Commentary on "Association of daily sitting time and leisure-time physical activity with body fat among U.S.adults"

In their study,association of daily sitting time and leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) with body fat among U.S.Adults,Liao et al.^(1) analyzed data from the 2011-2018 National Health and Examination Survey to examine associations between h/day sitting,meeting (or not meeting) the U.S.Physical Activity Guidelines of≥150 min/week of moderate-and vigorous-intensity LTPA,and combinations of sitting time and LTPA on totaland trunk percent body fat (BF%).

The Reception Commemorating the 45th Anniversary of China-U.S.Diplomatic Ties Held in Beijing

On January 5,the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and the Chinese People's Institute of Foreign Affairs jointly hosted a reception commemorating the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relationship between China and the United States in Beijing.Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi attended the commemoration and delivered aspeech.David Meale,ChargédAffaires at the U.S.Embassy in China,addressed the reception.He extended on behalf of the U.S.side congratulations on the anniversary,expressing the readiness of the U.S.to implement the consensus reached by the two heads of state and promote the steady development of U.S.-China relations.More than 350 people from all walks of life of both countries attended the reception.

FREE SPEECH OR SINOPHOBIA? THE U.S. SENATE MUST DECIDE

The 100 men and women who make up the U.S.Senate will soon have an important choice.They will either affirm that the First Amendment matters or they will surrender to fear.The senators must decide whether to go along with their colleagues in the House of Representatives and require the popular social media app TikTok to be sold to an American company.If they do endorse the House vote,then ByteDance must divest itself of TikTok or see the app will be banned on U.S.-based social media platforms.

Cross-Cultural Adjustment and Coping:U.S.Students in Taiwan Residents Higher Education

The aim of this study was to investigate the adjustment problems of students from the United States enrolled in universities in the East,specifically in Taiwan,their problems related to cultural adaptation,and the process of adjustment to student life in Taiwan.Under investigation were cultural adjustment and coping skills as these students transitioned from West to East.Qualitative data were collected from interviews with participants and faculty members as well as participant observations.Results indicated that U.S.students found their own ways to acclimate to their new academic setting as well as to social relations,cross-cultural issues,and the linguistic environment in Taiwan to achieve effective adaptation.They made changes in themselves to cope with all situations they encountered.This study provides suggestions for international students abroad in Taiwan,for the Taiwan Residents government,and for universities or colleges in terms of what they should offer to current and future international students.

Digital Disparities:How Artificial Intelligence Can Facilitate Anti-Black Racism in the U.S.Healthcare Sector

This paper delves into the intricate interplay between artificial intelligence(AI)systems and the perpetuation of Anti-Black racism within the United States medical industry.Despite the promising potential of AI to enhance healthcare outcomes and reduce disparities,there is a growing concern that these technologies may inadvertently/advertently exacerbate existing racial inequalities.Focusing specifically on the experiences of Black patients,this research investigates how the following AI components:medical algorithms,machine learning,and natural learning processes are contributing to the unequal distribution of medical resources,diagnosis,and health care treatment of those classified as Black.Furthermore,this review employs a multidisciplinary approach,combining insights from computer science,medical ethics,and social justice theory to analyze the mechanisms through which AI systems may encode and reinforce racial biases.By dissecting the three primary components of AI,this paper aims to present a clear understanding of how these technologies work,how they intersect,and how they may inherently perpetuate harmful stereotypes resulting in negligent outcomes for Black patients.Furthermore,this paper explores the ethical implications of deploying AI in healthcare settings and calls for increased transparency,accountability,and diversity in the development and implementation of these technologies.Finally,it is important that I prefer the following paper with a clear and concise definition of what I refer to as Anti-Black racism throughout the text.Therefore,I assert the following:Anti-Black racism refers to prejudice,discrimination,or antagonism directed against individuals or communities of African descent based on their race.It involves the belief in the inherent superiority of one race over another and the systemic and institutional practices that perpetuate inequality and disadvantage for Black people.Furthermore,I proclaim that this form of racism can be manifested in various ways,such as unequal access to opportunities,resources,education,employment,and fair treatment within social,economic,and political systems.It is also pertinent to acknowledge that Anti-Black racism is deeply rooted in historical and societal structures throughout the U.S.borders and beyond,leading to systemic disadvantages and disparities that impact the well-being and life chances of Black individuals and communities.Addressing Anti-Black racism involves recognizing and challenging both individual attitudes and systemic structures that contribute to discrimination and inequality.Efforts to combat Anti-Black racism include promoting awareness,education,advocacy for policy changes,and fostering a culture of inclusivity and equality.

