Plate Tectonics:The Stabilizer of Earth’s Habitability

Earth is the only planet known to be habitable,and is also unique with its liquid water,and the operation of plate tectonics.The geological record shows that the habitability of our planet can rapidly recover from major disasters or catastrophes,even those that cause mass extinctions.We suggest that plate tectonics,which acts as a link between the shallow and deep,is pivotal for the formation,evolution,and long-term stability of the hydrosphere,atmosphere,lithosphere,and thus life.Plate tectonics links the surface environment with the deep interior of high viscosity,low Reynolds number,low entropy,and low chaos,able to produce a strong healing effect to neutralize catastrophic events.It can transfer the bio-essential elements from the deep interior to the near-surface environment and can recycle toxic elements to the deep.This unique planetary energy and material transfer process of Earth is a continuous,slow-release,and bidirectional cycle,where a change in the surface is slowly buffered by a reaction from the deep,shaping a long-term and stable habitable environment.Therefore,it is considered that plate tectonics is the basic condition for the long-term stable evolution of the Earth’s biosphere and the stabilizer of the Earth’s habitability.

Life Origin in the Milky Way Galaxy: I. The Stellar Nucleogenesis of Elements Necessary for the Life Origin

Chemical elements in space can be synthesized by stellar nuclear reactors. Studying the dynamics of processes occurring in the stars introduces a concept of the ensemble-averaged stellar reactor. For future interstellar missions, the terrestrial and solar abundances were compared with considerable number of stars allocated in the ~200 pc solar neighborhood. According to the value of the effective temperature, four stellar classes are distinguished, for which the correlation coefficients and standard deviation are calculated. The statement about the possibility of transferring heavy elements synthesized by stars over long distances in space has been completely refuted. There is no immutability of the distribution of elements on neighboring stars and in the Solar System. It is shown that chemical elements are mainly synthesized inside each stellar reactor. The theory of the buoyancy of elements is generalized to stars. It has been suggested that stars overheat due to a shift in the parameters of nuclear processes occurring inside stars, which leads to the synthesis of heavy elements.

Life Origin in the Milky Way Galaxy: II. Scanning for Habitable Stellar Systems on Behalf of Future Space Missions

The possibility of the life origin in the stellar systems, located at a distance of ~200 pc from the solar system, was investigated. The stars, in the spectrums of which C (carbon), O (oxygen), N (nitrogen), and P (phosphorus) are found, are called DNA-stars. Based on stellar abundances a new method for searching for habitable exoplanets has been developed and a list of 48 DNA-stars in the solar neighborhood, on which life is possible, has been defined. The quota of DNA-stars is equal 1.3% of the total amount of Hypatia Stellar Catalog. Only three DNA-stars out of selected 48 stars belong to the spectral class as our Sun (G2V). The closest to the solar system is the DNA-star with the number HIP 15510, which belongs to the G8V class and is 6 pc away from the solar system. Nine DNA-stars, which have the highest chemical similarity with solar spectrum, were identified. It is identified that one of these nine stars, HIP 24681, has six planets.

Development and validation of a prediction model for early screening of people at high risk for colorectal cancer

BACKGROUND Colorectal cancer(CRC)is a serious threat worldwide.Although early screening is suggested to be the most effective method to prevent and control CRC,the current situation of early screening for CRC is still not optimistic.In China,the incidence of CRC in the Yangtze River Delta region is increasing dramatically,but few studies have been conducted.Therefore,it is necessary to develop a simple and efficient early screening model for CRC.AIM To develop and validate an early-screening nomogram model to identify individuals at high risk of CRC.METHODS Data of 64448 participants obtained from Ningbo Hospital,China between 2014 and 2017 were retrospectively analyzed.The cohort comprised 64448 individuals,of which,530 were excluded due to missing or incorrect data.Of 63918,7607(11.9%)individuals were considered to be high risk for CRC,and 56311(88.1%)were not.The participants were randomly allocated to a training set(44743)or validation set(19175).The discriminatory ability,predictive accuracy,and clinical utility of the model were evaluated by constructing and analyzing receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves and calibration curves and by decision curve analysis.Finally,the model was validated internally using a bootstrap resampling technique.RESULTS Seven variables,including demographic,lifestyle,and family history information,were examined.Multifactorial logistic regression analysis revealed that age[odds ratio(OR):1.03,95%confidence interval(CI):1.02-1.03,P<0.001],body mass index(BMI)(OR:1.07,95%CI:1.06-1.08,P<0.001),waist circumference(WC)(OR:1.03,95%CI:1.02-1.03 P<0.001),lifestyle(OR:0.45,95%CI:0.42-0.48,P<0.001),and family history(OR:4.28,95%CI:4.04-4.54,P<0.001)were the most significant predictors of high-risk CRC.Healthy lifestyle was a protective factor,whereas family history was the most significant risk factor.The area under the curve was 0.734(95%CI:0.723-0.745)for the final validation set ROC curve and 0.735(95%CI:0.728-0.742)for the training set ROC curve.The calibration curve demonstrated a high correlation between the CRC high-risk population predicted by the nomogram model and the actual CRC high-risk population.CONCLUSION The early-screening nomogram model for CRC prediction in high-risk populations developed in this study based on age,BMI,WC,lifestyle,and family history exhibited high accuracy.

