Response of fatal landslides to precipitation over the Chinese Loess Plateau under global warming

Rain-induced loess landslides are especially prevalent in the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP). Some became fatal landslide disasters, leading to numerous casualties and significant socioeconomic losses. Extreme precipitation is the main cause of landslide occurrence. Therefore, in this study we discuss the correlation between seven extreme precipitation indices, single continuous precipitation events and fatal landslides in the CLP using Pearson correlation analysis. We also predict future precipitation under climate changes using five optimal CMIP6 models. During the period 2004–2016, fatal landslides in the CLP increased at a rate of 0.6 per year, with frequent landslide events occurring especially in the central and southwestern parts of the CLP. We find that SDII (simple daily intensity precipitation index) and R×5day (max 5-day precipitation amount) show spatial distribution that are consistent with fatal landslides. Extreme precipitation events were frequent after year 2000; and several extreme precipitation indices show an increasing trend with a higher magnitude since 2000 than before 2000. In particular, in 2013 when the number of fatal landslides was as high as 17, SDII, R95pTOT (extremely wet days), R25mm (very heavy precipitation days), and R×5day all showed abrupt increases. Single continuous precipitation events have profound effects on fatal landslides. We show that single continuous precipitation events with cumulative precipitation of 185–235 mm and duration of 6 days or longer have the highest correlation with fatal landslides. As the increasing occurrence of extreme rainfall events by the global warming, the CLP may face more fatal landslides in the future, especially in the high emission scenario of greenhouse gases (GHGs)

A Phytophthora sojae effector suppresses endoplasmic reticulum stress-mediated immunity by stabilizing plant Binding immunoglobulin Proteins

Phytophthora pathogens secrete an array of specific effector proteins to manipulate host innate immunity to promote pathogen colonization. However, little is known about the host targets of effectors and the specific mechanisms by which effectors increase susceptibility. Here we report that the soybean pathogen Phytophthora sojae uses an essential effector PsAvh262 to stabilize endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-luminal binding immunoglobulin proteins (BiPs), which act as negative regulators of plant resistance to Phytophthora. By stabilizing BiPs, PsAvh262 suppresses ER stress-triggered cell death and facilitates Phytophthora infection. The direct targeting of ER stress regulators may represent a common mechanism of host manipulation by microbes.This is the publisher’s final pdf. The published article is copyrighted by the author(s) and published by Nature Publishing Group. The published article can be found at: http://www.nature.com/ncomms/index.htm

Psychometric Properties of Multi-Dimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support in Chinese Parents of Children with Cerebral Palsy

The Multi-dimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) is one of the most extensively used instruments to assess social support. The purpose of this research was to test the reliability, factorial validity, concurrent validity and measurement invariance across gender groups of the MSPSS in Chinese parents of children with cerebral palsy. A total of 487 participants aged 21–55 years were recruited to complete the Chinese MSPSS and Parenting Stress Index-Short Form (PSI-SF). Composite reliability was calculated as the internal consistency of the Chinese MSPSS and a (multi-group) confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to test the factorial validity and measurement invariance across gender. And Pearson correlations were calculated to test the relationships between MSPSS and PSI-SF. The Chinese MSPSS had satisfactory internal reliability with composite reliability values of more than 0.7. The CFA indicated that the original three-factor model was replicated in this specific population. Importantly, the results of the multi-group CFA demonstrated that configural, metric, and scalar invariance across gender groups was supported. In addition, all the three subscales of MSPSS were significant related with PSI-SF. These findings suggest that the Chinese MSPSS is a reliable and valid tool for assessing social support and can generally be utilized across sex in the parents of children with cerebral palsy

Preparation and Curing Mechanism of Modified Corn Straw by 3-Glycidyl Ether Oxypropyl Trimethoxysilane/Epoxy Resin Composites

