Changes and determining factors of crop evapotranspiration derived from satellite-based dual crop coefficients in North China Plain

Evaluating actual crop evapotranspiration(ET) variations and their determining factors under changing climates is crucial for agricultural irrigation management and crop productivity improvement in nonhumid regions.This study analyzed the spatiotemporal characteristics and detected the determining factors of ETfor winter wheat and summer maize rotation system from 2000 to 2017 in the North China Plain(NCP),by combining the FAO-56 dual crop coefficient approach with remotely sensed vegetation indices(VIs).The results indicated that daily air temperature increased in varying degrees while wind speed and sunshine hours decreased slightly during the growing season of winter wheat and summer maize over the study period.The trends of relative humidity and effective precipitation varied in crop growing seasons.Based on the validated relationship of dual crop coefficients and VIs,the estimated multi-year average ETof winter wheat(370.29±31.28 mm) was much higher than summer maize(281.85±20.14 mm),and the rotation cycle was 652.43±27.67 mm.Annual ETof winter wheat and the rotation cycle increased by 2.96 mm aand 1,77 mm a,respectively.However,the ETof summer maize decreased with distinct spatial variation.Spatially,winter wheat ETincreased significantly in the northeast NCP,covering the Beijing-Tianiin-Hebei areas.Meanwhile,significant increases in summer maize ETwere detected in the southwest NCP.The sensitivity and contribution analysis showed that ETof winter wheat and summer maize was positively sensitive to temperature,wind speed,and sunshine hours while negatively to relative humidity.Moreover,wind speed and sunshine hours contributed most to changes in ET(around 20%-40%).

Area under the curve of methotrexate and creatinine clearance are outcome - determining factors in primary CNS lymphomas

Although high-dose methotrexate(HD-MTX)is the most effective drug against primary CNS lymphomas(PCNSL),outcome-de-termining variables related to its administration schedule have not been defined.The impact on toxicity and outcome of the area under thecurve(AUC(MTX)),dose intensity(DI(MTX))and infusion rate(IR(MTX))of MTX and plsamatic creatinine clearance(CL(crea))was investigated in a retrospective series of 45 PCNSL patients treated with three different HD-MTX-basedcombinations.Anticon-vulsants were administered in 31 pts(69%).Age>60 years,anticonvulsant therapy,slow IR(MTX)(

Loan Strategies to Small and Medium Size Enterprises:An Analysis of Determining Factors of“Subsidiary Banks”in the Cameroonian Context

This paper proposes to present an overview of determining factors of the granting of loan to Small and Medium Size Enterprises(SMSE)by the subsidiaries of multinational banks in Cameroon.The analysis of the data collected following interviews with banking employees conducted in accordance with the method of thematic content analysis reveals that two categories of factors play a major role in the decision of the banker:parameters relating to the characteristics of the SMSE applying for a loan and elements specific to the context of study.The combination of these factors contributes to the reinforcement of the already transactional attitude of these subsidiary banks in the area of experimentation of the study.

Factors Determining the Postponement of Schedule Gyneaco-Obstetric Surgery at CHUMEFJE in Libreville (Gabon)

The study aimed to identify factors causing delays in scheduled gynaeco-obstetric surgeries at CHUMEFJE in Libreville from January 2019 to July 2020. Through a 16-month observational survey, it was found that out of 346 scheduled procedures, 128 (36.4%) were postponed. Organizational issues in the operating theatre were responsible for 80.3% of these delays, with 95.3% being preventable. To enhance efficiency, improvements in operating theatre organization are recommended.

