Excess non-COVID-19-related mortality among inflammatory bowel disease decedents during the COVID-19 pandemic

BACKGROUND The coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemic disrupted healthcare in the United States.AIM To investigate COVID-19-related and non-COVID-19-related death and characteristics associated with excess death among inflammatory bowel disease(IBD)decedents.METHODS We performed a register-based study using data from the National Vital Statistics System,which reports death data from over 99%of the United States population,from January 1,2006 through December 31,2021.IBD-related deaths among adults 25 years and older were stratified by age,sex,race/ethnicity,place of death,and primary cause of death.Predicted and actual age-standardized mortality rates(ASMRs)per 100000 persons were compared.RESULTS 49782 IBD-related deaths occurred during the study period.Non-COVID-19-related deaths increased by 13.14%in 2020 and 18.12%in 2021[2020 ASMR:1.55 actual vs 1.37 predicted,95%confidence interval(CI):1.26-1.49;2021 ASMR:1.63 actual vs 1.38 predicted,95%CI:1.26-1.49].In 2020,non-COVID-19-related mortality increased by 17.65%in ulcerative colitis(UC)patients between the ages of 25 and 65 and 36.36%in non-Hispanic black(NHB)Crohn’s disease(CD)patients.During the pandemic,deaths at home or on arrival and at medical facilities as well as deaths due to neoplasms also increased.CONCLUSION IBD patients suffered excess non-COVID-19-related death during the pandemic.Excess death was associated with younger age among UC patients,and with NHB race among CD patients.Increased death at home or on arrival and due to neoplasms suggests that delayed presentation and difficulty accessing healthcare may have led to increased IBD mortality.

Racial and Ethnic Differences in Orthorexia Nervosa Symptomatology and Other Disordered Eating

While some research has explored racial and ethnic differences in disordered eating, this study may be the first to examine these differences in orthorexia nervosa, involving obsessive-compulsive thoughts and behaviors concerning healthy eating, which negatively impact one’s life. Adult participants, recruited from college courses and social media, completed an online survey with the Orthorexia Nervosa Inventory (ONI) and the Eating Attitudes Test-26 (EAT-26). Regarding racial and ethnic background, 743 were White, 249 were Hispanic, 87 were Black, 61 were Asian or Pacific Islander, and 110 were biracial/multiracial. A MANCOVA revealed that the racial and ethnic groups did not differ on the ONI subscales assessing orthorexic behaviors, impairments, and emotions, after accounting for gender, BMI, and EAT-26 total scores that were covariates. In contrast, a second MANCOVA did reveal group differences on the EAT-26 subscales, after accounting for gender, BMI, and ONI total scores that were covariates. Black participants scored significantly lower than the other racial and ethnic groups on the subscale assessing dieting behaviors characteristic of anorexia nervosa, and the subscale assessing binge-eating and purging behaviors characteristic of bulimia nervosa. Further, Hispanic participants scored significantly lower than White participants on the latter subscale. These findings suggest that while orthorexic symptomatology does not differ based on race and ethnicity, a Black race and Hispanic ethnicity may be protective factors against disordered eating, perhaps related either to cultural norms concerning body image or to the resiliency and social support among the Black and Hispanic communities.

Chinese-Style Fiscal Decentralization and TFP:Race to the Bottom or Race to the Top

This paper reveals the effect of Chinese-style fiscal decentralization on regional total factor productivity(TFP),i.e.,whether it leads to a race to the bottom or a race to the top.Theoretical analysis shows that Chinese-style fiscal decentralizations affects technological progress by changing the conditions of resource allocation.The empirical results show that Chinese-style fiscal decentralization has significantly improved the level of TFP in China,but it also generates the problems of factor mismatch and distortion of fiscal expenditure structure,and cause the distortion of factor market to a certain extent,which is not conducive to technological progress.Based on further observation of the internal composition of TFP,it is concluded that fiscal decentralization has caused technological progress(TP)and technical efficiency(TE)to show a more obvious race to the top,but the race to the top of TFP is weakening.

