Beds In China Research Articles

Study on the Damage Characteristics of Red Sandstone Foundation Under Rainfall Infiltration in the Red-Bed Area of the Sichuan Basin—Taking Zhongjiang County as an Example

The Sichuan Basin in China is one of the most concentrated areas of red beds in China. In the red-bed area, abundant rainfall can easily cause natural disasters, such as landslides, mudslides, collapses, and subsidence. This has had a great impact on the safety of people and property and sustainable modernization in the area. Zhongjiang County of Sichuan Province is a typical red-bed area, and red sandstone is one of the main foundation rocks in this area. Under the influence of rainfall, the strength of red sandstone foundation easily decays, causing disasters such as house collapse. Therefore, in order to explore the influence of rainfall on the mechanical properties of red sandstone, this paper takes the red sandstone in Zhongjiang County, Sichuan Province, China, as the research object and conducts acoustic-emission uniaxial compression experiments under different water contents. The strength characteristics, instability precursor characteristics, fracture types, and damage characteristics of red sandstone in different water-bearing states are obtained. The abovementioned results provide a reference for the Zhongjiang County Government to consider the impact of rainfall on the red sandstone foundation during modernization and emergency management.

RETRACTED: Development and evaluation of a second victim training course for nursing managers

BackgroundMost nursing managers are not fully aware of second victims and may not be able to provide support. Moreover, there are relatively few training courses for nursing managers about second victims. AimTo describe the construction and evaluation of a second victim course for nursing managers. DesignA single-group pretest–posttest study design was used. SettingA large comprehensive tertiary hospital with over 3000 beds in China. ParticipantsForty-nine nursing managers who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria participated in this training. Sixteen clinical frontline nurses who experienced adverse events within three months following the training were also invited. MethodsThe course “Second Victim & Empathy Communication” was developed through a literature review and expert consultation and consisted of 4 unit modules: (1) adverse events & second victims, (2) the recovery trajectory of second victims, (3) second victim supportive resources, and (4) key strategies of empathy communication. A course evaluation questionnaire, an empathy communication questionnaire for nursing managers, a second victim evaluation questionnaire, and an open-ended question were used to measure the feasibility, acceptability and effectiveness of the course. Results>97.96 % of the nursing managers were satisfied with the course, >97.96 % had learned new knowledge, and >95.92 % had changed their behavior and attitudes toward second victims. Their levels of empathetic communication differed significantly before and after training (t = −2.170, P = 0.035). Among these nursing managers, twenty-six participants provided positive and meaningful feedback and suggestions to the course by answering an open-ended question. A total of 66.6 % to 100 % of second victims were satisfied with the empathetic communication behavior exhibited by nursing managers. ConclusionThe second victim training course is feasible and can be used for clinical training to enhance nursing managers' understanding of second victims and enhance their empathetic communication.

The influence of adverse events on inpatient outcomes in a tertiary hospital using a diagnosis-related group database

Adverse events (AEs) are a significant concern for healthcare systems. However, it is difficult to evaluate their influence because of the complexity of various medical services. This study aimed to assess the influence of AEs on the outcomes of hospitalized patients using a diagnosis-related group (DRG) database. We conducted a case–control study of hospitalized patients at a multi-district tertiary hospital with 2200 beds in China, using data from a DRG database. An AE refers to an unintended physical injury caused or contributed to by medical care that requires additional hospitalization, monitoring, treatment, or even death. Relative weight (RW), a specific indicator of DRG, was used to measure the difficulty of diagnosis and treatment, disease severity, and medical resources utilized. The primary outcomes were hospital length of stay (LOS) and hospitalization costs. The secondary outcome was discharge to home. This study applied DRG-based matching, Hodges–Lehmann estimate, regression analysis, and subgroup analysis to evaluate the influence of AEs on outcomes. Two sensitivity analyses by excluding short LOS and changing adjustment factors were performed to assess the robustness of the results. We identified 2690 hospitalized patients who had been divided into 329 DRGs, including 1345 patients who experienced AEs (case group) and 1345 DRG-matched normal controls. The Hodges–Lehmann estimate and generalized linear regression analysis showed AEs led to prolonged LOS (unadjusted difference, 7 days, 95% confidence interval [CI] 6–8 days; adjusted difference, 8.31 days, 95% CI 7.16–9.52 days) and excess hospitalization costs (unadjusted difference, $2186.40, 95% CI: $1836.87-$2559.16; adjusted difference, $2822.67, 95% CI: $2351.25-$3334.88). Logistic regression analysis showed AEs were associated with lower odds of discharge to home (unadjusted odds ratio [OR] 0.66, 95% CI 0.54–0.82; adjusted OR 0.75, 95% CI 0.61–0.93). The subgroup analyses showed that the results for each subgroup were largely consistent. LOS and hospitalization costs increased significantly after AEs in complex diseases (RW ≥ 2) and in relation to high degrees of harm subgroups (moderate harm and above groups). Similar results were obtained in sensitivity analyses. The burden of AEs, especially those related to complex diseases and severe harm, is significant in China. The DRG database serves as a valuable source of information that can be utilized for the evaluation and management of AEs.