Genetic polymorphism of CYP2A6 is one of the potential factors determining tobacco-related cancer risk

While we studied pharmacokinetics of SM-12502 which was under development as an anti-PAF agent, we found three subjects showing a slow metabolic phenotype in its pharmacokinetics. Analyzing the genes for CYP2A6 from the three subjects, we discovered that the three subjects possessed the whole CYP2A6 gene deletion (CYP2A6*4C), a novel genetic polymorphism of the CYP2A6 gene. Genetically engineered Salmonella YG7108 cells expressing human CYP2A6 or CYP2E1 together with the NADPH-CYP reductase were established in our laboratory to compare the mutagen-producing capacity of these enzymes for various N-nitrosamines. We found that CYP2E1 was responsible for the metabolic activation of N-nitrosamines with relatively short alkyl chains, whereas CYP2A6 was involved in the metabolic activation of N-nitrosamines possessing relatively bulky alkyl chains such as a tobacco-specific nitrosamine, NNK, which has been known to cause lung tumor in rodents. Thus, to examine a hypothesis that individuals possessing the CYP2A6*4C have the reduced risk of lung cancer due to the lack of the capacity of the metabolic activation of certain carcinogens in tobacco smoke, a case-control study was performed.

FINITE ELEMENT METHOD COMBINED WITH DYNAMIC PHOTOELASTIC ANALYSIS TO DETERMINE DYNAMIC STRESS-INTENSITY FACTORS

The present paper is addressed to the finite element method combined with dynamic photoelastic analysis of propagating cracks, that is, on the basis of [1] by Chien Wei-zang, finite elements which incorporate the propagating crack-tip singularity intrinsic to two-dimensional elasticity are employed. THe relation between crack opening length and time step obtained from dynamic photoelaslie analysis is used as a definite condition for solving the dynamic equations and simulating the crack propagations as well As an example, the impact response of dynamie-bending-test specimen is investigated and the dynamic stress-intensity factor obtained from the mentioned finite element analysis and dynamic photoelasticity is in reasonable agreement with each other.

Determinants of mechanical restraint in an acute psychiatric care unit

BACKGROUND Despite numerous attempts to reduce the use of mechanical restraint(MR),this technique continues to be widely applied in many acute psychiatric care settings.In order to reduce MR,a better understanding of the variables associated with its use and duration in different clinical environments is essential.AIM To determine the proportion of patients subjected to MR and the duration thereof in two acute care psychiatric units;and to identify the variables associated with the use and duration of MR.METHODS Descriptive study of all patients admitted to the acute psychiatric units at the Parc de Salut Mar(Barcelona,Spain)in the year 2018.The number and percentage of patients subjected to MR,as well as the duration of each episode were assessed.The following data were also registered:sociodemographic characteristics,psychiatric diagnosis,and presence of cultural and/or language barriers.Multivariate analyses were performed to assess determinants of MR and its duration.RESULTS Of the 464 patients,119(25.6%)required MR,with a median of 16.4 h per MR.Two factors-a diagnosis of psychotic disorder[Odds ratios(OR)=0.22;95%CI:0.06-0.62;P=0.005]and the presence of a language barrier(OR=2.13;95%CI:1.2-3.7;P=0.007)-were associated with a significantly higher risk of MR.Male sex was associated with a longer duration of MR(B=-19.03;95%CI:-38.06-0.008;P=0.05).CONCLUSION The presence of a language barrier and a psychotic disorder diagnosis are associated with a significantly higher risk of MR.Furthermore,male sex is associated with a longer duration of MR.Individualized restraint protocols that include the required tools are necessary to ultimately limit the use of mechanical restraint.

Intellectual Capacity of Children Exposed to Environmental Pollution in the Extreme South of Brazil