Race to the Top

The global race in developing and deploying green energy technology can be a win-win game "Clean energy race" has become a catchphrase for journalists and bloggers to attract reader eyes. Googling that, one will

Race to the Top Coiiintries battle over the resource-rich Arctic

Scientists have long warned that global warming is a growing threat. Now international observers are concerned that the natural resources in the Arctic region—made more accessible by

Race Structure and Distribution of Phytophthora infestans in the Investigated Areas of China

Ninety isolates collected from five different provinces and cities (Hebei, Yunan, Sichuan, Chongqing, Inner Mongolia ) during 1997 - 1998 were tested with potato clones possessed 8 dominant mono-genes R1, R3, R4, R6, R7, R9, R10, R11 and the combination of R1-R4 of the international late blight differential host. It concluded that: (1) in the 90 isolates tested 21 different races were detected, of which the 1.3.4. 7. 9. 10. 11 was very common with frequency of 32. 2%, followed by 1. 3. 4. 6. 7. 9. 10. 11 and 3.4.7. 9. 11 with frequency of 10.0%; (2) all tested resistant genes were compatible to the virulent gene of isolates of Phytophthora infestans assayed, which indicated that the virulent genes were very common in the tested population of Phytophthora infestans.

Cloning of Banana Bunchy Top Virus Chinese Zhangzhou Isolate DNA 4 and the Promoter Activity of Its Non_coding Region

Banana bunchy top virus Chinese Zhangzhou isolate (BBTV-ZZ) DNA 4 was amplified by PCR and cloned. Sequence analysis showed that BBTV-ZZ DNA 4 is 1 039 nucleotides (nts) in length and this virus could be one member of BBTV Asian group. Transcriptional initiation site A, which is at the 269 nucleotide, was preliminarily determined by using 5' RACE method. BBTV-ZZ DNA 4 non-coding region was sub-cloned by PCR and inserted into upstream of gfp : : gus plant expression vector pCAMBIA 1304 to construct recombinant plasmid pTA2. Agrobacterium tumefaciens harboring pTA2 was injected into leaves of the tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L. cv. Xanthi NC) via Agrobacterium-infiltration procedure. Transient expressions of GUS and GFP were determined in injected leaves 3 - 5 d later. GUS activities of pTA2, pCAMBIA 1304 injected and non-injected tobacco leaves respectively were 1.007 0 pmol MU(.)mug(-1.)min(-1), 2.069 0 pmol MU(.)mug(-1.)min(-1) and 0.021 4 pmol MU(.)mug(-1.)min(-1). Indirect ELISA for GFP in 1 mg total protein from pTA2, pCAMBIA 1304 injected and non-injected leaves showed an A(490 nm) value of 89.577, 100.440 and 3.287, respectively. These results showed that the non-coding region of BBTV-ZZ DNA 4 has a promoter activity not only in the virus replication in monocot, but also in driving the expression of a foreign gene in dicot plants.

Induced Resistance by the Toxin Filtrate of Bipolaris maydis Race T Cultivation

Resistance to maize southern leaf spot disease was induced by the low-concentration filtrate of Bipolaris maydis race T cultivation in an experiment. The nuclear neterogeny corn C103 was used as the test material. The lesion area on the leaves was significant difference by connalysis. The lesion areas on pretreated leaves were （0.3±0.05）- （0.9±0.5） mm^2, but those on the control were （23.1±8.7） mm^2. At the same time, the changes in peroxidase, phenylalanine, ammonialyase, and malondialdehvde activities were determined. During 0-96 h of inspection, phenylalanine and ammonialyase （PAL） activities increased by 64.2%, peroxidase （POD） activities increased by 41.2%, but the malondialdenvde （MDA） content decreased by 29.7% compared with the control. It seems that the low-concentration filtrate of Bipolaris maydis race T cultivation itself can be used as an elicitor to enhance the induced resistance.

