Nutrition impacts of non-solid cooking fuel adoption on under-five children in developing countries

This paper examines the nutrition impacts of using non-solid cooking fuel on under-five children in developing countries.We draw on data from more than 1.12 million children in 62 developing countries from the Demographic and Health Surveys(DHS).Results from both fixed effects(FE)and instrumental variable(IV)estimates show that using non-solid cooking fuel significantly improves the nutrition outcomes of under-five children.Compared with their peers from households mainly using solid fuel,children from households mainly using non-solid fuel exhibit a lower probability of experiencing stunting(by 5.9 percentage points)and being underweight(by 1.2 percentage points).Our further investigation provides evidence for several underlying mechanisms,such as improved indoor air quality,induced reduction in children’s respiratory symptoms,benefits on maternal health,and reduction in maternal time spent on fuel collection or cooking.Heterogenous analyses suggest that the nutrition benefits of using non-solid cooking fuel are more prominent among boys,children above three years old,and those from households of lower socioeconomic status,rural areas,and Southeast Asia.

Food Security in Developing Countries: Factors and Mitigation

Since 1976, eradicating hunger has become one of the priority objectives of the United Nations, which is included in the Charter of Human Rights;the right to get adequate food. The qualification of food security in time and space must analyze not only the three components it covers but also the relationships that these three components maintain. Climate change contributes to food insecurity, but it is not the only factor. To address food insecurity in various forms, greater food security must be combined with improved sustainable agricultural practices with minimal strain on the environment. This review of literature insists on the principles of food security, which in particular allows a better understanding of food insecurity in developing countries and favors a greater contribution of agriculture and food systems in general to nutritional progress.

Prospects in the application of ultrasensitive chromosomal aneuploidy detection in precancerous lesions of gastric cancer

Gastric cancer(GC)is a prevalent malignant tumor within the digestive system,with over 40%of new cases and deaths related to GC globally occurring in China.Despite advancements in treatment modalities,such as surgery supplemented by adjuvant radiotherapy or chemotherapeutic agents,the prognosis for GC remains poor.New targeted therapies and immunotherapies are currently under invest-igation,but no significant breakthroughs have been achieved.Studies have indicated that GC is a heterogeneous disease,encompassing multiple subtypes with distinct biological characteristics and roles.Consequently,personalized treatment based on clinical features,pathologic typing,and molecular typing is crucial for the diagnosis and management of precancerous lesions of gastric cancer(PLGC).Current research has categorized GC into four subtypes:Epstein-Barr virus-positive,microsatellite instability,genome stability,and chromosome instability(CIN).Technologies such as multi-omics analysis and gene sequencing are being employed to identify more suitable novel testing methods in these areas.Among these,ultrasensitive chromosomal aneuploidy detection(UCAD)can detect CIN at a genome-wide level in subjects using low-depth whole genome sequencing technology,in conjunction with bioinformatics analysis,to achieve qualitative and quantitative detection of chromosomal stability.This editorial reviews recent research advancements in UCAD technology for the diagnosis and management of PLGC.

Towards Lessening Learners’Aversive Emotions and Promoting Their Mental Health:Developing and Validating a Measurement of English Speaking Demotivation in the Chinese EFL Context

While a plethora of studies has been conducted to explore demotivation and its impact on mental health in second language(L2)education,scanty research focuses on demotivation in L2 speaking learning.Particularly,little research explores the measures to quantify L2 speaking demotivation.The present two-phase study attempts to develop and validate an English Speaking Demotivation Scale(ESDS).To this end,an independent sample of 207 Chinese tertiary learners of English as a Foreign Language(EFL)participated in the development phase,and another group of 188 Chinese EFL learners was recruited for the validation of the scale.Exploratory Factor Analysis(EFA)and Confirmatory Factor Analysis(CFA)were employed to determine the factor structure of the scale.The EFA results revealed a six-factor solution with Teacher-related Factors in Learning Spoken English(TFLSE),Interest and Valence in Learning Spoken English(IVLSE),Self-efficacy in Learning Spoken English(SELSE),Negative Peer Influence in Learning Spoken English(NPILSE),Undesirable Environment for Learning Spoken English(UELSE),and Negative Influence of Assessment and Learning Materials in speaking class(NIALM).In the validation phase,Confirmatory Factor Analysis(CFA)was performed to validate the internal structure of the scale.The CFA results showed that the model fits the data well.Overall,the ESDS is a robust and trustworthy psychometric tool that could be utilized to examine L2 speaking demotivation.Implications for diminishing EFL learners’demotivation,lessening their aversive emotions and promoting their mental health are also discussed.

