Chinese cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Well-being Numerical Rating Scales

IntroductionWell-being is a multi-domain concept that involves measuring physical, psychological, social, and spiritual domains. However, there are currently few multi-domain and comprehensive well-being instruments available. In addition, measures that do exist customarily contain a vast number of items that may lead to boredom or fatigue in participants. The Well-being Numerical Rating Scales (WB-NRSs) offer a concise, multi-domain well-being scale. This study aimed to perform the translation, adaptation, and validation of the Chinese version of WB-NRSs (WBNRSs-CV).MethodsA total of 639 clinical participants and 542 community participants completed the WB-NRSs-CV, the Single-item Self-report Subjective Well-being Scale (SISRSWBS), the World Health Organization Five-item Well-Being Index (WHO-5), the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), and the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10).ResultsHigh internal consistency and test-retest reliability were obtained for both samples. Additionally, WB-NRSs-CV was positively associated with SISRSWBS and WHO-5 and negatively associated with PSS-10 and K10. In the item response theory analysis, the model fit was adequate with the discrimination parameters ranging from 2.73 to 3.56. The diffculty parameters ranged from −3.40 to 1.71 and were evenly spaced along the trait, attesting to the appropriateness of the response categories. The invariance tests demonstrated that there was no difference in WB-NRSs-CV across groups by gender or age.DiscussionThe WB-NRSs-CV was translated appropriately and cross-culturally adapted in China. It can be used as a rapid and relevant instrument to assess well-being in both clinical and non-clinical settings, with its utility for well-being measurement and management among the Chinese people

Overview to the Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope (Insight-HXMT) Satellite

As China's first X-ray astronomical satellite, the Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope (HXMT), which was dubbed as Insight-HXMT after the launch on June 15, 2017, is a wide-band (1-250 keV) slat-collimator-based X-ray astronomy satellite with the capability of all-sky monitoring in 0.2-3 MeV. It was designed to perform pointing, scanning and gamma-ray burst (GRB) observations and, based on the Direct Demodulation Method (DDM), the image of the scanned sky region can be reconstructed. Here we give an overview of the mission and its progresses, including payload, core sciences, ground calibration/facility, ground segment, data archive, software, in-orbit performance, calibration, background model, observations and some preliminary results.Comment: 29 pages, 40 figures, 6 tables, to appear in Sci. China-Phys. Mech. Astron. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1910.0443

Agronomic Approach of Zinc Biofortification Can Increase Zinc Bioavailability in Wheat Flour and thereby Reduce Zinc Deficiency in Humans

Zinc (Zn) deficiency is a common disorder of humans in developing countries. The effect of Zn biofortification (via application of six rates of Zn fertilizer to soil) on Zn bioavailability in wheat grain and flour and its impacts on human health was evaluated. Zn bioavailability was estimated with a trivariate model that included Zn homeostasis in the human intestine. As the rate of Zn fertilization increased, the Zn concentration increased in all flour fractions, but the percentages of Zn in standard flour (25%) and bran (75%) relative to total grain Zn were constant. Phytic acid (PA) concentrations in grain and flours were unaffected by Zn biofortification. Zn bioavailability and the health impact, as indicated by disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) saved, increased with the Zn application rate and were greater in standard and refined flour than in whole grain and coarse flour. The biofortified standard and refined flour obtained with application of 50 kg/ha ZnSO4·7H2O met the health requirement (3 mg of Zn obtained from 300 g of wheat flour) and reduced DALYs by >20%. Although Zn biofortification increased Zn bioavailability in standard and refined flour, it did not reduce the bioavailability of iron, manganese, or copper in wheat flour

Global analysis of nitrogen fertilization effects on grain zinc and iron of major cereal crops