A study on the pathogen species and physiological races of tomato Fusarium wilt in Shanxi,China

In order to clarify the main pathogens of tomato Fusarium wilt in Shanxi Province, China, morphological identification, elongation factor 1 alpha （EF-1α） sequence analysis, specific primer amplification and pathogenicity tests were applied to study the isolates which were recovered from diseased plants collected from 17 different districts of Shanxi Province. The results were as follows： 1） Through morphological and molecular identification, the following 7 species of Fusarium were identified： F. oxysporum, F. solani, F. verticillioides, F. subglutinans, F. chlamydosporum, F. sporotrichioides, and F. semitectum; 2） 56 isolates of F. oxysporum were identified using specific primer amplification, among which, 29, 5 and 6 isolates were respectively identified as F. oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici physiological race 1, race 2, and race 3; 3） pathogenicity test indicated the significant pathogenicity of F. oxysporum, F. solani, F. verticillioides, and F. subglutinans to tomato plant. Therefore, among these 4 species confirmed as pathogenic to tomato in Shanxi, the highest isolation rate （53.3％） corresponded to F. oxysporum. Three physiological species, race 1, race 2, and race 3 of F. oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici are detected in Shanxi, among which race 1 is the most widespread pathogen and is also considered as the predominant race.

An Improved Graphics Processing Unit Acceleration Approach for Three-Dimensional Structural Topology Optimization Using the Element-Free Galerkin Method

We proposed an improved graphics processing unit(GPU)acceleration approach for three-dimensional structural topology optimization using the element-free Galerkin(EFG)method.This method can effectively eliminate the race condition under parallelization.We established a structural topology optimization model by combining the EFG method and the solid isotropic microstructures with penalization model.We explored the GPU parallel algorithm of assembling stiffness matrix,solving discrete equation,analyzing sensitivity,and updating design variables in detail.We also proposed a node pair-wise method for assembling the stiffnessmatrix and a node-wise method for sensitivity analysis to eliminate race conditions during the parallelization.Furthermore,we investigated the effects of the thread block size,the number of degrees of freedom,and the convergence error of preconditioned conjugate gradient(PCG)on GPU computing performance.Finally,the results of the three numerical examples demonstrated the validity of the proposed approach and showed the significant acceleration of structural topology optimization.To save the cost of optimization calculation,we proposed the appropriate thread block size and the convergence error of the PCG method.

Yr5-virulent races of Puccinia striiformis f.sp.tritici possess relative parasitic fitness higher than current main predominant races and potential risk

Wheat stripe rust,caused by Puccinia striiformis f.sp.tritici(Pst),is one of the most destructive fungal diseases of wheat,and seriously threatens safe production of the crop worldwide.In China,new races historically appeared and rapidly developed to be predominant races and have resulted in ineffectiveness and replacement of wheat resistance cultivars as well as massive reduction in yield.In the present study,the relative parasitic fitness of the two newlyemerged Yr5-virulent races(TSA-6 and TSA-9)were compared with those of four currently predominant Chinese races(CYR31,CYR32,CYR33,and CYR34)based on evaluation on 10 Chinese wheat cultivars.As a result,there were significant differences in the relative parasitic fitness parameters among overall tested races based on multiple comparison(LSD)analysis(P<0.05).The principal component analysis(PCA)of overall parasitic fitness parameters indicated that the sporulation ability,infection and spore survivability,expansion capacity,and potential pathogenicity were the most important parasitic fitness attributes of the tested races.Based on the establishment of extracted three principal components and a comprehensive factor score mathematical models,evaluations of the parasitic fitness attributes of tested races showed that the level of relative parasitic fitness of the tested six races was:CYR32(1.15)>TSA-9(0.95)>TSA-6(0.92)>CYR34(0.29)>CYR31(–1.54)>CYR33(–1.77).The results indicated that two Yr5-virulent races TSA-9 and TSA-6 possessed relative parasitic fitness higher than races CYR34,CYR31,and CYR33,but lower than race CYR32,and have potential risks in developing to be predominant races.Therefore,continual monitoring of both Yr5-virulent races,and their variants is needed.The use of wheat cultivars(lines)with Yr5 resistance gene singly in wheat breeding is essential for being avoided,and is suggested to combine with other effective stripe rust resistance genes.

