X-ray-induced Expression Changes of TNFSF4 Gene in Human Peripheral Blood

This study examined ionizing radiation-induced tumor necrosis factor （ligand） superfamily, member 4 （TNFSF4） mRNA expression changes in human peripheral blood cells and their distribution in a normal population. The results showed that expression level of TNFSF4 mRNA exhibited a dose- dependent response after different irradiation doses, but that was independent of incubation time post-irradiation. Moreover, it was not affected by age and gender in 51 healthy donors. Our studies indicate that TNFSF4 can be considered as a candidate gene to develop a new biodosimeter.

Centennial Analysis of Human Activity Intensity and Associated Historical Events in Heilongjiang River Sino-Russo Watershed

Human activities in a transborder watershed are complex under the influence of domestic policies,international relations,and global events.Understanding the forces driving human activity change is important for the development of transborder watershed.In this study,we used global historical land cover data,the hemeroby index model,and synthesized major historical events to analyze how human activity intensity changed in the Heilongjiang River(Amur River in Russia)watershed(HLRW).The results showed that there was a strong spatial heterogeneity in the variation of human activity intensity in the HLRW over the past century(1900-2016).On the Chinese side,the human activity intensity change shifted from the plain areas for agricultural reclamation to the mountainous areas for timber extraction.On the Russian side,human activity intensity changes mostly concentrated along the Trans-Siberian Railway and the Baikal-Amur Mainline.Localized variation of human activity intensity tended to respond to regional events while regionalized variation tends to reflect national policy change or broad international events.The similarities and differences between China and Russia in policies and positions in international events resulted in synchronous and asynchronous changes in human activity intensity.Meanwhile,policy shifts were often confined by the natural features of the watershed.These results reveal the historical origins and fundamental connotations of watershed development and contribute to formulating regional management policies that coordinate population,eco-nomic,social,and environmental activities.

Correlation analysis of human papillomavirus E6/E7 mRNA detection with diagnosis,prognosis and recurrence risk in patients with cervical epithelioma

BACKGROUND Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia(CIN)is an important precursor of cervical cancer.Early detection and treatment can reduce the incidence of cervical cancer.AIM To investigate the detection rate of human papillomavirus(HPV)E6/E7 mRNA in cervical tissue of patients with different types of epithelial cell neoplasia(CIN)and its relationship with CIN progression and diagnosis.METHODS One hundred women with HPV infection detected by cervical exfoliation cytology between January 2022 and January 2023 were retrospectively selected.These patients were graded CIN based on colposcopy and cervical pathology.The positive expression rates of HPV E6/E7 mRNA and HPV[polymerase chain reaction(PCR)-reverse dot crossing]were compared among all groups.Patients with HPV E6/E7 mRNA expression in the grade 1 CIN group were followed up for 1 yr.The relationship between atypical squamous epithelium and high malignant epithelial neoplasia was investigated by univariate and multivariate analysis.RESULTS The diagnostic sensitivity,specificity,and sensitivity of PCR-reverse point hybrid ization technology for secondary CIN were 70.41%,70.66%,and 0.714,respectively.Sensitivity and specificity for secondary CIN were 752%and 7853%,respectively,the area under the curve value was 0.789.Logistic Multifactorial model analysis revealed that the HPV positive rates and the HPV E6/E7 mRNA positive rates were independent risk factors of CIN grade I(P<0.05).In CIN grade I patients with positive for HPV E6/E7 mRNA,in its orientation to grade CIN patients,in its orientation to grade CIN patients,at 69.2%,compared with patients negative for HPV E6/E7 mRNA(30.8%),significant difference(P<0.05).CONCLUSION HPV E6/E7 mRNA and HPV(PCR-reverse dot hybrid)positive expression have a close relationship with CINgrade disease progression and is an independent risk factor for high-grade CIN lesions.