Will China-U.S.Relations Stabilize After the San Francisco Summit?--Mutually beneficial cooperation or antagonism and confrontation?That is the question

At 1:35 p.m.local time on November 15,a four-hour summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S.President Joe Biden concluded at Filoli Estate in San Francisco.At a press briefing after the meeting,Wang Yi,member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs,said that“the two presidents had a very good,comprehensive,and in-depth meeting.”

Railroad capacity tools and methodologies in the U.S. and Europe

A growing demand for passenger and freight transportation, combined with limited capital to expand the United States （U.S.） rail infrastructure, is creating pressure for a more efficient use of the current line capacity. This is further exacerbated by the fact that most passenger rail services operate on corridors that are shared with freight traffic. A capacity analysis is one alternative to address the situation and there are various approaches, tools, and methodologies available for application. As the U.S. continues to develop higher speed passenger services with similar characteristics to those in European shared-use lines, understanding the common methods and tools used on both continents grows in relevance. There has not as yet been a detailed investigation as to how each continent approaches capacity analysis, and whether any benefits could be gained from cross-pollination. This paper utilizes more than 50 past capacity studies from the U.S. and Europe to describe the different railroad capacity defini- tions and approaches, and then categorizes them, based on each approach. The capacity methods are commonly di- vided into analytical and simulation methods, but this paper also introduces a third, ＂combined simulation- analytical＂ category. The paper concludes that Europeanrail studies are more unified in terms of capacity, concepts, and techniques, while the U.S. studies represent a greater variation in methods, tools, and objectives. The majority of studies on both continents use either simulation or a combined simulation-analytical approach. However, due to the significant differences between operating philosophy and network characteristics of these two rail systems, European studies tend to use timetable-based simulation tools as opposed to the non-timetable-based tools commonly used in the U.S. rail networks. It was also found that validation of studies against actual operations was not typically completed or was limited to comparisons with a base model.

The Third Way in the U.S.and Western Europe

In recent years,the political scene in major Western powers has undergone afundamental change in response to the fluid international situation:in the U-nited States,Bill Clinton was elected President in 1992 breaking Republican controlover White House;while on West European political stage,right-wing ruling pari-ties gave place to the left one after another.Currently,13 out of 15 EU memberstates,except Spain and Ireland,have a government run by left parties or

China’s alfalfa market and imports: Development, trends, and potential impacts of the U.S.-China trade dispute and retaliations

This study examines the development and trends of China’s alfalfa market and imports, identifies key factors for the rapid increase in China’s alfalfa imports, and discusses potential impacts of the U.S.-China trade dispute and retaliations on the alfalfa markets and trade in both nations. China’s rapid transition toward larger-scale commercial dairy production, with enhanced feed and cost management as well as quality and safety control, and its limited resources for high-quality alfalfa production are key factors for the dramatic increase in its alfalfa imports, from 19 601 metric tons in 2008 to 1.38 million metric tons(mmt) in 2018. While the United States dominated China’s alfalfa imports with an average share of 97.01% from 2007 to 2017, the share dropped to 83.76% in 2018 and 63.28% in January 2019 due to the trade dispute and retaliations started in 2018. China will likely remain a large importer of alfalfa because of both its growing demand and the comparative advantages of imported alfalfa in quality and price, but the imports from the United States will be highly affected by the ongoing trade dispute and negotiations. China is also expected to make more efforts to reduce its dependence on U.S. alfalfa through increased investment in domestic alfalfa production and identification of alternative sources of alfalfa and other hay imports.

The withdrawal of the U.S. from the Paris Agreement and its impact on global climate change governance

The global community has prepared for the withdrawal of the U.S. from the Paris Agreement since Donald Trump was elected as the president of the U.S. However, Trump's formal declaration of withdrawal still caused worldwide reaction. Trump will use the withdrawal to build his political reputation and to renegotiate the Paris Agreement despite its negative effects on the political credibility, international relationships, and potential long-term economic growth of the U.S. In general, the withdrawal of the U.S. from the Paris Agreement will not change the development of low-carbon technologies and the transformation trend of the global climate governance regime. However, the long-term goals and international cooperation on climate change will be affected by budget cuts in American climate change research and the cancelation of donations from the multilateral environmental fund of the U.S. If the Paris Agreement is renegotiated, the common but differentiated principle of responsibility of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change will be challenged again. Nevertheless, climate change governance remains a main theme of future sustainable development. Instead of national governments, local governments and non-governmental organizations will develop strategies for technical innovation and emphasize pragmatic cooperation, thus expanding their roles in climate change governance. The capacity building on climate change research and public awareness should be enhanced as a long-term objective of global climate change governance.

