence on visitor density.Our results indicate that the pandemic influenced tourism temporal and spatial imbalance.This research presents a novel approach using combined social media big data which can be extended to the field of tourism management,and has important implications to manage visitor patterns and to allocate resources efficiently to satisfy multiple objectives of park management.

An Update on the Clinical Pipelines of New Antibacterial Drugs Developed in China

Antibacterial resistance is a global health threat that requires further concrete action on the part of all countries.In this context,one of the biggest concerns is whether enough new antibacterial drugs are being discovered and developed.Although several high-quality reviews on clinical antibacterial drug pipelines from a global perspective were published recently,none provides comprehensive information on original antibacterial drugs at clinical stages in China.In this review,we summarize the latest progress of novel antibacterial drugs approved for marketing and under clinical evaluation in China since 2019.Information was obtained by consulting official websites,searching commercial databases,retrieving literature,asking personnel from institutions or companies,and other means,and a considerable part of the data covered here has not been included in other reviews.As of June 30,2023,a total of 20 antibacterial projects from 17 Chinese pharmaceutical companies or developers were identified and updated.Among them,two new antibacterial drugs that belong to traditional antibiotic classes were approved by the National Medical Products Administration(NMPA)in China in 2019 and 2021,respectively,and 18 antibacterial agents are in clinical development,with one under regulatory evaluation,five in phase-3,six in phase-2,and six in phase-1.Most of the clinical candidates are new analogs or monocomponents of traditional antibacterial pharmacophore types,including two dual-acting hybrid antibiotics and a recombinant antibacterial protein.Overall,despite there being 17 antibacterial clinical candidates,our analysis indicates that there are still relatively few clinically differentiated antibacterial agents in stages of clinical development in China.Hopefully,Chinese pharmaceutical companies and institutions will develop more innovative and clinically differentiated candidates with good market potential in the future research and development(R&D)of original antibacterial drugs.

Scientific Advances and Weather Services of the China Meteorological Administration’s National Forecasting Systems during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics

Since the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics was the first Winter Olympics in history held in continental winter monsoon climate conditions across complex terrain areas,there is a deficiency of relevant research,operational techniques,and experience.This made providing meteorological services for this event particularly challenging.The China Meteorological Administration(CMA)Earth System Modeling and Prediction Centre,achieved breakthroughs in research on short-and medium-term deterministic and ensemble numerical predictions.Several key technologies crucial for precise winter weather services during the Winter Olympics were developed.A comprehensive framework,known as the Operational System for High-Precision Weather Forecasting for the Winter Olympics,was established.Some of these advancements represent the highest level of capabilities currently available in China.The meteorological service provided to the Beijing 2022 Games also exceeded previous Winter Olympic Games in both variety and quality.This included achievements such as the“100-meter level,minute level”downscaled spatiotemporal resolution and forecasts spanning 1 to 15 days.Around 30 new technologies and over 60 kinds of products that align with the requirements of the Winter Olympics Organizing Committee were developed,and many of these techniques have since been integrated into the CMA’s operational national forecasting systems.These accomplishments were facilitated by a dedicated weather forecasting and research initiative,in conjunction with the preexisting real-time operational forecasting systems of the CMA.This program represents one of the five subprograms of the WMO’s high-impact weather forecasting demonstration project(SMART2022),and continues to play an important role in their Regional Association(RA)II Research Development Project(Hangzhou RDP).Therefore,the research accomplishments and meteorological service experiences from this program will be carried forward into forthcoming highimpact weather forecasting activities.This article provides an overview and assessment of this program and the operational national forecasting systems.

Resurgence of measles virus infection in an eliminated country, Sri Lanka

Objective:To describe the situation of measles in Sri Lanka from May to November,2023 and to define the role of virology laboratory towards case confirmation and epidemiological and genetic characterization of the outbreak.Methods:This retrospective study analyzed all samples tested for measles from 1st of May to 30th of November,2023 at National Measles Rubella Laboratory,Sri Lanka.According to the World Health Organization(WHO)algorithm,serum and oropharyngeal/nasopharyngeal swabs were tested with WHO recommended kits for anti-measles IgM and measles virus specific RNA,respectively.Selected RNA positive samples were sequenced at reference laboratory,India.Analysis of sequencing data and construction of phylogenetic tree were carried out at National Measles Rubella Laboratory.Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics.Results:Of the total 1132 serum samples and 497 oropharyngeal/nasopharyngeal swabs from 1326 patients,657(49.5%)patients were confirmed as measles by anti-measles IgM,measles virus specific RNA or both.Males(55.6%,n=365)and the age group from>20 to≤30 years(33.0%,n=217)predominated positive patients.All provinces reported measles positive cases.All samples sequenced(100%,n=42)were genotype D8 with 95.2%(n=40)bearing Victoria.Australia origin.Conclusions:We described resurgence of measles in an eliminated country,confirming the genotype to be D8,one of the two genotypes currently circulating globally.Further,the study strongly convinced the importance of a strengthened virological surveillance system in an eliminated country,despite its eliminated status.