Objective： The study evaluated the intellectual capacity of children who live in areas that were E （exposed） or NE （not exposed） to environmental pollution. Method： 246 students between the ages of 8 and 11 years and 8 months were evaluated. Data were collected between May and June 2010 using a semi-structured questionnaire to examine factors that were related to compromised intellectual capacity. Intellectual capacity was evaluated with Raven＇s Colored Progressive Matrices Scale. The intellectual capacity of children who live in areas that were exposed or not exposed was compared using chi-squared tests and raw and adjusted analyses were conducted using Poisson regression. Results： The general occurrence of intellectual impairment was 28.9%, with 22.0% in the non-exposed area and 36.1% in the exposed area （p = 0.01）. The outcome was associated with the following： a lack of companionship （RP = 2.77; p 〈 0.00）, maternal education of less than five years （RP = 2.13; p 〈 0.00）, the mother not being Caucasian （RP = 1.57;p 〈 0.00）, residing in an exposed area （RP = 1.88;p 〈 0.00）, and nutritional risk/malnutrition （RP = 2.83; p 〈 0.00）. Conclusions： The results showed a high occurrence of intellectual impairment and a significant difference between the environmental areas. Additional research is needed to improve the understanding of several results. The town＇s priorities should include efforts related to environmental health.

AHP-FCE Based Physical Exercise Risk Evaluation Model

Exercise is a highly proven and beneficial health promotion modality, But it is very difficult to determine whether the person during exercise is safe. A unique and comprehensive approach is proposed to perform physical exercise risk evaluation （PERE）, in which personalized factors are deterrrdned basing on grey correlation analysis, analytic hierarchy process （AHP） method is used to structure the large numbers of risk factors, and fuzzy comprehensive evaluation （FCE） is applied to fuzzify the factors and compute the exercise risk level. Finally, an actual calculation example is used to verify the feasibility of the method.

Relationship between Prosopis juliflora invasion and livelihood diversification in the South Afar region,Northeast Ethiopia

This study assessed the effects of Prosopis juliflora invasion on livelihood diversification and evaluated the determinants of livelihood diversification in two districts in the South Afar region of Northeast Ethiopia.Using random sampling method,154 households and 2 focus groups composed of 10 individuals were selected from four sites in the two districts.The relationship between P.juliflora invasion and incomes obtained from P.juliflora varied across the study sites.In Awash Fentale District and Amibara District,11.0%and 3.2%of households,respectively,earned income from P.juliflora charcoal production.In total,14.3%of households were involved in charcoal production.In addition,19.9%of households earned income from selling P.juliflora pods and wood materials in the two districts.With the exception of income from P.juliflora charcoal production,the sex of households did not affect incomes from other livelihood activities.Moreover,household educational attainment significantly affected income obtained from vegetables,fruits,and cereal crops.Male householders were engaged in more diverse livelihood activities than female householders.Reversing the severe invasion of P.juliflora on grazing and woodlands in the region is advisable through integrated natural resources,pastoralist participation,and multidisciplinary research strategies.

Identification of driving factors of algal growth in the South-to-North Water Diversion Project by Transformer-based deep learning

Accurate and credible identification of the drivers of algal growth is essential for sustainable utilization and scientific management of freshwater.In this study,we developed a deep learning-based Transformer model,named Bloomformer-1,for end-to-end identification of the drivers of algal growth without the needing extensive a priori knowledge or prior experiments.The Middle Route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project(MRP)was used as the study site to demonstrate that Bloomformer-1 exhibited more robust performance(with the highest R^(2),0.80 to 0.94,and the lowest RMSE,0.22–0.43μg/L)compared to four widely used traditional machine learning models,namely extra trees regression(ETR),gradient boosting regression tree(GBRT),support vector regression(SVR),and multiple linear regression(MLR).In addition,Bloomformer-1 had higher interpretability(including higher transferability and understandability)than the four traditional machine learning models,which meant that it was trustworthy and the results could be directly applied to real scenarios.Finally,it was determined that total phosphorus(TP)was the most important driver for the MRP,especially in Henan section of the canal,although total nitrogen(TN)had the highest effect on algal growth in the Hebei section.Based on these results,phosphorus loading controlling in the whole MRP was proposed as an algal control strategy.