Challenges to establishing and maintaining kidney transplantation programs in developing countries:What are the coping strategies?

Kidney transplantation(KT)is the optimal form of renal replacement therapy for patients with end-stage renal diseases.However,this health service is not available to all patients,especially in developing countries.The deceased donor KT programs are mostly absent,and the living donor KT centers are scarce.Single-center studies presenting experiences from developing countries usually report a variety of challenges.This review addresses these challenges and the opposing strategies by reviewing the single-center experiences of developing countries.The financial challenges hamper the infrastructural and material availability,coverage of transplant costs,and qualification of medical personnel.The sociocultural challenges influence organ donation,equity of beneficence,and regular follow-up work.Low interests and motives for transplantation may result from high medicolegal responsibilities in KT practice,intense potential psychosocial burdens,complex qualification protocols,and low productivity or compensation for KT practice.Low medical literacy about KT advantages is prevalent among clinicians,patients,and the public.The inefficient organizational and regulatory oversight is translated into inefficient healthcare systems,absent national KT programs and registries,uncoordinated job descriptions and qualification protocols,uncoordinated on-site investigations with regulatory constraints,and the prevalence of commercial KT practices.These challenges resulted in noticeable differences between KT services in developed and developing countries.The coping strategies can be summarized in two main mechanisms:The first mechanism is maximizing the available resources by increasing the rates of living kidney donation,promoting the expertise of medical personnel,reducing material consumption,and supporting the establishment and maintenance of KT programs.The latter warrants the expansion of the public sector and the elimination of non-ethical KT practices.The second mechanism is recruiting external resources,including financial,experience,and training agreements.

基于POA的读写结合教学实践--以外研版高中英语教材Developing Ideas板块为例

读写结合是实施综合性语言学习的重要途径。产出导向法(POA)强调通过语言输入为语言输出搭建支架,有助于落实读写结合教学,实现语言文化知识的学习理解和迁移应用。本文以外研版高中英语教材Developing Ideas板块为例,阐述基于POA进行高中英语读写结合教学的策略:(1)输出驱动--呈现任务、尝试写作、激发动机。(2)输入促成--以读促写、搭建支架、迁移应用。(3)以评为学--师生合作、典型分析、完善修订。在此过程中,写作任务设计、阅读文本的选择等都有所要求。

Advantages and Development Prospects of Building Information Modelling(BIM)Technology Application in Highway Engineering

Based on the advantages of the application of Building Information Modelling(BIM)technology in highway engineering,this paper analyzes the difficulties of its in-depth application,grasps the pain points of the application of BIM technology in practice,and approaches from the integration of BIM design-construction.This paper also puts forward the integration of cross-stage information based on the BIM+Geographic Information System(GIS)construction information management system to realize the BIM whole life cycle management,and provides directional support for the continuous and efficient application of BIM technology in engineering practice.

Microneedles for Enhanced Topical Treatment of Skin Disorders:Applications,Challenges,and Prospects

Microneedles(MNs)can be used for the topical treatment of skin disorders as they directly deliver therapeutics to the site of skin lesions,resulting in increased therapeutic efficacy while having minimum side effects.MNs are used to deliver different kinds of therapeutics(e.g.,small molecules,macromolecules,nanomedicines,living cells,bacteria,and exosomes)for treating various skin disorders,including superficial tumors,wounds,skin infections,inflammatory skin diseases,and abnormal skin appearance.The therapeutic efficacy of MNs can be improved by integrating the advantages of multiple therapeutics to perform combination therapy.Through careful designing,MNs can be further modified with biomimetic structures for the responsive drug release from internal and external stimuli and to enhance the transdermal delivery efficiency for robust therapeutic outcomes.Some studies have proposed the use of drug-free MNs as a promising mechanotherapeutic strategy to promote wound healing,scar removal,and hair regeneration via a mechanical communication pathway.Although MNs have several advantages,the practical application of MNs suffers from problems related to industrial manufacture and clinical evaluation,making it difficult for clinical translation.In this study,we summarized the various applications,emerging challenges,and developmental prospects of MNs in skin disorders to provide information on ways to advance clinical translation.

Approaches and Prospects of Developing Tourism Value of Natural Bryophyte Resources in West Sichuan

Abundant bryophytes with high ecological and ornamental value are distributed in natural forests in west Sichuan. Through exploring the practices and forecasting the application of bryophytes from 2 aspects(using bryophytes in the natural world and building artificial moss garden), this paper proposed that the large-scale application of bryophytes could be realized via the development of bryophyte tourism products and commodities on the basis of ecological restoration and artificial cultivation experiment.

