The Factors Influencing Teachers' Willingness to Remain in Rural Areas After the Expiration of Their Compulsory Service Contract: A Case Study in Enshi Prefecture, Hubei Province, China

Quality education can only be achieved with the assistance of experienced and qualified teachers. In order to ensure quality education in disadvantaged areas in China, it is necessary to keep experienced teachers in rural areas. This paper investigates factors that could influence rural teachers’ decision to stay or not on teaching at the expiry of their service contract. As a part of project, “Research on rural Teacher Training Mode in Minority Areas of Hubei Province in post-poverty Era “data from 1193 rural teachers who had qualified from a government teacher training programme from selected villages under the jurisdiction of the Enshi Prefecture, Hubei province was collected. As part of the survey, a number of factors are examined that influence a teacher's willingness to stay or leave, as well as remedial measures that are deemed necessary to prevent teachers from leaving. For the analysis of the data, SPSS 25 and AMOS 24 were used. The study found that the teachers have a high willingness to stay on the job after the contract expires. Among the factors contributing to their willingness are the local cultural environment, the local infrastructure attachment to the area, and the school's working environment. Wage income, professional identity, professional development, and school working conditions also play an important role as maintenance factors. There is a direct relationship between the rural infrastructure and a person's willingness to continue working after the expiration of a contract, and there is also direct relationship between the local attachment and the cultural atmosphere of the local community. Local attachment is the dominant factor, the local infrastructure is a secondary improvement area, and salary, promotion of opportunities, respect for teachers and education are in the priority improvement area. Finally, the paper proposes that the retention of rural teachers should be based on the cultivation of local attachment, rural revitalization, improvement of health factors and construction of “UGSR–P” cultivation of community

Evaluation of spatial-temporal variations and trends in surface water quality across a rural-suburban-urban interface

Water quality degradation is often a severe consequence of rapid economic expansion in developing countries. Methods to assess spatial-temporal patterns and trends in water quality are essential for guiding adaptive management efforts aimed at water quality remediation. Temporal and spatial patterns of surface water quality were investigated for 54 monitoring sites in the Wen-Rui Tang River watershed of eastern China to identify such patterns in water quality occurring across a rural-suburban-urban interface. Twenty physical and chemical water quality parameters were analyzed in surface waters collected once every 4-8 weeks from 2000 to 2010. Temporal and spatial variations among water quality parameters were assessed between seasons (wet/dry) and among major land use zones (urban/suburban/rural). Factor analysis was used to identify parameters that were important in assessing seasonal and spatial variations in water quality. Results revealed that parameters related to organic pollutants (dissolved oxygen (DO), chemical oxygen demand (manganese) (COD(Mn)), and 5-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD₅)), nutrients (ammonia nitrogen (NH₄ ⁺-N), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP)), and salt concentration (electrical conductivity (EC)) were the most important parameters contributing to water quality variation. Collectively, they explained 70.9 % of the total variance. A trend study using the seasonal Kendall test revealed reductions in COD(Mn), BOD₅, NH₄ ⁺-N, petrol, V-phen, and EC concentrations over the 11-year study period. Cluster analysis was employed to evaluate variation among 14 sampling sites representative of dominant land use categories and indicated three, three, and four clusters based on organic, nutrient, and salt water quality characteristics, respectively. Factors that are typically responsible for water quality degradation (including population, topography, and land use) showed no strong correlation with water quality trends implying considerable point source inputs in the watershed. The results of this study help inform ongoing water quality remediation efforts by documenting trends in water quality across various land use zones

Characteristics of Spatiotemporal Variations and Driving Factors of Land Use for Rural Tourism in Areas That Eliminated Poverty