Progress in neurorehabilitation research and the support by the National Natural Science Foundation of China from 2010 to 2022

The National Natural Science Foundation of China is one of the major funding agencies for neuro rehabilitation research in China.This study reviews the frontier directions and achievements in the field of neurorehabilitation in China and wo rldwide.We used data from the Web of Science Core Collection(WoSCC) database to analyze the publications and data provided by the National Natural Science Foundation of China to analyze funding information.In addition,the prospects for neurorehabilitation research in China are discussed.From 2010 to 2022,a total of 74,220 publications in neurorehabilitation were identified,with there being an overall upward tendency.During this period,the National Natural Science Foundation of China has funded 476 research projects with a total funding of 192.38 million RMB to support neuro rehabilitation research in China.With the support of the National Natural Science Foundation of China,China has made some achievements in neurorehabilitation research.Research related to neurorehabilitation is believed to be making steady and significant progress in China.

Observation of Arctic surface currents using data from a surface drifting buoy

During the 10th Chinese Arctic scientific expedition carried out in the summer of 2019,the surface current in the high-latitude areas of the Arctic Ocean was observed using a self-developed surface drifting buoy,which was initially deployed in the Chukchi Sea.The buoy traversed the Chukchi Sea,Chukchi Abyssal Plain,Mendeleev Ridge,Makarov Basin,and Canada Basin over a period of 632 d.After returning to the Mendeleev Ridge,it continued to drift toward the pole.Overall,the track of the buoy reflected the characteristics of the transpolar drift and Chukchi Slope Current,as well as the inertial flow,cross-ridge surface flow,and even the surface disorganized flow for some time intervals.The results showed that:(1)the transpolar drift mainly occurs in the Chukchi Abyssal Plain,Mendeleev Ridge,and western Canada Basin to the east of the ridge where sea ice concentration is high,and the average northward flow velocity in the region between 79.41°N and 86.32°N was 5.1 cm/s;(2)the average surface velocity of the Chukchi Slope Current was 13.5 cm/s,and while this current moves westward along the continental slope,it also extends northwestward across the continental slope and flows to the deep sea;and(3)when sea ice concentration was less than 50%,the inertial flow was more significant(the maximum observed inertial flow was 26 cm/s,and the radius of the inertia circle was 3.6 km).

Association between Serum Ferritin Levels and Metabolic-associated Fatty Liver Disease in Adults:a Cross-sectional Study Based on the NHANES

Objective Ferritin,initially acting as an iron-storage protein,was found to be associated with metabolic diseases.Our study was designed to investigate the association between serum ferritin and metabolic-associated fatty liver disease(MAFLD)using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey(NHANES)of the United State of America.Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted,enrolling a total of 2145 participants from the NHANES in the 2017–2018 cycles.Hepatic steatosis and liver fibrosis were assessed by ultrasound images and several non-invasive indexes.Multiple regression analysis was conducted to determine the associations between serum ferritin concentration and MAFLD and liver fibrosis.Results The analysis revealed that participants with higher serum ferritin levels(Q3 and Q4 groups)had a higher prevalence of MAFLD than those with the lowest serum ferritin levels[Q3 vs.Q1:OR=2.17(1.33,3.53),P<0.05 in fatty liver index(FLI);Q4 vs.Q1:OR=3.13(1.91,5.13),P<0.05 in FLI].Additionally,participants with the highest serum ferritin levels(Q4 group)displayed a higher prevalence of liver fibrosis[Q4 vs.Q1:OR=2.59(1.19,5.62),P<0.05 in liver stiffness measurement;OR=5.06(1.12,22.94),P<0.05 in fibrosis-4 index],with significantly increased risk observed in participants with concomitant diabetes[OR=7.45(1.55,35.72),P=0.012].Conclusion Our study revealed that elevated serum ferritin levels are associated with a higher prevalence of MAFLD and advanced liver fibrosis in patients.Elevated serum ferritin levels combined with diabetes are important risk factors for liver fibrosis.