Selection and Validation of Reference Genes for Normalization of RT-qPCR Analysis in Developing or Abiotic-Stressed Tissues of Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica)

Loquat(Eriobotrya japonica Lindl.)is a subtropical evergreen fruit tree that produces fruits with abundant nutrients and medicinal components.Confirming suitable reference genes for a set of loquat samples before qRT-PCR experiments is essential for the accurate quantification of gene expression.In this study,eight candidate reference genes were selected from our previously published RNA-seq data,and primers for each candidate reference gene were designed and evaluated.The Cq values of the candidate reference genes were calculated by RT-qPCR in 31 different loquat samples,including 12 subgroups of developing or abiotic-stressed tissues.Different combinations of stable reference genes were screened according to a comprehensive rank,which was synthesized from the results of four algorithms,including the geNorm,NormFinder,BestKeeper andΔCt methods.The screened reference genes were verified by normalizing EjLGA1 in each subgroup.The obtained suitable combinations of reference genes for accurate normalization were GAPDH,EF1αand ACT for floral development;GAPDH,UBCE and ACT for fruit setting;EF1α,GAPDH and eIF2B for fruit ripening;ACT,EF1αand UBCE for leaves under heat stress;eIF2B,UBCE and EF1αfor leaves under freezing stress;EF1α,TUA and UBCE for leaves under salt stress;ACT,EF1αand eIF2B for immature pulp under freezing stress;ACT,UBCE and eIF2B for immature seeds under freezing stress;EF1α,eIF2B and UBCE for both immature pulp and seeds under freezing stress;UBCE,TUB and TUA for red-fleshed fruits under cold-storage stress;eIF2B,RPS3 and TUB for white-fleshed fruits under coldstorage stress;and eIF2B,UBCE and RPS3 for both red-and white-fleshed fruits under cold-storage stress.This study obtained different combinations of stable reference genes for accurate normalization in twelve subgroups of developing or abiotic-stressed tissues in loquat.To our knowledge,this is the first report to obtain stable reference genes for normalizing gene expression of abiotic-stressed tissues in E.japonica.The use of the three most stable reference genes could increase the reliability of future quantification experiments.

地理学视角下中国农业功能研究进展与展望

伴随中国城镇化、工业化、市场化的快速推进及乡村振兴战略的深入实施,中国农业发展迈入转型升级的新时期。国内学者高度重视农业发展及农业产业为全社会所提供的服务,地理学者充分发挥学科优势,逐步融合多学科理论与方法针对农业功能的概念内涵、理论基础、分类体系、测度评价、时空过程、影响因素及优化路径等开展了诸多研究。文章通过梳理中国知网平台上近10年核心期刊中关于农业功能的学术论文,选取了151篇高质量文献进行研究,得到以下几点结果:1)地理学者聚焦于农业的生产功能、经济功能、及生态功能等方面研究,更加关注农业功能空间分布、地理特征及其与环境的关系;2)人地关系地域系统理论、农业多功能理论、农业区位理论和农业功能阶段论等是农业功能研究的基础,地理学者正不断完善和丰富农业功能相关理论;3)基于GIS和RS技术以及地理数学模型,地理学者进一步研究了农业功能的空间变化与地域特征;4)地理学者科学诊断了不同地理环境下各因子的作用方式、方向与强度,并针对地区地理环境与影响因子进行功能区划与优化;5)未来地理学视角下的农业功能研究需要进一步完善理论框架体系,推动多要素、多尺度、多目标的体系研究;聚焦农业功能转型,强化多学科、大数据、新技术手段的集成研究。

Phosphatidylserine:An overview on functionality,processing techniques,patents,and prospects

Phosphatidylserine(PS)is the part of cell structure in the body and has many beneficial functions especially in brain-related aging diseases.Although daily foods can provide PS to human body,the amount is very limited due to its poverty in most foods.To overcome the issue,numerous studies based on PS have been reported to develop PS-related supplements.In this review,PS was comprehensively and critically reviewed from the view of resources,functions,processing techniques,patents,and prospects.For resources,animal,plant,and microorganism origins were all covered with their differences in composition profiles.For functions,benefits regarding memory,cognitive enhancement,exercise performance,reducing Alzheimer’s disease,and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms were covered as well as the functional differences among animal-,plant-,and microorganism-based PS-related supplements.For processing techniques,traditional extracting methods from animal,plant,and microorganism tissues were comparatively discussed with enzymatic synthesis based on different reaction systems.Finally,patents of PS-related supplements were evaluated as well as their applications.This review could provide scientific and valuable support for PS industry.