Human zinc (Zn) and iron (Fe) deficiencies can partly be alleviated by enhancing cereal concentrations of these micronutrients. Soil nitrogen (N) levels codetermine cereal grain yields and Zn and Fe nutrition of plants and grains. Grain Zn and Fe concentrations have been reported to be affected by both yield dilution and enhanced acquisition and grain allocation of Zn and Fe. A global meta-analysis of 100 publications concerning wheat, maize, and rice providing 785 records of Zn and 506 records of Fe allowed us to assess their relative importance and quantify the concentrations and bioavailability of Zn and Fe in major cereal grains over a wide range of N fertilization levels. Compared with the no N controls, N application significantly increased grain Zn and Fe concentrations in all crops except maize Zn. The increase in grain protein concentration correlated positively with the increases in Zn and Fe concentrations in all cereals except Zn in maize. In rice, the grain Zn and Fe concentration increase was independent of the rate of N applied. Grain concentrations of Zn and Fe in wheat and Fe in maize were positively correlated with N rate but were only higher than those in the controls above 40–60 kg N ha−1. At lower N rates, the dilution effect was thus stronger than the enhancement effect. N supply had a larger effect on Zn and Fe concentrations in loamy textured soils or at lower soil available N and phosphorus (P), or higher soil organic matter and available Zn contents or with P and Zn fertilization, but the effect sizes differed among crops. Reductions in phytic acid concentration after N fertilization occurred in wheat, potentially improving micronutrient bioavailability. Thus, our findings indicate that N fertilization could be managed in ways that simultaneously support high grain yields and enhance nutritional quality for major cereals

Influence of nitrogen rate on micronutrient density in grain of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Agricultural approaches are suggested to increase micronutrients in cereal grain and then to alleviate human malnutrition. A long-term (1999-2007) field experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of three nitrogen (N) fertilization rates (0, 130 and 300 kg N/ha) on micronutrient density in wheat grain and its milling fractions. There were three N rates in this trail: 0, 130 and 300 kg N/ha. At maturity, grains were harvested and fractionated into flour, shorts and bran for micronutrients, N and protein analysis. The results showed that N fertilization increased iron (Fe), zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu) density in wheat grain compared to the control. Increase of N application rate from 130 to 300 kg N/ha, however, didn't further increase the three micronutrient density in grain. Most micronutrients were accumulated in bran while the lowest micronutrient concentrations were found in the flour. High N application increased Zn and Cu densities in three fractions while for Fe, its density in shorts and bran were increased, not in flour. Manganese (Mn) concentration in grain was not influenced by N application. It is concluded that nitrogen plays an important role in micronutrient accumulation in wheat grain. Proper nitrogen fertilizer management has a potential to enhance both micronutrients and grain protein

Characterization of Root and Foliar-Applied Iron Oxide Nanoparticles (α-Fe₂O₃, γ-Fe₂O₃, Fe₃O₄, and Bulk Fe₃O₄) in Improving Maize (<i>Zea mays</i> L.) Performance

Iron (Fe) oxide nanoparticles (NPs) improve crop growth. However, the comparative effect of root and foliar-applied different sources of Fe oxide NPs on plant performance at morphological and physiological levels still needs to be discovered. In this study, we characterized the growth and physiological responses of hydroponic-cultured maize seedlings to four sources of Fe (i.e., α-Fe2O3, γ-Fe2O3, Fe3O4 NPs, and bulk Fe3O4) and two application methods (root vs. foliar). Results showed that Fe concentration in root and shoot increased by elevating the level of NPs from 100 mg L−1 to 500 mg L−1. Overall, the responses of maize seedlings to different sources of Fe oxide NPs were as follows: Fe3O4 > γ-Fe2O3 > α-Fe2O3 > bulk Fe3O4. The application of Fe at concentrations ranging from 100 mg L−1 to 500 mg L−1 had no significant effects on various growth parameters of maize, including biomass, chlorophyll content, and root length. Iron oxide NPs increased the plant biomass by 23–37% by root application, whereas it was 5–9% by foliar application. Chlorophyll contents were increased by 29–34% and 18–22% by foliar and root applications, respectively. The non-significant response of reactive oxygen species (i.e., superoxide dismutase, catalase, and peroxidase) suggested optimum maize performance for supplementing Fe oxide NPs. A confocal laser scanning microscope suggested that Fe oxide NPs entered through the epidermis and from the cortex to the endodermis. Our results provide a scientific basis that the root application of Fe3O4 at the rate of 100 mg L−1 is a promising approach to obtain higher maize performance and reduce the quantity of fertilizer used in agriculture to minimize environmental effects while improving crop productivity and quality. These findings demonstrated the tremendous potential of Fe NPs as an environmentally friendly and sustainable crop approach