The impacts of U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Agreement on the carbon emission space and mitigation cost of China, EU, and Japan under the constraints of the global carbon emission space

Based on the Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) model and scenario analysis, the impacts of the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Agreement on the carbon emission space and mitigation cost in China, European Union (EU), and Japan are assessed under Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and 2
C scenarios due to the changed emission pathway of the U.S. The results show that, under the condition of constant global cumulative carbon emissions and a fixed burden-sharing scheme among countries, the failure of the U.S. to honor its NDC commitment to different degrees will increase the U.S. carbon emission space and decrease its mitigation cost. However, the carbon emission space of other parties, including China, EU, and Japan, will be reduced and their mitigation costs will be increased. In 2030, under the 2
C target, the carbon price will increase by 4.4e14.6 US$ t1 in China, by 9.7e35.4 US$ t1 in the EU, and by 16.0e53.5 US$ t1 in Japan. In addition, China, EU, and Japan will incur additional Gross Domestic Production (GDP) loss. Under the 2
C target, the GDP loss of China would increase by US$22.0e71.1 billion (equivalent to 16.4e53.1 US$ per capita), the EU's GDP loss would increase by US$9.4e32.1 billion (equivalent to 20.7e71.1 US$ per capita), and Japan's GDP loss will increase by US$4.1e13.5 billion (equivalent to 34.3e111.6 US$ per capita).

Opportunities and Challenges for China-U.S.LNG Trade

Since the 1960s,the global natural gas industry has developed rapidly,and natural gas has become a fossil fuel that can balance supply stability,economic efficiency of consumption,clean and low-carbon features at the current stage.However,there is a regional imbalance in the global demand for natural gas,and the continuous rise in geopolitical risks negatively affects the stability of the natural gas market.In recent years,LNG export capacity in the U.S.has continued to grow,and the potential for China-U.S.LNG trade in the future is enormous.From the perspective of development opportunities,strengthening LNG trade cooperation with the U.S.is conducive to the diversification of natural gas import sources for China.From the perspective of challenges,China-U.S.LNG trade cooperation also involves potential risks in terms of economy and channels.

Quiet Lingering of The U.S.Debt Crisis

On June 3,U.S.President Joe Biden signed a debt ceiling bill,the“Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023,”two days before the nation’s debt default deadline,temporarily averting a calamitous default on its debt.With the bill,the nation’s debt limit is officially suspended through January 1,2025.

Effects of Planting Date on Winter Canola Growth and Yield in the Southwestern U.S.

Canola (Brassica napus L.) has potential to become alternative cash crop (healthy oil for human and meals for animal uses) with tremendous rotational benefits in the Southwestern U.S., a region dominated by cereal-fallow cropping systems. However, information on optimum planting date for its successful production is limited. Field experiments were conducted in 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons under irrigation condition to study the response of canola growth and yield to planting dates at Clovis, NM. Three planting dates (mid-September, late-September and early-October) and four canola varieties (early flowering: DKW41-10 and DKW46-15;medium flowering: Riley and Wichita) are studied. Fall plant stand density is significantly higher for early-October than mid- and late-September plantings. However, a ratio of fall to spring plant stand density indicates a greater reduction in spring plant stand density with early-October (25%) and mid-September (19%) than late-September (7%). Vegetative (by 13 days) and flowering (by 7 days) duration phases are significantly shortened with delay in planting. The decline in aboveground dry matter (DM) due to delayed planting resulted in significant seed yield reduction in both 2011-12 (26%) and in 2012-13 (8%) when early-October and mid-September plantings were compared. There was a positive relationship between final DM and canola seed yield, accounting for 84 and 34% variation for 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons, respectively with the 2011-12 environmental conditions being conducive for genetically controlled variation in DM production to be more apparent and strong in explaining the variation in seed yield among varieties. Medium-flowering varieties produced higher DM (9741 vs. 8371 Kg•ha-1) and seed yield (2785 vs. 2035 Kg•ha-1) than early-flowering varieties. In addition to seed yield, DM can be used as an indirect selection criterion for seed yield in variety selection and appropriate planting dates including a guarantee for high crop residues (~75% of the total aboveground biomass) production to make canola a potential alternative cash and rotational break crop in the Southwestern U.S.

COVID‑19 and instability of stock market performance:evidence from the U.S.