Effect of Modulus Heterogeneity on the Equilibrium Shape and Stress Field ofαPrecipitate in Ti-6Al-4V

For media with inclusions(e.g.,precipitates,voids,reinforcements,and others),the difference in lattice parameter and the elastic modulus between the matrix and inclusions cause stress concentration at the interfaces.These stress fields depend on the inclusions’size,shape,and distribution and will respond instantly to the evolving microstructure.This study develops a phase-field model concerningmodulus heterogeneity.The effect of modulus heterogeneity on the growth process and equilibrium state of theαplate in Ti-6Al-4V during precipitation is evaluated.Theαprecipitate exhibits strong anisotropy in shape upon cooling due to the interplay of the elastic strain and interfacial energy.The calculated orientation of the habit plane using the homogeneous modulus ofαphase shows the smallest deviation fromthat of the habit plane observed in the experiment,compared to the case where the homogeneous modulus ofβphase is adopted.In addition,the equilibrium volume ofαphase within the systemusing homogeneousβmodulus exhibits the largest dependency on the applied stresses.The stress fields across theα/βinterface are further calculated under the assumption of modulus heterogeneity and compared to those using homogeneous modulus of eitherαorβphase.This study provides an essential theoretical basis for developing mechanics models concerning systems with heterogeneous structures.

Impact of Exercise Atmosphere on Adolescents’Exercise Behavior:Chain Mediating Effect of Exercise Identity and Exercise Habit

Appropriate physical exercise has a positive impact on adolescents’physical and mental health,but there is a serious lack of physical exercise among Chinese adolescents.How to shape their exercise behavior(EB)has become an important task in promoting their development.A questionnaire survey was conducted using stratified cluster random sampling on three middle schools by class in Zhejiang Province,China to investigate the impact of exercise atmosphere(EA)on adolescents’exercise behavior and the mediating role of exercise identity(EI)and exercise habit(EH).806 adolescents were investigated by the Exercise Atmosphere Scale(EAS),Exercise-Identity Scale(EIS),Self-Report Habit Index(SRHI),and Physical Activity Rating Scale(PARS-3).The results show that:There is a significant positive correlation between each two of exercise atmosphere,exercise identity,exercise habit,and exercise behavior(p<0.05).Exercise atmosphere could not only directly affect adolescents’physical exercise behavior but can also indirectly affect their physical exercise behavior through the mediating effect of exercise identity and exercise habit,involving three mediating pathways,namely,the mediating path through exercise identity,the mediating pathway through exercise habit and the chain mediating pathway through exercise identity and exercise habit.The direct effect of exercise atmosphere on exercise behavior was 0.459(p<0.01),accounting for 62.62% of the total effect of 0.733,and its indirect effect was 0.274,accounting for 37.28% of the total effect.To a certain extent,the mediating effect model reveals the mechanism of exercise atmosphere affecting exercise behavior and has a certain reference value for promoting adolescents’exercise behavior.We should start by creating an exercise atmosphere,cultivating exercise identity,and enhancing exercise habits to help teenagers form active physical exercise behaviors.

Habitable Land Will Soon Become the World’s Scarcest Resource: Why Appalachia Should Choose Climate Change Havens over Millionaire Estates and Golf Courses

This research advocates for the construction of Climate Change Haven Communities across the Appalachian Region. The proposed development plan can be extended to the northern tier states across the US and also to the northern and mountainous regions of Europe and Asia. We present an analogy to the earlier climate change period of the Last Glacial Maximum/“Ice Age” in which these same northern regions of the planet were covered in ice sheets making them uninhabitable for most humans and many plant and animal species. In some significant ways, the Ice Age scenario can be a reverse-model for our current climate crisis. We also advocate strongly for the prevention of upscale real estate development projects in these same regions of the globe, as these will foreclose the possibility of safely sheltering the millions of persons who will be displaced by climate change over the next 5 to 10 years.

