Quantifying atmospheric nitrogen deposition through a nationwide monitoring network across China

A Nationwide Nitrogen Deposition Monitoring Network (NNDMN) containing 43 monitoring sites was established in China to measure gaseous NH3, NO2, and HNO3 and particulate NH4+ and NO3− in air and/or precipitation from 2010 to 2014. Wet/bulk deposition fluxes of Nr species were collected by precipitation gauge method and measured by continuous-flow analyzer; dry deposition fluxes were estimated using airborne concentration measurements and inferential models. Our observations reveal large spatial variations of atmospheric Nr concentrations and dry and wet/bulk Nr deposition. On a national basis, the annual average concentrations (1.3–47.0 μg N m−3) and dry plus wet/bulk deposition fluxes (2.9–83.3 kg N ha−1 yr−1) of inorganic Nr species are ranked by land use as urban > rural > background sites and by regions as north China > southeast China > southwest China > northeast China > northwest China > Tibetan Plateau, reflecting the impact of anthropogenic Nr emission. Average dry and wet/bulk N deposition fluxes were 20.6 ± 11.2 (mean ± standard deviation) and 19.3 ± 9.2 kg N ha−1 yr−1 across China, with reduced N deposition dominating both dry and wet/bulk deposition. Our results suggest atmospheric dry N deposition is equally important to wet/bulk N deposition at the national scale. Therefore, both deposition forms should be included when considering the impacts of N deposition on environment and ecosystem health

A qualitative exploration of nurses leaving nursing practice in China

AIM: This paper reports a theoretical understanding of nurses leaving nursing practice by exploring the processes of decision‐making by registered nurses in China on exiting clinical care. BACKGROUND: The loss of nurses through their voluntarily leaving nursing practice has not attracted much attention in China. There is a lack of an effective way to understand and communicate nursing workforce mobility in China and worldwide. DESIGN: This qualitative study draws on the constant comparative method following a grounded theory approach. METHOD: In‐depth interviews with 19 nurses who had left nursing practice were theoretically sampled from one provincial capital city in China during August 2009–March 2010. RESULTS: The core category ‘Mismatching Expectations: Individual vs. Organizational’ emerged from leavers’ accounts of their leaving. By illuminating the interrelationship between the core category and the main category ‘Individual Perception of Power,’ four nursing behaviour patterns were identified: (1) Voluntary leaving; (2) Passive staying; (3) Adaptive staying and (4) Active staying

Allogalumna rugata, a new species of oribatid mite from China (Acari, Oribatida, Galumnidae)

International audienceThe genus Allogalumna Grandjean, 1936 is reported for the first time from China, and a new species Allogalumna rugata n. sp. is described from Qinghai Province. This species is distinguishable from other species of the genus by the combination of the following character states: bothridial setae setiform, slightly barbed at the end, four pairs of oval notogastral porose areas present; surface of genital and anal plates with dense thin wrinkle; postanal porose area absent

Two new species of Neoribates (Neoribates) Berlese, 1914 from China (Acari, Oribatida, Parakalummidae)

Two new oribatid mite species, Neoribates (N.) cheni and Neoribates (N.) particula spp. nov. are described from soil and litter of bamboo and under moss from China. Neoribates (N.) cheni sp. nov. is morphologically most similar to Neoribates (N.) spindleformis Ermilov, 2012 but differs from it in the number of leg claws and the position of epimeral setae. Neoribates (N.) particula sp. nov. is morphologically most similar to Neoribates (N.) gracilis Travé, 1972 but differs from it in the shape and size of rostral and lamellar setae, and the position of adanal setae ad3

Desiccation tolerance of recalcitrant Theobroma cacao embryonic axes: The optimal drying rate and its physiological basis

Journal of Experimental Botany513521911-1919JEBO

Resolution enhancement and realistic speckle recovery with generative adversarial modeling of micro-optical coherence tomography

10.1364/BOE.402847Biomedical Optics Express11127236-725

Tapetum degeneration retardation is critical for aliphatic metabolism and gene regulation during rice pollen development

As a complex wall system in flowering plants, the pollen outer wall mainly contains aliphatic sporopollenin; however, the mechanism for synthesizing these lipidic precursors during pollen development remains less well understood. Here, we report on the function of the rice tapetum-expressing TDR (Tapetum Degeneration Retardation) gene in aliphatic metabolism and its regulatory role during rice pollen development. The observations of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses suggested that pollen wall formation was significantly altered in the tdr mutant. The contents of aliphatic compositions of anther were greatly changed in the tdr mutant revealed by GC-MS (gas chromatography-mass spectrometry) testing, particularly less accumulated in fatty acids, primary alcohols, alkanes and alkenes, and an abnormal increase in secondary alcohols with carbon lengths from C29 to C35 in tdr. Microarray data revealed that a group of genes putatively involved in lipid transport and metabolism were significantly altered in the tdr mutant, indicating the critical role of TDR in the formation of the pollen wall. Also, a wide range of genes (236 in total-154 up-regulated and 82 down-regulated) exhibited statistically significant expressional differences between wild-type and tdr. In addition to its function in promoting tapetum PCD, TDR possibly plays crucial regulatory roles in several basic biological processes during rice pollen development.Da-Sheng Zhang, Wan-Qi Liang, Zheng Yuan, Na Li, Jing Shi, JueWang, Yu-Min Liu, Wen-Juan Yu and Da-Bing Zhan

Attributable causes of cancer in China

Background: Most cancers are due to modifiable lifestyle and environmental risk factors, and are potentially preventable. No studies have provided a systematic quantitative assessment of the burden of cancer mortality and incidence attributable to known risk factors in China. Methods: We calculated the proportions of cancer deaths and new cases attributable to known risk factors in China, based on the prevalence of exposure around 1990 and national data on cancer mortality and incidence for the year 2005. Results: Chronic infection is the main risk factor for cancer in China, accounting for 29.4% of cancer deaths (31.7% in men and 25.3% in women), followed by tobacco smoking (22.6% with 32.7% in men and 5.0% in women), low fruit intake (13.0%), alcohol drinking (4.4%), low vegetable intake (3.6%) and occupational exposures (2.7%). The remaining factors, including environmental agents, physical inactivity, the use of exogenous hormones and reproductive factors are each responsible for <1.0%. Conclusions: Modifiable risk factors explain nearly 60% of cancer deaths in China, with a predominant role of chronic infection and tobacco smoking. Our findings could provide a basis for cancer prevention and control programs aimed at reducing cancer risk in other developing countries. \ua9 The Author 2012. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society for Medical Oncology