Changes of microRNA-1 and microRNA-21 in human atrial fibrillation

Objectives To investigate changes of microRNA- 1(miR-1) and microRNA-21(miR-21) expressions in human atrial fibrillation(AF).Methods Right atrial appendages were obtained from 12 rheumatic valvular heart disease patients with sinus rhythm(SR)and 14 patients with chronic AF.Quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction(qRT-PCR) was applied to assess expressions of miR-1 and miR- 21.Immunohistochemistry was used to evaluate Kir2.1 expression and masson staining was used to estimate collagen deposition.Results Expressions of miR-1 was decreased (relative expression:0.68±0.09 vs.1.76±0.15,PmiR-21 was increased(relative expression:2.23±0.31 vs.0.94±0.24 vs. 0.043±0.005 vs.8.3±0.01;PmiR-l was negatively correlated to that of left atrium diameters(r=-0.47,P=0.02).Expression of miR-21 was positively correlated to collagen content (r=0.45,P【0.01).Conclusions Expression of miR-1 was down-regulated in AF patients,which may be associated with the increase in Kir2.1.miR-21 level was significantly up-regulated, which may contribute to the increase in collagen content in the atrium.

On the Historical Change of Human Rights Culture in China

Culture serves as the spiritual essence and moral support for human rights, whereas the latter provides the value orientation and goal for culture. Human rights are universal as well as particular, since each nation fosters its own perceptions and value orientations related to human rights, which leads to the formation of a human rights culture.

The Logic of Change of the CPC’s Human Rights Discourse Since the Founding of the People’s Republic of China

Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China70 years ago,the human rights discourse of the Communist Party of China has been constantly updated.In the early years of the founding of the People’s Republic of China,the CPC spontaneously formed a collective discourse on human rights with the right to subsistence and self-determination as its core;in the 1980 s,in the process of reflection and refutation,the CPC paid more attention to individual rights,and gradually increased the sense of a human rights discourse with Chinese characteristics;since the 1990s,the CPC has combined the specific national conditions and the international environment to form a human rights discourse.The system of human rights discourse has been constructed in terms of the order of priority of human rights protection,path of human rights development,relationship between human rights and sovereignty,and development of the world human rights cause.Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC,the CPC has put forward the idea that"living a happy life is the primary human right"at home and the idea of building a Community with a Shared Future for Human Beings for the world,and the discourse system of human rights with Chinese characteristics has gradually been improved.The independent variable of the change of human rights discourse of the CPC is the specific national conditions at different stages and the recognition of national identity formed on this basis.The other variable is the international environment and external relations that China is facing.

A Witness's Account of Changes in Tibet's Human Rights Conditions

After riots that occurred on March 14, 2008 in Lhasa, Tibet, the China Central Television Station broadcast a documentary film titled Tibet＇s Past shot years ago by the Central Newsreel ＆ Documentary Film Studio about the miserable life of serfs under Tibet＇s feudal serf system before a democratic reform was carried out in the region. The documentary stunned many people. It helps people see through the reactionary and corrupt nature of the Dalai clique.

Modulating effects of survivin antisense oligonucleotide on changes of apoptosis and cell cycle of human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line SMMC-7721

To investigate the modulating effects of survivn antisense oligonucletode (ASODN) on the cell cycle and apoptosis of human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell line SMMC-7721 and explore its mechanism.Methods Survivin ASODN was transfected into SMMC-7721 cells mediated by DOTAP liposomal reagent.Electron microscopy,flow cytometry and RT-PCR were used to detect the changes in cell ultrastructure,apoptosis,cell cycle and the expression of cyclinB1 mRNA,respectively.Results After transfection of survivin ASODN,the expression of cyclinB1 mRNA in the cells significantly increased and increase in G2-M arrest and apoptosis appeared.Meanwhile,the cell ultrastructure had apoptotic changes such as chromatin condensation and apoptotic body formation.Conclusion Survivin ASODN can induce the expression of cyclinB1 that may result in G2-M arrest.Consequently,apoptosis is triggered.Survivin ASODN transfection might be an improtant new treatment for HCC.14 refs,2 figs,1 tab.