Understanding of Five Grains for YANG:a way to straighten Asians’dietary structure

According to the general opinion,grains should occupy the largest amount of human food each day,but this grain-based eating habit does not allow human life to be extended.Grains are high in carbohydrates and five commonly recognized plant hormones,namely auxin,gibberellin,cytokinin,abscisic acid,and ethylene.Through in-depth analysis of ancient books,it was found that five grains for support:support is a restriction,and it means the essence,which means that grains should be eaten less,and it is the essence of the least daily intake.To correctly understand the Chinese dietary concept of"five grains for support"is the basis for improving Asian dietary health and promoting Asian human health.

A Book Review of Becoming a Reading Teacher:Connecting Research and Practice

The book Becoming a Reading Teacher:Connecting Research and Practice aims to encourage readers to regard reading as a lifelong habit.To bridge the gap between teachers and researchers,this book is structured around four parts:reading as a linguistic process,reading as a personal experience,reading as a collective experience,and reading as a classroom practice.The definition of a reading teacher can be interpreted in two ways:the teacher who builds readings into the lesson and the teacher who provides the opportunity for learners to be readers,but who is a reader themselves.Such teachers regard reading as a lifelong learning habit and pass on the enthusiasm to learners,eventually creating a reading culture beyond the classroom.However,the necessity for reading teachers to participate in the research may be explained as follows.Firstly,new research may change one’s mind.What’s more,research allows teachers to turn their difficulties,surprises,and challenges into questions,and to seek answers to those questions.In addition,research helps teachers overcome the challenges in teaching by discovering new strategies.Research can also help to prove teachers’choices and decisions in teaching.Secondly,research allows teachers to see the role they play in the bigger picture.Research connects teachers with others and gives them a broader and shared perspective on their questions and experiences.Last but not least,research informs and promotes changes in policy,thinking,and so on.

Irregular dietary habits as a predictor of stunting occurrence among children under 5 years of age:a literature review

Objective:To identify the illustration of feeding patterns of stunting children using literature review method.Methods:This study was a descriptive narrative research using literature review approach to explore dietary habits of children with stunting problem.All the literature review processes employed Guideline Review measurement of Joanna Briggs Institute.Related ar ticles in literature were obtained from journal databases,such as Pub Med,Science Direct,Google Scholar,and Dimensions through structured research question with Patient,Exposure an interest,Outcome or response(PEO)methods.Results:This study found 2246 published ar ticles from 2018 to 2021 about children with stunting.Screening process was conducted fur ther to eliminate ar ticles with irrelevant titles and abstracts,and also the unsuitable ar ticles with the research question;hence,about 9 ar ticles were eligible to be reviewed ahead.All these ar ticles mentioned that children with irregular dietary habits would likely experience stunting.The low intake of nutritional food became the major predictor of stunting.Conclusions:Inappropriate feeding patterns and the variety of food were being the factors of stunting emergence among children<5 years of age.High consumption of carbohydrates,less animal-based protein,and misunderstanding about intake of sweetenedcondensed milk predisposed children to suffer stunting.

A Workable Solution for Reducing the Large Number of Vehicle and Pedestrian Accidents Occurring on a Yellow Light

Traffic intersections are incredibly dangerous for drivers and pedestrians. Statistics from both Canada and the U.S. show a high number of fatalities and serious injuries related to crashes at intersections. In Canada, during 2019, the National Collision Database shows that 28% of traffic fatalities and 42% of serious injuries occurred at intersections. Likewise, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA) found that about 40% of the estimated 5,811,000 accidents in the U.S. during the year studied were intersection-related crashes. In fact, a major survey by the car insurance industry found that nearly 85% of drivers could not identify the correct action to take when approaching a yellow traffic light at an intersection. One major reason for these accidents is the “yellow light dilemma,” the ambiguous situation where a driver should stop or proceed forward when unexpectedly faced with a yellow light. This situation is even further exacerbated by the tendency of aggressive drivers to inappropriately speed up on the yellow just to get through the traffic light. A survey of Canadian drivers conducted by the Traffic Injury Research Foundation found that 9% of drivers admitted to speeding up to get through a traffic light. Another reason for these accidents is the increased danger of making a left-hand turn on yellow. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA), left turns occur in approximately 22.2% of collisions—as opposed to just 1.2% for right turns. Moreover, a study by CNN found left turns are three times as likely to kill pedestrians than right turns. The reason left turns are so much more likely to cause an accident is because they take a driver against traffic and in the path of oncoming cars. Additionally, most of these left turns occur at the driver’s discretion—as opposed to the distressingly brief left-hand arrow at busy intersections. Drive Safe Now proposes a workable solution for reducing the number of accidents occurring during a yellow light at intersections. We believe this fairly simple solution will save lives, prevent injuries, reduce damage to public and private property, and decrease insurance costs.