Drug utilization reviews to reduce inappropriate drug use and pharmaceutical costs in inpatients based on diagnosis-related group data.

Irrational pharmacotherapy and increasing pharmacy costs remain major concerns in healthcare systems. Pharmacists are expected to employ diagnosis-related group (DRG) data to analyse inpatient pharmacy utilization. This project aimed to pilot an efficient pharmacist-led programme to analyse factors related to pharmacy expenses, evaluate the rational use of drugs in batch processing, and make further interventions based on DRG data. Patients from the OB25 (caesarean section without comorbidities or complications) DRG were selected in 2018, and the most relevant factors were identified through statistical analysis. Interventions were implemented by sending monthly reports on prescribing data and drug review results for the same DRGs to the department starting in 2019. Pre-post comparisons were conducted to demonstrate changes in pharmacy costs and appropriateness at a tertiary teaching hospital with 2,300 beds in China. A total of 1,110 patients were identified from the OB25 DRG data in 2018. Multivariate linear analysis indicated that the number of items prescribed and wards substantially influenced pharmacy expenditure. Drugs labelled as vital, essential, and non-essential revealed that 46.6% of total pharmacy costs were spent on non-essential drugs, whereas 38.7% were spent on vital drugs. The use of inappropriate pharmaceuticals and drug items was substantially reduced, and the average pharmacy cost after intervention was 336.7 RMB in 2020. The benefit-cost ratio of the programme was 9.86. Interventions based on DRG data are highly efficient and feasible for reducing inpatient pharmacy costs and non-essential drug use.

New Pterosaur Tracks from the Hwasun Seoyuri Tracksite (Turonian) of South Korea: Implications for their Ecological Niche and Habitat

Pterosaurs are powered flight vertebrates that first emerged in the Late Triassic and persisted until the end of the Cretaceous. Recent studies on the ecological niches and habitats of pterosaurs, based on discoveries of Cretaceous bone beds in China, Brazil, Morocco, and other locations, suggest a decline in pterosaur diversity during the mid-Cretaceous. Various hypotheses have been proposed to interpret this phenomenon. This study focuses on newly discovered pterosaur tracks at the Upper Cretaceous (Truonian) Hwasun Seoyuri tracksite in Korea. The analysis is based on pterosaur tracks from in situ and ex situ specimens that originate from a variety of stratigraphic levels. The evidence found suggests that the Hwasun Seoyuri tracksite was occupied by small pterosaurs over an extended period, with indications of recurrent activity across at least six levels. Furthermore, the footprint sizes observed across these multiple layers follow a non-skewed normal distribution. Considering the known logarithmic growth characteristics of pterosaurs, this result suggests a predominantly immature population at this site. The prevalence of mid-Cretaceous non-marine pterosaur tracksites on the Korean Peninsula may reflect broader ecological shifts for pterosaurs during this period. This evidence is considered alongside the habitat shifts suggested by other non-marine pterosaur fossil sites in China and Brazil, as well as with indications of the decline in Late Cretaceous non-marine basins.

Demand assessment of the number of inpatient beds in China based on the COVID-19 dynamical model

COVID-19 is a worldwide pandemic that poses a great threat to people’s health and has a huge impact on economic and social life. The epidemic is currently at a low level, but is still prevalent worldwide. Therefore, it is still important to study the prevention and control of the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic. We collected the numbers of COVID-19 infections in China during the past three years, and obtained the regional distribution of outbreaks through analysis. To assess the capacity of medical resources in these regions in response to the outbreaks of COVID-19, we developed a model of COVID-19 transmission dynamics including mild and severe cases. The simulation showed that 11 regions, Beijing, Shanghai, Heilongjiang, Yunnan, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Liaoning, Jilin, Hainan, Guangdong and Fujian, all have a serious shortage of medical beds in reserve. When facing the next new outbreak, these areas will have insufficient medical resources. We simulated the effects of drug effectiveness and the proportion of asymptomatic infected individuals on the spread of the epidemic, and obtained that an accurate determination of the proportion of asymptomatic patients in the population is crucial to the impact on healthcare resources, while improving the effectiveness of drugs can significantly reduce the burden on healthcare resources. Regions should invest more in healthcare and increase more medical resources, including medical beds. Government should accelerate the development of effective COVID-19 drugs to effectively control the scale of the outbreak. The proportion of asymptomatic patients in the population has a significant impact on the allocation of healthcare resources. The monitoring of antibody levels in the population should be strengthened to better control the spread of the epidemic.