Chinese Multinationals and Entry Mode Choice： Institutional, Transaction and Firm-Specific Factors

Foreign direct investment （FDI） ownership decision is one of the most researched topics in the international business literature. However, little is known about the extent to which this knowledge can be applied to emerging-economy multinationals. Building on the institutional, transaction cost and resource-based view perspectives, this paper analyzes the determining factors of FD! mode choice between wholly-owned subsidiary （WOS） and joint venture （JV） by Chinese firms. Based on a sample of 139 outward FDI decisions made by large Chinese firms between 2002 and 2009, our results show certain characteristics that differ from the conventional wisdom of the multinational enterprise （MNE）. A host country＇s political risk and cultural distance do not affect FDI ownership decisions of Chinese MNEs, while firm size is negatively related with WOS. However, from a more conventional point of view, technological intensity of the industry is positively associated with WOS.

Chinese University EFL Teachers’ and Students’ Beliefs About EFL Writing: Differences, Influences, and Pedagogical Implications

This study investigates Chinese university EFL teachers' and students' beliefs about what determines the text quality of EFL writing via a mixed-method analysis of data collected by questionnaire, interview, and diagnostic and self-diagnostic feedback on students' essays. The results indicate that: First, both the teachers and students attached much importance to language, but the teachers put significantly more emphasis on organization and content whereas the students put significantly more emphasis on vocabulary;Second, the beliefs of students were heavily influenced by their conceptions of the purposes of EFL writing tasks and the assessment criteria adopted to mark their writing;Third, the disparity between teachers' and students' beliefs caused them to emphasize different aspects of an essay when giving feedback;Finally, students' beliefs had a negative impact on the development of effective writing strategies. Pedagogical implications are suggested.

Transnational technology transfer network in China:Spatial dynamics and its determinants

Patent transfer has been regarded as an important channel for the nations and regions to acquire external technology,and also a direct research object to depict the relationship between supply and demand of technology flow.Therefore,based on traceable patent transfer data,this article has established a dual-pipeline theoretical framework of transnational-domestic technology transfer from the interaction of the global and local(glocal)perspective,and combines social networks,GIS spatial analysis as well as spatial econometric model to discover the spatial evolution of China’s transnational technology channels and its determinant factors.It is found that:(1)The spatial heterogeneity of the overall network is significant while gradually weakened over time.(2)The eastward shift of the core cities involved in transnational technology channels is accelerating,from the hubs in North America(New York Bay Area,Silicon Valley,Caribbean offshore financial center,etc.)and West Europe(London offshore financial center etc.)to East Asia(Tokyo and Seoul)and Southeast Asia(Singapore),which illustrates China has decreased reliance on the technology from the USA and West Europe.(3)The four major innovation clusters:Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region(Beijing as the hub),Yangtze River Delta(Shanghai as the hub),The Greater Bay Area(Shenzhen and Hong Kong as the hubs)and north Taiwan(Taipei and Hsinchu as the hubs),are regarded as global technology innovation hubs and China’s distribution centers in transnational technology flow.Among those,Chinese Hong Kong’s betweenness role of technology is strengthened due to linkage of transnational corporations and their branches,and low tax coverage of offshore finance,thus becoming the top city for technology transfer.Meanwhile,Chinese Taiwan’s core position is diminishing.(4)The breadth,intensity,and closeness of domestic technology transfer are conducive to the expansion of transnational technology import channels.Additionally,local economic level has positive effect on transnational technology transfer channels while technology strength and external economic linkage have multifaceted influences.

Elemental Substitution Effects in High-T_c Superconductor YBa_2Cu_3O_(7-δ)*

This paper reports the experimental results of the investigation on elemental substitution effects in YBa_2Cu_3O_(7-δ) and the new physical ideas deduced comprehensively. It is shown that all the orthorhombic crystalline structure, oxygen content, oxidation valence of Cu atoms, and metal-semiconductor (insulator) transition are only the extrinsic factors deter mining the T_c of the systems, and there are two mechanisms of substitution effects, namely the mechanism of the substitution effects outside the CuO_2 planes and that within the CuO_2 planes. We suggest that the mobile carrier concentration and the dynamic, short-range antiferromagnetic correlation between Cu(2) atoms on the CuO_2 planes are the two intrinsic factors determining the high T_c superconductivity.