Characterization of QTLs for Root Traits of Wheat Grown under Different Nitrogen and Phosphorus Supply Levels

Root is important in acquiring nutrients from soils. Developing marker-assisted selection for wheat root traits can help wheat breeders to select roots desirable for efficient acquisition of nutrients. A recombinant inbred line (RIL) population derived from wheat varieties Xiaoyan 54 and Jing 411 was used to detect QTLs for maximum root length and root dry weight (RDW) under control, low nitrogen and low phosphorus conditions in hydrophobic culture (HC). We totally detected 17 QTLs for the investigated root traits located at 13 loci on 11 chromosomes. These loci differentially expressed under different nutrient supplying levels. The RILs simultaneously harboring positive alleles or negative alleles of the most significant three QTLs for RDW, qRDW.CK-2A, qRDW.CK-2D, and qRDW.CK-3B, were selected for soil column culture (SC) trial to verify the effects of these QTLs under soil conditions. The RILs pyramiding the positive alleles not only had significantly higher shoot dry weight, RDW, nitrogen and phosphorus uptake in all the three treatments of the HC trial, but also had significantly higher RDW distribution in both the top- and sub-soils in the SC trial than those pyramiding the negative alleles. These results suggested that QTL analysis based on hydroponic culture can provide useful information for molecular design of wheat with large and deep root system

Zinc, Iron, Manganese and Copper Uptake Requirement in Response to Nitrogen Supply and the Increased Grain Yield of Summer Maize

<div><p>The relationships between grain yields and whole-plant accumulation of micronutrients such as zinc (Zn), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn) and copper (Cu) in maize (<i>Zea mays</i> L.) were investigated by studying their reciprocal internal efficiencies (RIEs, g of micronutrient requirement in plant dry matter per Mg of grain). Field experiments were conducted from 2008 to 2011 in North China to evaluate RIEs and shoot micronutrient accumulation dynamics during different growth stages under different yield and nitrogen (N) levels. Fe, Mn and Cu RIEs (average 64.4, 18.1and 5.3 g, respectively) were less affected by the yield and N levels. ZnRIE increased by 15% with an increased N supply but decreased from 36.3 to 18.0 g with increasing yield. The effect of cultivars on ZnRIE was similar to that of yield ranges. The substantial decrease in ZnRIE may be attributed to an increased Zn harvest index (from 41% to 60%) and decreased Zn concentrations in straw (a 56% decrease) and grain (decreased from 16.9 to 12.2 mg kg⁻¹) rather than greater shoot Zn accumulation. Shoot Fe, Mn and Cu accumulation at maturity tended to increase but the proportions of pre-silking shoot Fe, Cu and Zn accumulation consistently decreased (from 95% to 59%, 90% to 71% and 91% to 66%, respectively). The decrease indicated the high reproductive-stage demands for Fe, Zn and Cu with the increasing yields. Optimized N supply achieved the highest yield and tended to increase grain concentrations of micronutrients compared to no or lower N supply. Excessive N supply did not result in any increases in yield or micronutrient nutrition for shoot or grain. These results indicate that optimized N management may be an economical method of improving micronutrient concentrations in maize grain with higher grain yield.</p></div

Dynamics of shoot Zn concentration (A) shoot Fe concentration (B), shoot Mn concentration (C) and shoot Cu concentration (D) of summer maize at V6 (six-leaf stage), V12 (12-leaf stage), R1 (silk emerging), R3 (milk stage) and R6 (physiological maturity) stages, respectively, with different grain yield ranges.

<p>The number of observations was shown in <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0093895#pone.0093895.s004" target="_blank">Table S2</a>.The bars represent the standard error of the mean. Bars with different lowercase letters are significantly different at different yield ranges (P<0.05).</p