This study explores the spatiotemporal characteristics and driving factors of land use for rural tourism in areas that eliminated poverty from 2009 to 2021. It puts forward targeted governance measures to promote the high-quality development of rural tourism, poverty alleviation, and rural revitalization. The analysis is based on exploratory spatial analysis methods and geographical detectors. The results show that (1) the overall level of land use for rural tourism was low but grew very quickly with large regional differences. (2) There was a significant spatial agglomeration in land use for rural tourism land. The spatial distribution of land use for rural tourism landscapes was characterized by two cores and four clusters, while spatial distribution of rural tourism facilities was characterized by one cluster with multiple branches. (3) The driving factors of spatial variations in land use for rural tourism were diverse and dynamic. Dominant factors shifted from natural conditions and geographical location to socioeconomic and tourism resources and regional policy dimensions. Policy should emphasize the development of the rural tourism industry, innovate the diversified “tourism + development” model, enhance the level of land use for rural tourism, broaden avenues for farmers to increase their income, and strengthen residents’ motivation for development

Modeling and Disturbance Analysis of Spinning Satellites with Inflatable Protective Structures

The escalating proliferation of space debris poses an increasing risk to spinning satellites, elevating the probability of hazardous collisions that can result in severe damage or total loss of functionality. To address this concern, a pioneering inflatable protective structure is employed to ensure the optimal functionality of spinning satellites. Additionally, a multi-body dynamic modeling method based on spring hinge unfolding/spring expansion is proposed to tackle the complex dynamics of spinning satellites with inflatable protective structures during flight. This method enables analysis of the motion parameters of spinning satellites. First, the structural composition of a spinning satellite with inflatable protective structures is introduced and its flight process is analyzed. Then, an articulated spring hinge unfolding model or a spring expansion model using the Newton–Euler method is established to describe the unfolding or expansion of the spinning satellite with inflatable protective structures during flight. Finally, the effects on the motion parameters of a spinning satellite are analyzed through simulation under various working conditions

Analysis of Abnormal Detection Rates of Health Examination for the Older Adults in the National Essential Public Health Services

Background The contribution of geriatric health examination services of national essential public health services to the detection of abnormal health conditions in the elderly and the awareness of examination results of the elderly has been rarely reported in the current studies. Objective To investigate the abnormal detection of several common diseases including abnormal blood pressure, abnormal blood glucose, overweight and obesity, anemia, fatty liver disease, gallstones or cholecystitis in the health examination of the older adults aged 65 years and above. Methods The older adults aged 65 years and above who visited 20 primary care institutions in 5 cities of 3 provinces in eastern, central and western China were selected as study subjects (excluding those with unclear health examination results in this year) from November to December 2019 by using a multi-stage stratified sampling method, and divided into the general older adults (without hypertension or diabetes), older adults with hypertension, older adults with diabetes. A one-on-one questionnaire survey was conducted on all respondents (The questionnaire included the general demographic characteristics of the respondents and the abnormal detection in the health examination of the elderly) . Results Among 3 018 older adults, 2 033 (67.36%) reported abnormalities in the health examination. There were statistically significant differences in the abnormal detection rates of health examination for the older adults with different types of residence, population, and household registration (P<0.05). Among 3 018 older adults, 1 174 (38.90%) self-reported abnormal blood pressure detection, 747 (24.75%) self-reported abnormal blood glucose detection, 719 (23.82%) self-reported dyslipidemia detection, 445 (14.74%) self-reported fatty liver detection, 393 (13.02%) reported overweight and obesity detection, 238 (7.89%) reported gallstones or cholecystitis detection, and 60 (1.99%) reported anemia detection. Abnormal blood pressure was detected in 49.13% of the older adults diagnosed with hypertension during the annual health examination, with the blood pressure control rate of 50.87%. Abnormal blood glucose was detected in 60.48% of the older adults diagnosed with diabetes during health examination with the control rate of blood glucose of 39.52%. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that the detection rate of abnormal blood pressure was 2.57 times〔95%CI (2.01, 3.29) 〕 higher in the older adults with diabetes than in the general older adults; the detection rate of dyslipidemia was 1.64 times〔95%CI (1.29, 2.08) 〕 and 1.42 times〔95%CI (1.10, 1.84) 〕 higher in the older adults with hypertension and diabetes than in the general older adults, respectively; the detection rate of overweight and obesity was 2.79 times〔95%CI (1.94, 4.00) 〕 and 2.64 times〔95%CI (1.80, 3.87) 〕 higher in the older adults with hypertension and diabetes than in the general older adults, respectively; the detection rate of fatty liver was 2.10 times〔95%CI (1.55, 2.85) 〕 higher in the the older adults with hypertension than the general older adults; while the detection rate of anemia was 0.25 times〔95%CI (0.13, 0.47) 〕 and 0.47 times〔95%CI (0.25, 0.86) 〕 higher in the older adults with hypertension and diabetes than in the general older adults; the detection rate of dyslipidemia, gallstones or cholecystitis was 0.76〔95%CI (0.64, 0.90) 〕and 1.32〔95%CI (1.01, 1.73) 〕 times higher in the rural older adults than the urban older adults, respectively (P<0.05) . Conclusion The physical examination program for the elderly in the national essential public health services plays an important role in early detection and wareness of health problems