Performance and Safety Improvement of Induction Motors based on Testing and Evaluation Standards

The induction motor,which converts electrical energy into mechanical energy,has been recognized as the cornerstone of industrialization.The rotor of an induction motor can be either a squirrel cage rotor or a wound-type rotor,both existing as magnetless topologies.Three-phase squirrel cage induction motors are frequently utilized in industrial drives because they are dependable,have high starting torque,are selfstarting and affordable.Single-phase induction motors,on the other hand,are commonly used for small loads such as domestic appliances in form of modest fans,pumps and electric power tools.In South Africa,there have been reports of fires and explosions resulting in live and property loss because of induction motors that have not been thoroughly tested or are incorrectly labelled in terms of ratings,electrical safety and performance.The goal of this study is targeted at preventing end-user injuries and failures caused by non-compliant induction motors,by evaluating locally manufactured/imported induction motors based on tests and evaluation from standards(IEC and SANS).The study is conducted using experimental procedures at the Explosion Prevention Technology and Rotating Machines(EPT and RM)laboratory,South African Bureau of Standards(SABS),South Africa.The main finding from the study shows differences in the nameplate characteristics of various induction motors which could have detrimental effects such as production and operational downtime in their end-use industries,at later stages.

Associations between remnant cholesterol levels and mortality in patients with diabetes

BACKGROUND Dyslipidemia is frequently present in patients with diabetes.The associations of remnant cholesterol and mortality remains unclear in patients with diabetes.AIM To explore the associations of remnant cholesterol with all-cause and cardiovas-cular mortality in patients with diabetes.METHODS This prospective cohort study included 4740 patients with diabetes who par-ticipated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 1999 through 2018.Remnant cholesterol was used as the exposure variable,and all-cause and cardiovascular mortality were considered outcome events.Outcome data were obtained from the National Death Index,and all participants were followed from the interview date until death or December 31,2019.Multivariate proportional Cox regression models were used to explore the associations between exposure and outcomes,in which remnant cholesterol was modeled as both a categorical and a continuous variable.Restricted cubic splines(RCSs)were calculated to assess the nonlinearity of associations.Subgroup(stratified by sex,age,body mass index,and duration of diabetes)and a series of sensitivity analyses were performed to evaluate the robustness of the associations.RESULTS During a median follow-up duration of 83 months,1370 all-cause deaths and 389 cardiovascular deaths were documented.Patients with remnant cholesterol levels in the third quartile had a reduced risk of all-cause mortality[hazard ratio(HR)95%confidence interval(CI):0.66(0.52-0.85)];however,when remnant cholesterol was modeled as a continuous variable,it was associated with increased risks of all-cause[HR(95%CI):1.12(1.02-1.21)per SD]and cardiovascular[HR(95%CI):1.16(1.01-1.32),per SD]mortality.The RCS demonstrated nonlinear associations of remnant cholesterol with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality.Subgroup and sensitivity analyses did not reveal significant differences from the above results.CONCLUSION In patients with diabetes,higher remnant cholesterol was associated with increased risks of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality,and diabetes patients with slightly higher remnant cholesterol(0.68-1.04 mmol/L)had a lower risk of all-cause mortality.

Relationship between dietary fiber intake and chronic diarrhea in adults

BACKGROUND Dietary fiber is essential for human health and can help reduce the symptoms of constipation.However,the relationship between dietary fiber and diarrhea is,poorly understood.AIM To evaluate the relationship between dietary fiber and chronic diarrhea.METHODS This retrospective study was conducted using data from the United States National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey,conducted between 2005 and 2010.Participants over the age of 20 were included.To measure dietary fiber consumption,two 24-hour meal recall interviews were conducted.The independent relationship between the total amount of dietary fiber and chronic diarrhea was evaluated with multiple logistic regression and interaction analysis.RESULTS Data from 12829 participants were analyzed.Participants without chronic diarrhea consumed more dietary fiber than participants with chronic diarrhea(29.7 vs 28.5,P=0.004).Additionally,in participants with chronic diarrhea,a correlation between sex and dietary fiber intake was present:Women who consume more than 25 g of dietary fiber daily can reduce the occurrence of chronic diarrhea.CONCLUSION Dietary fiber can reduce the occurrence of chronic diarrhea.

Perceived stress among staff in Saudi Arabian dental colleges before and after an accreditation process: A cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND Accreditation processes are extensively employed to guarantee the quality of higher education institutions.However,this process can potentially generate a stressful atmosphere for staff,thus impacting their ability to perform optimally under pressure.AIM To examine the knowledge of the National Commission for Academic Assessment and Accreditation(NCAAA)and its effects on perceived stress among dental college staff before and after the program accreditation process.METHODS The present cross-sectional questionnaire-based study included 300 employees from three dental colleges.The same employees had to fill out the questionnaire 1 mo after the NCAAA process.RESULTS Approximately 51.33%of the included employees believed that NCAAA is essential to attract quality students to join the program before and after the program.A total of 44.67%felt that their stress was high before,and 31.33%had low stress levels before and after NCAAA.These findings were statistically significant(P≤0.05).CONCLUSION NCAAA raised the prestige of the institution and specific programmes and increased prospects to attract better students,staff,and money,according to the employees.In addition to their needed teaching,research,and other service responsibilities,this work requires a tremendous amount of faculty effort and may cause them stress.