The effect of COVID-19 on stock market performance has important implications for both financial theory and practice.This paper examines the relationship between COVID-19 and the instability of both stock return predictability and price volatility in the U.S over the period January 1st,2019 to June 30th,2020 by using the methodologies of Bai and Perron(Econometrica 66:47–78,1998.https://doi.org/10.2307/2998540;J Appl Econo 18:1–22,2003.https://doi.org/10.1002/jae.659),Elliot and Muller(Optimal testing general breaking processes in linear time series models.University of California at San Diego Economic Working Paper,2004),and Xu(J Econ 173:126–142,2013.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecon om.2012.11.001).The results highlight a single break in return predictability and price volatility of both S&P 500 and DJIA.The timing of the break is consistent with the COVID-19 outbreak,or more specifically the stock sellingoffs by the U.S.senate committee members before COVID-19 crashed the market.Furthermore,return predictability and price volatility significantly increased following the derived break.The findings suggest that the pandemic crisis was associated with market inefficiency,creating profitable opportunities for traders and speculators.Furthermore,it also induced income and wealth inequality between market participants with plenty of liquidity at hand and those short of funds.

Counteraction to China?Impact of the U.S.International Development Finance Corporation on China’s Development Finance

The United States passed the Better Utilization of Investment Leading to Development(BUILD Act),as a counterweight to China’s overseas development activities.Under the Act,the US established a new federal agency,the U.S.International Development Finance Corporation(DFC),to enhance U.S.development financing capabilities.To better understand the impact of the DFC on China’s development finance,this article analyzes the DFC’s purpose,functions,structure,and funding.Then it focuses on the purpose of establishing the DFC,providing a preliminary analysis of the potential motivation for its establishment.It also compares the China Development Bank(CDB)and the DFC based on their focused sectors.Finally,through an in-depth analysis of financial frictions in China-U.S.relations,this article argues that the DFC competes with China’s overseas development financing activities in the context of broader strategic competition between China and the U.S.

Group Purchasing Organizations (GPOs) in the U.S.: Development and Reform

Objective To study the characteristics, specific functions and policy improvement process of the Group Purchasing Organizations (GPOs) in the U.S. and to provide references for drug group purchasing practices in China. Methods Domestic and foreign relevant literatures, websites were reviewed or searched to analyze the functions and policy improvement process of the GPOs in the U.S. so as to provide references for drug group purchasing practices in China. Results and Conclusion As a third party in the U.S. GPOs has formed a relatively integrated business process and projects service system after long-term development. Supported by corresponding policies and industrial regulations, GPOs have made a great contribution to control the growth of medical and healthcare expenses and improve the efficiency of medical institutions, and its development experience can enlighten the practices in China.

Continuities of Historical Crises and Discourses of Europe From the “Neo-Latin Past” to the 21st Century

Europe and the EU have been facing many crises and challenges in recent years.From Brexit and rising nationalism to economic problems and unanimous refugee policies,most of them remain unsolved.Instead of moving forward with the European integration project,Europe seems to regress in many instances.Considering this turmoil,it seems all the more important to historicize the affirmative discourse of Europe and to expand the knowledge of the European unification process with novel insights into its history.Only if a broad understanding of its roots and developments prevails,the conflicts of the present can be better evaluated and addressed.Particularly one set of so far neglected sources from Europe’s past serves as guiding light in that respect:the early modern Europe literature written in the Latin language.Between 1400 and 1800,Latin enjoyed a similar status in promoting scientific discoveries,negotiating political affairs and generally communicating on an international level as modern-day English.By offering a brief glance at some historically influential Latin texts from the early modern discourse of Europe,this article will show that the early modern European crises strikingly resemble Europe’s current crises despite the difference in political,social,and economic circumstances.The discourse of Europe has from the beginning been a stable discourse,characterized by the same recurring questions for centuries.When used as reference point for the crises of the 21st century,the prospects for the European integration look better than presumed.

U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Agreement: Reasons, impacts, and China's response

Applying qualitative and quantitative methods, this article explains the driving forces behind U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, assesses the impacts of this withdrawal on the compliance prospects of the agreement, and proposes how China should respond. The withdrawal undercuts the foundation of global climate governance and upsets the process of climate cooperation, and the impacts are manifold. The withdrawal undermines the universality of the Paris Agreement and impairs states' confidence in climate cooperation; it aggravates the leadership deficit in addressing global climate issues and sets a bad precedent for international climate cooperation. The withdrawal reduces other countries' emission space and raises their emission costs, and refusal to contribute to climate aid makes it more difficult for developing countries to mitigate and adapt to climate change. Cutting climate research funding will compromise the quality of future IPCC reports and ultimately undermine the scientific authority of future climate negotiations. China faces mounting pressure from the international community to assume global climate leadership after the U.S. withdraws, and this article proposes that China should reach the high ends of its domestic climate targets under the current Nationally Determined Contributions; internationally, China should facilitate the rebuilding of shared climate leadership, replacing the G2 with C5. Meanwhile, China needs to keep the U.S. engaged in climate cooperation.