Evaluation of spatial-temporal variations and trends in surface water quality across a rural-suburban-urban interface.

Water quality degradation is often a severe consequence of rapid economic expansion in developing countries. Methods to assess spatial-temporal patterns and trends in water quality are essential for guiding adaptive management efforts aimed at water quality remediation. Temporal and spatial patterns of surface water quality were investigated for 54 monitoring sites in the Wen-Rui Tang River watershed of eastern China to identify such patterns in water quality occurring across a rural-suburban-urban interface. Twenty physical and chemical water quality parameters were analyzed in surface waters collected once every 4-8 weeks from 2000 to 2010. Temporal and spatial variations among water quality parameters were assessed between seasons (wet/dry) and among major land use zones (urban/suburban/rural). Factor analysis was used to identify parameters that were important in assessing seasonal and spatial variations in water quality. Results revealed that parameters related to organic pollutants (dissolved oxygen (DO), chemical oxygen demand (manganese) (COD(Mn)), and 5-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD₅)), nutrients (ammonia nitrogen (NH₄ ⁺-N), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP)), and salt concentration (electrical conductivity (EC)) were the most important parameters contributing to water quality variation. Collectively, they explained 70.9 % of the total variance. A trend study using the seasonal Kendall test revealed reductions in COD(Mn), BOD₅, NH₄ ⁺-N, petrol, V-phen, and EC concentrations over the 11-year study period. Cluster analysis was employed to evaluate variation among 14 sampling sites representative of dominant land use categories and indicated three, three, and four clusters based on organic, nutrient, and salt water quality characteristics, respectively. Factors that are typically responsible for water quality degradation (including population, topography, and land use) showed no strong correlation with water quality trends implying considerable point source inputs in the watershed. The results of this study help inform ongoing water quality remediation efforts by documenting trends in water quality across various land use zones

Evaluation of spatial-temporal variations and trends in surface water quality across a rural-suburban-urban interface.