A modified corn straw (CS)/epoxy resin (EP) composite was prepared using bisphenol A EP (i.e., E-51) as matrix, 2-methylimidazole as curing agent, and CS modified by 3-glycidyl ether oxypropyl trimethoxysilane (KHCS) as filler. Its chemical structure was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The dynamic thermodynamic properties, mechanical properties, flame retardant property, and fracture morphology were studied using dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), a universal testing machine, a micro combustion calorimeter, and a scanning electron microscope (SEM), respectively. The effects of different contents of KHCS on various properties were discussed. The experimental result showed that the CS was bonded toKH560 by a covalent bond. The impact strength, tensile strength, and flexural strength of the composites were all improved compared with those of pure EP. When the content of KHCS was 15 wt%, the maximum impact strength of the composites was 3.31 kJ/m2, which was 1.43 times that of the pure EP. The p HRR and THR of MCSEC-20 were 512.44 W/g and 25.03 kJ/g, respectively, which were 40.71% and 27.76% lower than those of pure EP, when the content of KHCS was 20 wt%. Moreover, the mechanism of the curing composites was investigated

Assessment of the effectiveness of the BOPPPS model combined with case-based learning on nursing residency education for newly recruited nurses in China: a mixed methods study

Abstract Background Expanding new nurse training and education is a priority for nursing educators as well as a critical initiative to stabilize the nursing workforce. Given that there is currently no standardized program for the training of new nurses in China, we investigated the effectiveness of the bridge-in, objective, pre-assessment, participatory learning, post-assessment, and summary model combined with case-based learning ((BOPPPS-CBL) for the standardized training of new nurses. Methods The mixed method approach with explanatory sequential (quantitative-qualitative) method was used. A questionnaire was used to compare the impact of the BOPPPS-CBL model and the Traditional Learning Model (TLM) on the core competencies of 185 new nurses for two years of standardized training. Quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS 22.0. Focus group interviews were used with four groups of new nurses and perceptions of BOPPPS-CBL training were recorded. Qualitative data were analyzed thematically. Results According to the quantitative data, more new nurses agreed that the BOPPPS-CBL model stimulated their learning and improved their core nursing competencies than the TLM. The BOPPPS-CBL group outperformed the TLM group on theoretical knowledge tests. Qualitative data revealed that 87.5% of new nurses agreed on the value of BOPPPS-CBL training, and three themes were extracted: (1) role promotion; (2) formation of new thinking to solve clinical problems; and (3) suggestions for improvement. Conclusion BOPPPS-CBL training had a significant impact on improving new nurses’ core competencies and promoting the transition of new nurses to clinical practice nurses in China. The study recommends BOPPPS-CBL training as an effective teaching model for the standardized training and education of new nurses

Web Bend-Buckling of Steel Plate Girders Reinforced by Two Longitudinal Stiffeners with Various Cross-Section Shapes

This work performs an investigation into the optimal position of two longitudinal stiffeners with different cross-section shapes such as open section (L-shaped and T-shaped) and closed section (rectangular and triangular shapes) shapes of stiffened plate girders under bending loading through an optimization procedure using a gradient-based interior point (IP) optimization algorithm. The stiffener optimum locations are found by maximizing the bend-buckling coefficient, kb, generated from eigenvalue buckling analyses in Abaqus. The optimization procedure efficiently combines the finite element method and the IP optimization algorithm and is implemented using the Abaqus2Matlab toolbox which allows for the transfer of data between Matlab and Abaqus and vice versa. It is found that the proposed methodology can lead to the optimum design of the steel plate girder for all stiffener cross-section types with an acceptable accuracy and a reduced computational effort. Based on the optimization results, the optimum positions of two longitudinal stiffeners with various cross-section shapes are presented for the first time. It is reported that the optimum locations of two longitudinal stiffeners with open cross-section shapes (T- and L-shaped) are similar to that of flat cross-section, while the optimum positions of two longitudinal stiffeners with closed cross-section types (rectangular and triangular sections) are slightly different. One of the main findings of this study is that the bend-buckling coefficient of the stiffened girder having stiffeners with triangular cross-section shape is highest while that with flat cross-section shape is lowest among all considered stiffener types and this latter case has minimum requirement regarding the web thickness