Application and comparison of coaxial correlation diagram and hydrological model for reconstructing flood series under human disturbance

Intense human activities have greatly changed the flood generation conditions in most areas of the world, and have destroyed the consistency in the annual flood peak and volume series. For design flood estimation, coaxial correlation diagram and conceptual hydrological model are two frequently used tools to adjust and reconstruct the flood series under human disturbance. This study took a typical mountain catchment of the Haihe River Basin as an example to investigate the effects of human activities on flood regime and to compare and assess the two adjustment methods. The main purpose is to construct a conceptual hydrological model which can incorporate the effects of human activities. The results show that the coaxial correlation diagram is simple and widely-used, but can only adjust the time series of total flood volumes. Therefore, it is only applicable under certain conditions(e.g. There is a strong link between the flood peaks and volumes and the link is not significantly affected by human activities). The conceptual model is a powerful tool to adjust the time series of both flood peak flows and flood volumes over different durations provided that it is closely related to the catchment hydrological characteristics, specifically accounting for the effects of human activities, and incorporating expert knowledge when estimating or calibrating parameters. It is suggested that the two methods should be used together to cross check each other.

From Climate to Global Change:Following the Footprint of Prof.Duzheng YE's Research

To commemorate 100 years since the birth of Professor Duzheng YE, this paper reviews the contribution of Ye and his research team to the development from climate to global change science in the past 30 or so years, including：（1） the role of climate change in global change;（2） the critical time scales and predictability of global change;（3） the sensitive regions of global change—transitional zones of climate and ecosystems; and（4） orderly human activities and adaptation to global change, with a focus on the development of a proactive strategy for adaptation to such change.

Reconstructing Environmental Changes of a Coastal Lagoon with Coral Reefs in Southeastern Hainan Island

Coastal lagoons with small catchment basins are highly sensitive to natural processes and anthropogenic activities. To figure out the environmental changes of a coastal lagoon and its contribution to carbon burial, two sediment cores were collected in Xincun Lagoon, southeastern Hainan Island and (210) ~Pb activities, grain size parameters, total organic carbon(TOC), total nitrogen(TN), total inorganic carbon(TIC) and stable carbon isotopes(δ^(13)C) were measured. The results show that in 1770–1815, the decreasing water exchange capacity with outer open water, probably caused by the shifting and narrowing of the tidal inlet, not only diminished the currents and fined the sediments in the lagoon, but also reduced the organic matter of marine sources. From 1815 to 1950, the sedimentary environment of Xincun Lagoon was frequently influenced by storm events. These extreme events resulted in the high fluctuation of sediment grain size and sorting, as well as the great variation in contributions of terrestrial(higher plants, soils) and marine sources(phytoplankton, algae, seagrass). The extremely high content of TIC, compared to TOC before 1950 could be attributed to the large-scale coverage of coral reefs. However, with the boost of seawater aquaculture activities after 1970, the health growth of coral species was severely threatened, and corresponding production and inorganic carbon burial flux reduced. The apparent enhanced inorganic carbon burial rate after 1990 might result from the concomitant carbonate debris produced by seawater aquaculture. This result is important for local government long-term coastal management and environmental planning.

The Changing Ground of Human Rights

EDITOR＇S NOTE： Experts from across the world were invited to present papers at the Fifth Beijing Forum on Human Rights, which focused on Science and Technology, Environment and Human Rights, in Beijing from Dec 12 to 14. Excerpts from some of experts＇ papers follow：

Mapping Underlying Maturational Changes in Human Brain

Human brain development is a complex process that continues between birth and maturity, and monitoring the underlying maturational changes at these stages is crucial for our understanding of typical development as well as neurodevelopmental disorders. During the critical periods of brain development, on one hand, many human capacities originate, but on the other hand, a brain undergoing rapid plastic changes may also be vulnerable to neuropsychiatric disorders . Multi-modal magnetic resonance imaging （MRI） has been increasingly used for its ability to noninvasively reveal structural and functional changes in the brain. However, interpretation of the neurobiological processes underlying the findings obtained with MRI is very limited .