Solubility of water in bridgmanite

Water in Earth's mantle plays a critical role in both geodynamic and surficial habitability.Water in the upper mantle and transition zone is widely discussed,but less is known about the water in the lower mantle despite it constituting over half of Earth's mass.Understanding the water storage in Earth's lower mantle relies on comprehending the water solubility of bridgmanite,which is the most abundant mineral both in the lower mantle and throughout Earth.Nevertheless,due to limited access to the lower mantle,our understanding of water in bridgmanite mainly comes from laboratory experiments and theoretical calculations,and a huge controversy still exists.In this paper,we provide a review of the commonly employed research methods and current findings concerning the solubility of water in bridgmanite.Potential factors,such as pressure,temperature,compositions,etc.,that influence the water solubility of bridgmanite will be discussed,along with insights into future research directions.

Variable precipitation behaviors of Laves phases in an ultralight Mg-Li-Zn alloy

Precipitation habits plays a decisive role in strengthening materials,especially for Mg alloys the non-basal plane precipitation is necessary but very limited.Generally,the precipitates would nucleate and grow up in a specific habit plane owing to the constraint of free-energy minimization of the system.Herein,in an aged ultralight Mg-Li-Zn alloy,we confirmed that the precipitates dominated by C15 Laves structure could form in a variety of habit planes,to generate three forms of strengthening-phases,i.e.,precipitate-rod,precipitate-lath,and precipitate-plate.Among which,the precipitate-plates are on basal plane as usually but precipitate-rods/laths are on non-basal plane,and such non-basal precipitates would transform into the basal(Mg,Li)Zn_(2)Laves structure with prolonged aging.These findings are interesting to understand the precipitation behaviors of multi-domain Laves structures in hexagonal close-packed crystals,and expected to provide a guidance for designing ultralight high-strength Mg-Li based alloys via precipitation hardening on the non-basal planes.

Regulation of soybean stem growth habit:A ten-year progress report

Stem growth habit dictates plant architecture and influences flowering and podding(seed setting),making it an essential morphological and breeding agronomic trait of soybean(Glycine max).Stem growth habit in soybean is affected by photoperiod and environment and is determined by genetic variation at major genes.Classical genetic analysis identified two critical loci,designated Determinacy 1(Dt1)and Determinacy 2(Dt2).Dt1 is an ortholog of Arabidopsis thaliana TERMINAL FLOWER1(TFL1)and specifies an indeterminate stem growth habit,whereas Dt2 specifies a semi-determinate growth habit.MADS-box proteins,including Dt2,SUPPRESSOR OF OVEREXPRESSION OF CO1(GmSOC1)and MADS-box genes downregulated by E1(GmMDE),repress Dt1 expression.Photoreceptors encoded by the E3 and E4 loci regulate the expression of soybean FLOWERING LOCUS T(GmFT)orthologs via circadian clock genes and E1,and GmFTs compete with Dt1 to regulate stem growth habit.Study of the molecular mechanism underlying the regulation of stem growth habit in soybean has focused on the repression of Dt1 expression.Here we provide an overview of progress made in elucidating the genetic and molecular bases of stem growth habit in soybean,with emphasis on the molecular components responsible for integrating photoperiodic flowering and stem growth habit.

A scoping review on traditional medicine for bruxism

Objective:To investigate the current evidence on traditional medicine in managing bruxism and its clinical efficacy.Methods:A search was conducted in nine databases to identify potential eligible articles published from the date of inception until August 3,2022.All clinical studies that used traditional medicine of any type in treating bruxism were eligible for inclusion.Two authors performed data extraction and quality as-sessments independently.Retrieved data were tabulated and discussed narratively.Results:A total of 16 clinical studies were included in this scoping review.Of the 16 studies,three studies were randomized controlled trials,one was a caseecontrol study,10 were case series,and two were case reports.Our review identified studies of interventions based on herbal medicine and acupuncture-related therapies.Most studies reported positive results,but the overall quality of the included studies was typically fair to poor.Conclusions:This study is the first scoping review on traditional medicine for bruxism despite the limited evidence.More research on traditional medicine in bruxism management should be conducted for better clarification and application in daily practice.