Water quality degradation is often a severe consequence of rapid economic expansion in developing countries. Methods to assess spatial-temporal patterns and trends in water quality are essential for guiding adaptive management efforts aimed at water quality remediation. Temporal and spatial patterns of surface water quality were investigated for 54 monitoring sites in the Wen-Rui Tang River watershed of eastern China to identify such patterns in water quality occurring across a rural-suburban-urban interface. Twenty physical and chemical water quality parameters were analyzed in surface waters collected once every 4-8 weeks from 2000 to 2010. Temporal and spatial variations among water quality parameters were assessed between seasons (wet/dry) and among major land use zones (urban/suburban/rural). Factor analysis was used to identify parameters that were important in assessing seasonal and spatial variations in water quality. Results revealed that parameters related to organic pollutants (dissolved oxygen (DO), chemical oxygen demand (manganese) (COD(Mn)), and 5-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD₅)), nutrients (ammonia nitrogen (NH₄ ⁺-N), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP)), and salt concentration (electrical conductivity (EC)) were the most important parameters contributing to water quality variation. Collectively, they explained 70.9 % of the total variance. A trend study using the seasonal Kendall test revealed reductions in COD(Mn), BOD₅, NH₄ ⁺-N, petrol, V-phen, and EC concentrations over the 11-year study period. Cluster analysis was employed to evaluate variation among 14 sampling sites representative of dominant land use categories and indicated three, three, and four clusters based on organic, nutrient, and salt water quality characteristics, respectively. Factors that are typically responsible for water quality degradation (including population, topography, and land use) showed no strong correlation with water quality trends implying considerable point source inputs in the watershed. The results of this study help inform ongoing water quality remediation efforts by documenting trends in water quality across various land use zones

Facile spectrophotometric assay of molar equivalents of <it>N</it>-hydroxysuccinimide esters of monomethoxyl poly-(ethylene glycol) derivatives

Abstract Background A new method is developed to quantify molar equivalents of N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) esters of derivatives of monomethoxyl poly-(ethylene glycol) (mPEG) in their preparations with NHS acetate ester as the reference. Results NHS ester of succinic monoester or carbonate of mPEG of 5,000 Da was synthesized and reacted with excessive ethanolamine in dimethylformamide at 25°C for 15 min. Residual ethanolamine was subsequently quantified by absorbance at 420 nm after reaction with 2,4,6-trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (TNBS) at pH 9.2 for 15 min at 55°C followed by cooling with tap water. Reaction products of ethanolamine and NHS esters of mPEG caused no interference with TNBS assay of residual ethanolamine. Reaction between ethanolamine and NHS acetate ester follows 1:1 stoichiometry. By the new method, molar equivalents of NHS esters of carbonate and succinic monoester of mPEG in their preparations were about 90% and 60% of their theoretical values, respectively. During storage at 37°C in humid air, the new method detected spontaneous hydrolyses of the two NHS esters of mPEG more sensitively than the classical spectrophotometric method based on absorbance at 260 nm of NHS released by reaction with ammonia in aqueous solution. Conclusion The new method is favorable to quantify molar equivalents of NHS esters of mPEG derivatives and thus control quality of their preparations.</p

Elevated levels of von Willebrand factor and high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) are associated with disease severity and clinical outcome of scrub typhus

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate whether von Willebrand factor (vWF) and high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) are associated with the severity and clinical outcome of scrub typhus and to seek novel biomarkers for surveillance and prediction of the prognosis of this infection. Methods: Serum concentrations of vWF and HMGB1 were measured twice by ELISA for scrub typhus patients (n = 103), once prior to doxycycline therapy and then on day 7 of doxycycline therapy; concentrations were measured once for healthy controls (n = 32). Results: Among the total 103 patients enrolled, 38 had disease complicated by multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS). Serum concentrations of vWF and HMGB1 were significantly higher in all the patients than in the healthy controls, both prior to doxycycline treatment and on day 7 of doxycycline treatment (p < 0.01). Furthermore, serum levels of vWF, HMGB1, and creatinine (SCr) in the patients with MODS increased distinctly, while the platelet (PLT) count diminished markedly compared to the levels in patients without MODS (p < 0.01). The concentration of vWF was positively correlated with that of HMGB1 (r = 0.764, p < 0.001) and SCr (r = 0.528, p < 0.001), but negatively correlated with the PLT count (r = −0.632, p < 0.001). Both HMGB1 and vWF were significantly associated with mortality in scrub typhus (area under the curve (AUC) = 0.864, p = 0.001, and AUC = 0.862, p = 0.001, respectively). Conclusions: Elevated levels of vWF and HMGB1 are associated with the severity and clinical outcome of scrub typhus. These represent possible new biomarkers for use in the assessment and prognostic prediction of this infection