Seasonal and interannual variations of flow discharge from Pearl River into sea

Flow discharge from the river basin into the sea has severe impacts on the immediate vicinity of river channels, estuaries, and coastal areas. This paper analyzes the features and temporal trends of flow discharge at Pearl River＇s three main gauge stations： the Wuzhou, Shijiao, and Boluo gauge stations on the West River, North River, and East River, respectively. The results show no significant trend in annual mean discharge into the sea at the three gauge stations. Changes of monthly mean discharge at the Boluo Gauge Station are evident, and a majority of monthly discharge in the dry season displays significant increasing trends. Furthermore, changes of the extreme discharge are quite evident, with a significant decreasing trend in the annual maximum discharge and a significant increasing trend in the minimum one. The significantly decreasing ratio of the flood discharge to annual discharge at the Boluo Gauge Station indicates that the flow discharge from the East River has increased in the dry season and decreased in the flood season since the construction of dams and reservoirs. At the other two gauge stations, the Wuzhou and Shijiao gauge stations, the seasonal discharge generally does not change perceptibly. Human impacts, especially those pertaining to reservoir and dam construction, appear to be responsible for the seasonal variation of flow discharge. The results indicate that the construction and operation of dams and reservoirs in the East River have a greater influence on flow discharge, which can well explain why the seasonal variation of flow discharge from the East River is more evident.

Assessing the vulnerability of changing coasts,Hainan Island,China

Knowledge of coastline changes and vulnerability is of great importance to local government departments that are responsible for the management and development of coastal zones.To study the nature of change and vulnerability along the coasts of the Hainan Island,we collected a large number of sediment samples through the last few years,and reconstructed the changes of the coastline by combining the data of sediment grain-size analysis and the nautical charts/TM RS imaginary.Contrary to being almost free from erosion（as expected from the findings that the coastlines are in a relatively stable state）,four major cities in Hainan（i.e.,Haikou,Wenchang,Sanya and Changjiang） turned out to be suffered from a moderate coastal vulnerability primarily because of the large populations that impose considerable pressure on the coastlines.Thus,the assessment methodology utilized in this study,including both anthropogenic and natural factors,serves as a useful tool to obtain a comprehensive understanding of coastline vulnerability for local government,in terms of coastal management and adaptation.

Scientific Frontier on Human Activities and Ecosystem Changes

'Scientific Frontier on Human Activities and Ecosystem Changes' compiled by the innovation team 'Human Activities and Ecosystem Change',one of International Partnership Programs of Chinese Academy of Sciences(CAS),was published by Higher Education Press

Progress and Perspectives of Ecosystem Services: A Review

According to the latest research of ecosystem service（ ES）,the background and connotation of ecosystem services were briefly summarized,the relationship among human activity,climate change,and biodiversity and ecosystem service function（ ESF） was synthetically analyzed,the research trends of ecosystem services function assessment（ ESFA） were discussed from multi-scale,and the perspectives was given based on the past studies. The ecological long-term location monitoring method based on the ESFA should be studied,evaluation index of ESFA should be further improved,and the ESF research on the arid region should be reinforced.

Contributions of anthropogenic and external natural forcings to climate changes over China based on CMIP5 model simulations

Based on observations and historical simulations from the fifth phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project(CMIP5) archive, the contributions of human activities(including greenhouse gases(GHGs), anthropogenic aerosols(AAs), and land use(LU)) and external natural forcings(Nat) to climate changes in China over the past 50 years were quantified. Both anthropogenic and external natural forcings account for 95%–99% of the observed temperature change from 1951–1975 to 1981–2005. In particular, the temperature changes induced by GHGs are approximately 2–3 times stronger than the observed changes, and AAs impose a significant cooling effect. The total external forcings can explain 65%–78% of the observed precipitation changes over the past 50 years, in which AAs and GHGs are the primary external forcings leading to the precipitation changes; in particular, AAs dominate the main spatial features of precipitation changes in eastern China. Human activities also dominate the long-term non-linear trends in observed temperature during the past several decades, and, in particular, GHGs, the primary warming contributor, have produced significant warming since the 1960 s. Compared to the long-term non-linear trends in observed precipitation, GHGs have largely caused the wetting changes in the arid-semiarid region since the 1970 s, whereas AAs have led to the drying changes in the humid-semihumid region; both LU and Nat can impose certain impacts on the long-term non-linear trends in precipitation. Using the optimal fingerprinting detection approach, the effects of human activities on the temperature changes can be detected and attributed in China, and the effect of GHGs can be clearly detected from the observations in humid-semihumid areas. However, the anthropogenic effects cannot be detected in the observed precipitation changes, which may be due to the uncertainties in the model simulations and to other issues. Although some results in this paper still need improvement due to uncertainties in the coupled models, this study is expected to provide the background and scientific basis for climate changes to conduct vulnerability and risk assessments of the ecological systems and water resources in the arid-semiarid region of China.