The History of Habits:A Critical Unknown in the History of Chinese Medicine

This essay articulates a new conceptual distinction-that between repertories and habits-and urges that the history of habits is the most critical unknown in the study of Chinese medical history.

Eating Habits of High School Students in the District of Bamako in the Context of Nutritional Transition

Introduction: Eating habits are consolidated in early childhood and continue throughout life. Adolescence is a stage of rapid growth linked to puberty affected by the nutritional transition. This study aimed to evaluate the eating habits of high school students in the district of Bamako. Methodology: The cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted from June 15 to July 4, 2023. The sample size was calculated with the StatCalc program of the Epi 7.2 software. Data was collected using a questionnaire on KoboCollect. Analyses were performed using SPSS 26 software. Results: A total of 2400 high school students were surveyed. The average age of high school students was 16.9 years ± 1.4. The median age was 17, with extremes of 14 and 19. Of the high school students, 53.3% were boys. The sex ratio (M/F) was 1.14. About 89.4% of high school students had a Smartphone. Among high school students, 51.1% did not engage in physical activity outside of high school. Rice was the cereal most consumed by high school students (99.2%). Consumption of fish and seafood was very low (25.5%). Soft drinks were consumed on average 4.2 days/week. In addition, 60.8% of high school students consumed energy drinks. Certain eating behaviors were found in this study, such as nibbling (38.5%), eating in front of screens (79.0%), and skipping meals (46.1%). Conclusion: The most consumed cereal by high school students was rice. The consumption of ultra-processed products and sedentary leisure are habits to be monitored in the context of the prevention of food-related non-communicable diseases among high school students in the district of Bamako.

Preliminary Research on Biological Characteristics of Scopula subpunctaria in Shandong Tea Region

[Objectives]The paper was to observe the life history and living habits of Scopula subpunctaria in Shandong tea region.[Methods]The occurrence period and duration of each insect state,as well as duration of each instar larvae in various generations were investigated and statistically analyzed.[Results]There were 6 generations of S.subpunctaria per year in Shandong tea region.Different from southern tea region,S.subpunctaria survived the winter as pupae and larvae in tea trees in Shandong,and the duration of overwintering eggs was greatly affected by temperature.The generations of S.subpunctaria overlapped seriously.[Conclusions]The results provide a basis for the comprehensive treatment of S.subpunctaria in Shandong tea region.

Research on feeding habits and stomach fungi in Eothenomys miletus from Hengduan mountain regions

Eothenomys miletus(E.miletus)is one of the rodent species found in Yunnan,and it has caused significant harm to local agricultural production.In this study,we aimed to investigate the differences in feeding habits and stomach fungi of E.miletus across different areas in the Hengduan mountain regions.By exploring the main factors affecting the feeding habits and fungi of E.miletus,this study provides a theoretical basis for the prevention and control of this species.We collected E.miletus specimens from five regions,namely Deqin,Xianggelila,Lijiang,Jianchuan,and Ailaoshan.We measured their feeding habits and the types of fungi in their stomachs using high-throughput sequencing technology.The results showed that E.miletus primarily fed on Poaceae,Oxalidaceae,Asteraceae,and Fabaceae.Food diversity of E.miletus in Ailaoshan and Jianchuan was significantly lower than in the other three regions.As for stomach fungi,Ascomycota and Basidiomycota were the absolute dominant sectors.Changes in the diversity of fungi in different regions were consistent with changes in food diversity.The diversity of fungi in Ailaoshan and Jianchuan regions was lower than in the other three regions.These findings suggest that the feeding habits of E.miletus in different regions were affected by plant species,which,in turn,affects the diversity of fungi in their stomachs.

人工养殖白鹇产卵习性和卵的变化

人工养殖白鹇产卵习性和卵的变化高育仁，曹丰质，姚伟兰（华南濒危动物研究所，广州５１０２６０）Ｖａｒｉａｔｉｏｎｓｉｎｅｇｇ－ｌａｙｉｎｇｈａｂｉｔａｎｄｅｇｇｓｉｚｅｏｆａｒｔｉｆｉｃｉａｌｌｙｂｒｅｅｄｉｎｇｓｉｌｖｅｒｐｈｅａｓａｎｔ￥．ＧａｏＹ...