A review of complementary and alternative medicine used in cancer care:challenges and prospects

Cancer is a leading cause of death globally,and most patients with cancers frequently seek for complementary and alternative medicine(CAM)to ameliorate their condition.Some of the available CAM care include:acupuncture,aromatherapy,Ayurvedic medicinal drug,cannabis,chelation remedy,homeopathy,hypnotherapy,massage therapy,naturopathic medication,and conventional Chinese remedy amongst others.Despite the growing use of CAM,the evidence-base for its efficacy and safety is limited.Major challenges confronting the efficient deployment of CAM is lack of standardization and regulation;as well as the demand for more extensive studies to validate their safety and efficacy.Integrative oncology which is the combination of CAM and conventional cancer care is likewise complicated through the potential adverse interactions between CAM options and most cancers drugs.The article serves as a guide for healthcare providers and patients to determine how CAM can be safely integrated into the cancer care paradigm.Taking into account safety concerns,however,more studies need to be conducted to properly evaluate its efficacy.Ultimately,CAM can help cancer patients in achieving greater health and well-being.

Research Progress and Prospects for the Evolution Process and Treatment Technology of Urban Black and Smelly Water

Water is an important material resource for human survival,and with the increasing development of society,the amount of urban industrial wastewater and domestic sewage is gradually increasing.However,wastewater collection and treatment facilities lag behind,so that a large number of wastewater enters urban water,making urban water become gradually black and smelly.In order to provide a good living environment for human beings,a large number of scholars actively explore the treatment technology of black and smelly water.In this paper,the evolution process of black and smelly water was introduced firstly,and then the treatment technology of black and smelly water was summarized.Finally,the prospects for the development of the treatment technology were put forward.

The molecular mechanism of WRINKLED1 transcription factor regulating oil accumulation in developing seeds of castor bean

The transcription factor WRINKLED1(WRI1),a member of AP2 gene family that contain typical AP2 domains,has been considered as a master regulator regulating oil biosynthesis in oilseeds.However,the regulatory mechanism of RcWRI1 in regulating oil accumulation during seed development has not been clearly addressed.Castor bean(Ricinus communis)is one of the most important non-edible oil crops and its seed oils are rich in hydroxy fatty acids,widely applied in industry.In this study,based on castor bean reference genome,three RcWRIs genes(RcWRI1,RcWRI2 and RcWRI3)were identified and the expressed association of RcWRI1 with oil accumulation were determined.Heterologous transformation of RcWRI1 significantly increased oil content in tobacco leaf,confirming that RcWRI1 activate lipid biosynthesis pathway.Using DNA Affinity Purification sequencing(DAP-seq)technology,we confirmed RcWRI1 binding with Transcription Start Site of genes and identified 7961 WRI1-binding candidate genes.Functionally,these identified genes were mainly involved in diverse metabolism pathways(including lipid biosynthesis).Three cis-elements AW-box([CnTnG](n)7[CG])and AW-boxes like([GnAnC](n)6[GC]/[GnAnC](n)7[G])bound with RcWRI1 were identified.Co-expression network analysis of RcWRI1 further found that RcWRI1 might be widely involved in biosynthesis of storage materials during seed development.In particular,yeast one hybrid experiments found that both AP2 domains within RcWRI1 were required in binding targeted genes.These results not only provide new evidence to understand the regulatory mechanism of RcWRI1 in regulation of oil accumulation during castor bean seed development,but also give candidate gene resource for subsequent genetic improvement toward increasing oil content in oilseed crops.

The barriers of joining in vitro fertilization programs among infertile couples in developing countries:A scoping review

Objective:To determine the barriers of joining in-vitro fertilization(IVF)programs among infertile couples in developing countries.Methods:This study assessed infertile couples and the barriers or associated factors resulting in delayed decision-making of joining IVF program by searching databases PubMed,ScienceDirect,EBSCO,ClinicalKey,and Cochrane Library from inception until December 31,2021.Additional search strategies were snowballing literature search and citation tracking.Results:Eleven articles were included in the scoping review.The cost was the greatest barrier of joining IVF program.Limited access and lack of assisted reproductive technology centers,few qualified infertility trained staff,insufficient government support,low priority in government policy,along with sociocultural factors,such as religion and false beliefs or myths were also majorly considered to be associated obstacles.Conclusions:The main barrier associated with IVF program among infertile couples in developing countries is the high cost of the IVF services.