A Cross-Sectional Study of Factors Influencing Orthopedic Surgery Application, Diversity, and Trainee Experiences

Background: Women and racial and ethnic minorities remain underrepresented in orthopedic surgery. Exploring factors that draw individuals from these demographics to pursue orthopedic surgery and their experiences during training can provide valuable insights into this disparity. We aimed to quantify the current state of diversity in terms of race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation among orthopedic surgery residents and fellows, and to identify factors that influenced their decision to pursue orthopedic surgery. Methods: An institutionally validated survey was delivered via Qualtrics to national orthopedic surgery residency programs from January to April 2023. Topics addressed included gender identity, sexual orientation, racial and ethnic background, reasons for pursuing orthopedic surgery, and medical training experiences. Differences between gender and racial discrimination were assessed via Chi-square test. Results: A total of 119 orthopedic surgery residents and fellows responded. Of these, 62.2% (n = 74) identified as non-Hispanic White, 60.5% (n = 72) were male, and 86.6% (n = 103) identified as straight or heterosexual. Mentorship was cited by 79.9% (n = 95) of respondents as a critical factor in their decision to pursue orthopedic surgery. Additionally, 23% of female respondents and 4.2% of male respondents highlighted the presence of women and diverse faculty as very important. Gender identity negatively impacted the decision to pursue orthopedic surgery in 15.4% of female and 1.4% of male respondents (p = 0.004). Among underrepresented minorities (URMs), 24.4% reported negative experiences during training compared to 4.1% of non-Hispanic White participants (p = 0.002). Discrimination experiences ranged from 2.6% due to sexual orientation, 20.7% due to race and ethnicity, and 26.3% due to gender and gender identity. Conclusions: Discrimination based on race, ethnicity, and gender continues to pose significant challenges for orthopedic surgery trainees. The presence of mentors, particularly women and individuals from diverse backgrounds, remains crucial in fostering interest in orthopedic surgery among underrepresented groups. Sustained efforts are needed to create a more inclusive and supportive environment all trainees.

Ascending to the Throne After Winning the Horse Race

ＡｓｃｅｎｄｉｎｇｔｏｔｈｅＴｈｒｏｎｅＡｆｔｅｒＷｉｎｎｉｎｇｔｈｅＨｏｒｓｅＲａｃｅ￥／／Ｔｈｅｇｒａｎｄｈｏｒｓｅｒａｃｅｗａｓａｂｏｕｔｔｏｂｅｇｉｎ，ａｎｄｔｈｅｂｅａｕｔｉｆｕｌＭａｌｕｎｇＧｒａｓｓｌａｎｄｗａｓａｂｕｚｚｗｉｔｈｍｅｒ...

Language as a Bridge An African student wins top honor at the prestigious annual Chinese proficiency competition held in Changsha

Culture is the very possibility of cre-ating,renewing and sharing values,the breath that increases the vitality of humanity,says an African proverb.&nbsp;It is in this spirit that students from all over the world came to Hunan in central China for the 18th Chinese Bridge Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students,which obscures differences,colors,races or origins to highlight intelligence and culture.

Beautiful Aspect of The Tibetan Race——Preface to Tibet Folk Art

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Chongqing Publishing House has published a set of eight books under the general title of Series Books on Folk Art in Tibet, covering clay molding art, mask art, garments, tangka painting, weaving, building and decoration, Mani stone carving, and sculpturing. They contain some 20,000 illustrations to enhance reader interest.

Preliminary Study on Physiological Race Differentiation in Tomato Leaf Mold in Three Northeastern Provinces of China

Tomato leaf mold samples collected from tomato plants cultivated in plastic house in three northeastern provinces of China were studied by artifical spray inoculation at seedling stage,consulting Hubbcling physiological race differential hosts and adopting Day's classification system(1971).The results indicated that there were three races in these provinces;they were races 1,2,3,race 1,3 and race 3.Among them race 1,2,3 was the predominant.