Environmental Impact Assessment System and Process in Developing Countries

Environmental impact assessment (EIA), a decision-making process for project appraisal and sustainability adopted globally as an administrative process to identify, predict, evaluate, and monitor projects from their feasibility, preconstruction, construction, and operation stages to mitigate the adverse impacts and enhance the beneficial impacts for the protection of the affected environment, The study objective is to explore global EIA systems and processes and find shortcomings and implications for making the best instrument or tool to protect the natural environment from man-made activities over the project cycle. For this, the relevant literature on the EIA system and process was reviewed and evaluated through the application of quantitative and qualitative approaches, including the assessment of legal instruments and the adoption of EIA methodologies in developing countries. EIA, initiated in the 1970s in the US and Australia, expanded to developing countries and was amended in East and Southeast Asia from the 1970s to the 2000s. The evaluation assessed that the South Asian countries follow UNEP and IAIA guidelines, utilizing national laws and expert consultations, with screening criteria and administrative processes based on established environmental legislation. Ad hoc, checklist, matrix, network, overlay, cost-benefit analysis, and predictive or simulation in EIA practice are used to assess the environmental impacts of development activities. Failure to recommend major projects undermines public trust and prevents mitigation measures from being implemented. Most developing countries have followed EIA to fulfill the legal requirement with shadow-off monitoring and follow-up rather than to upset, reduce, or compensate for the project impacts as per size, location, and severity of the project area. The research and guidelines outlined in the IAIA principles and process have synthesized the best EIA practices worldwide. Public participation, impact coverage, scientific mitigation, transparent evidence-based approaches, monitoring, follow-up, legitimate approaches, and future appraisal opportunities are major concerns to be included in best EIA practice.

Developing Projects with Low-code Combined with ChatGPT

This paper aims to explore a simpler and more user-friendly way of generating software based on model-driven development.Previous studies have attempted to generate code from domain models,hoping to reduce coding time by increasing modeling time.However,as code tools become more advanced,it is challenging to improve efficiency because models are abstract while implementations are concrete.This paper proposes a novel approach that integrates ChatGPT as a plug-in into the whole R&D process and combines it with our code generation tool to enhance R&D efficiency.We have developed some demos to demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach.According to our evaluation,our approach can save more than 90%of the work in implementing the code generation tool,leaving only about 10%of the work for code review,code improvement,and unit testing.

东昆仑大格勒地区碱性岩-碳酸岩型铌矿勘查进展及找矿前景

铌广泛应用在冶金工业、原子能工业、航空航天工业、军事工业、电子工业、超导材料及医疗仪器等方面,是全球高度关注的关键矿产。碱性岩-碳酸岩型矿床赋存了世界上大部分的铌资源,而我国铌资源禀赋差,对外依存度大于90%。2021年青海省地质调查院在东昆仑大格勒地区发现了碱性岩-碳酸岩型铌矿,通过三年的勘查工作,圈定5条铌矿体,矿体延伸长160~1280 m,控制最大斜深800 m,矿体厚度4.3~115.7 m,Nb_(2)O_(5)平均品位0.092%~0.156%,伴生P_(2)O_(5)平均品位3.8%~5.6%。通过资源量估算,Nb_(2)O_(5)推断资源量超过10万吨,已达大型矿床规模。目前铌矿体在走向和倾向上延伸稳定,显示出良好的找矿前景。

Digital Development Rights in Developing Countries:Where the Governance Rules for Cross-Border Data Flows

The digital development rights in developing countries are based on establishing a new international economic order and ensuring equal participation in the digital globalization process to achieve people's well-rounded development in the digital society.The relationship between cross-border data flows and the realization of digital development rights in developing countries is quite complex.Currently,developing countries seek to safeguard their existing digital interests through unilateral regulation to protect data sovereignty and multilateral regulation for cross-border data cooperation.However,developing countries still have to face internal conflicts between national digital development rights and individual and corporate digital development rights during the process of realizing digital development rights.They also encounter external contradictions such as developed countries interfering with developing countries'data sovereignty,developed countries squeezing the policy space of developing countries through dominant rules,and developing countries having conflicts between domestic and international rules.This article argues that balancing openness and security on digital trade platforms is the optimal solution for developing countries to realize their digital development rights.The establishment of WTO digital trade rules should inherently reflect the fundamental demands of developing countries in cross-border data flows.At the same time,given China's dual role as a digital powerhouse and a developing country,it should actively promote the realization of digital development rights in developing countries.