水蕨(Ceratopteris thalictroides)查尔酮合成酶基因的克隆和表达(英文)

查尔酮合酶(chalcone synthase,CHS)是植物类黄酮化合物合成的关键酶,有关蕨类植物CHS基因的序列及功能信息尚不完善。本研究采用快速扩增c DNA末端(RACE)技术克隆获得了模式蕨类植物——水蕨(Ceratopteris thalictroides)Ct CHS基因(Gen Bank登录号:JX027616.1),其c DNA序列全长为1616 bp,具有3个外显子和2个内含子,开放阅读框(ORF)为1215 bp,编码404个氨基酸。进化树分析表明,Ct CHS与问荆(Equisetum arvense)、松叶蕨(Psilotum nudum)和3种薄囊蕨的查尔酮合成酶基因聚为一枝,说明这些蕨类植物亲缘关系较近且为单系起源。通过构建原核表达体系成功获得Ct CHS蛋白的多克隆抗体并用于免疫印迹分析,结果表明Ct CHS基因的表达明显受紫外光(UV)诱导。Ct CHS基因的克隆与表达分析为进一步研究水蕨类黄酮化合物的合成及其调控机制提供了依据。

Study on the Cloning and Isolation of sus scrofa GPX2 Gene by RACE Method

[Objective] Using molecular biotechnology to clone the sus scrofa GPX2 gene. [Method] Using total RNA of sus scrofa duodenum as template, degenerated primer pairs were designed according to the homology alignment analysis of GPX2 gene of human, rat, mouse, dog and cattle. A sus scrofa GPX2 gene sequence of 330 bp was obtained by RT-PCR application method. Primes were designed respectively according to the known sequence, sus scrofa GPX2 gene was isolated and cloned by 3-RACE and 5-RACE method and analyzed the gene sequence. [Result] A mRNA sequence of 924 bp was successfully cloned and isolated in this research. This sequence contained complete 3＇end and had higher sequence homology with human,mouse,cattle and dog GPX2 gene, and there was codon called TGA which encoding Sec on the position of No. 114-116 gene. [Conclusion] Sequence alignment analysis showed that the cloned gene was sus scrofa GPX2 gene （ NCBI GenBank database, the sequence number was D098982）.

凡纳滨对虾(Litopenaeus vannamei)Runt转录因子的基因克隆及其功能分析

Runt结构域转录因子家族(Runx)在哺乳动物体内存在三种基因型,分别起着造血,骨生成和控制上皮细胞增殖的作用。本文应用反转录和c DNA末端快速扩增(RACE)技术,首次在凡纳滨对虾(Litopenaeus vannamei)中克隆并测序了一种Runt(lvrunt)基因全长。lvrunt c DNA全长1754bp,含有1个663bp长的开放阅读框,编码221个氨基酸,理论分子量为23.6k Da,具有Runt-family结构域。对凡纳滨对虾鳃、肠、肝胰腺、类淋巴、心脏、肌肉组织和血淋巴lvrunt的转录特征进行分析,结果显示该基因几乎特异性地在血淋巴细胞中表达,而在其他组织中表达较低。肌肉注射重组造血激素蛋白(r AST)或白斑综合征病毒(WSSV)粗提液均可显著提高lvrunt在凡纳滨对虾体内的转录表达。上述结果提示,lvrunt主要在血细胞发挥作用,可能作为造血激素的下游基因起到调节血细胞增殖和分化的作用,并在受到病毒感染后,参与提升血细胞数量或者促进血细胞分化的过程。

基于RACE模型的跨境电商独立站运营推广策略

当前跨境电商企业在选择独立站过程中面临着不亚于第三方平台的重大竞争压力,即使在实施了众多的网站营销策略与方法后收获仍然甚微,无法解决其窘迫的现状。本文以国内跨境电商公司在海外跨境电商企业独立站为例,基于RACE模型,通过对独立站进行分析,并依托模型提出有效的针对性解决方案,改善独立站运营效果,助力跨境电商企业独立站提高效益。