Long-time monitoring of seagrass beds on the east coast of Hainan Island based on remote sensing images

Seagrass beds have extremely high ecological service value, so their protection and management are very important. The coastal area that stretches from Wenchang to Qionghai in the eastern part of Hainan Island is the largest seagrass bed distribution area in China’s South China Sea Bioregion. Understanding the local distribution and changes in seagrass beds is a prerequisite for implementing the protection and management of seagrass bed resources in this area. In this study, Landsat satellite remote sensing images of the study area from 1986 to 2021 were selected; seagrass bed survey data and field investigation data were combined; the Sum Green Index was used to extract and plot seagrass bed distribution information; the spatial distribution changes in seagrass beds in the region over the past thirty years were analyzed; and the driving factors of these changes are discussed. The following conclusions were drawn: (i) The water quality in the study area is clear, the marine sediment is mainly composed of coral debris and sand, and the seagrass plants are relatively tall. The Sum Green Index can effectively extract seagrass bed information and achieve good mapping accuracy. (ii) Between 1986 and 2021, there were significant changes in seagrass bed distribution in the study area, showing a trend of slow growth followed by rapid decline. Overall, over the past thirty years, the total area of seagrass beds in the study area has declined, coverage has decreased, and patches have become fragmented. (iii) The construction of marine and coastal engineering projects, as well as large-scale aquaculture, are important reasons for the decline of seagrass beds in the study area. Other types of mechanical physical damage, such as shipping and shells raking can also have serious impacts on seagrass beds. This study is the first to conduct distribution range mapping and long time series change monitoring based on satellite remote sensing images for the largest seagrass beds in China’s South China Sea Bioregion, with the aim of providing a reference for the monitoring and protection of seagrass beds in the South China Sea.

Multi-Model Strategies for Prevention of Infection Caused by Certain Multi-Drug Resistant Organisms in A Rehabilitation Unit: A Semi-Experimental Study.

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of multi-model strategies on healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) caused by multi-drug resistant organisms (MDROs) in rehabilitation units. Methods: A semi-experimental study was conducted in a rehabilitation unit with 181 beds from January 2021 to December 2022 in a teaching hospital with 4300 beds in China. In 2021, many basic prevention and control measures were conducted routinely. Based on the basic measures, strengthening multi-model strategies for the prevention and control of MDROs was pursued year-round since 1 January 2022. Results: A total of 6206 patients were enrolled during the study period. The incidence density of HAIs caused by MDROs decreased from 1.22 (95% CI, 0.96~1.54) cases/1000 patient-days in the pre-intervention period to 0.70 (95% CI, 0.50~0.95) cases/1000 patient-days (p = 0.004). Similarly, the incidence of HAIs in the intervention period was 50.85% lower than that in the pre-intervention period (2.02 (95% CI, 1.50~2.72) vs. 4.11 (95% CI, 3.45-4.85) cases/100 patients, p < 0.001). The rate of MDROs isolated from the environment decreased by 30.00%, although the difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.259). Conclusion: Multi-model strategies can reduce the incidence of HAIs and HAIs caused by certain MDROs in the rehabilitation unit.

Equity assessment of the distribution of mental health beds in China: based on longitudinal data from 2011 to 2020

BackgroundMental health problems have become a public health problem that needs to be solved in China. However, medical resources for mental healthcare remain insufficient and unevenly distributed. The Chinese central government has taken many measures to address this issue over the last decade. This study aimed to evaluate the changes in equity in mental health bed allocation from 2011 to 2020.MethodsThe data of this study came from the China Health Statistical Yearbook (2012–2021) and the China National Administrative Division Information Platform. The annual growth rate was used to evaluate the time trends of mental health beds. The Lorenz curve, Gini coefficient and Theil index were used to assess equity in the demographic and geographical dimensions. The distribution of mental health beds was visualized on a map using geographic information system (GIS) software.ResultsThe total number of mental health beds in China increased steadily from 2011 to 2020. At the national level, the Gini coefficient and Theil index all exhibited downward trends over time. The mental health bed allocation in terms of the demographic dimension was relatively equitable, with Gini values all less than 0.3; however, the Gini coefficients by geographical area were all more than 0.6, indicating inequity. Intraregional contribution rates were higher than interregional contribution rates, which were all above 60%.ConclusionThe overall distribution equity of mental health beds improved from 2011 to 2020. The equity of mental health beds in terms of population size is superior to that in terms of geographical area. Intraregional differences are the main source of inequity. In particular, differences within the western region need to be given attention. Thus, the findings from this study emphasize that the demographic and geographical distributions and all influencing factors should be considered when the government makes mental health resource allocation policies.

A matrix management of prevention and control for carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae in an urban compact medical union

PurposeTo understand the epidemiological characteristics of nosocomial infection of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) in an urban medical union includes 10 medical hospitals with different number of beds in China. MethodsEpidemiological data on age, department, and infection of CRE cases detected from January 2014 to December 2021 were collected via a real-time hospital-infection monitoring system or manually for subsequent characterization. A multi-departmental and multi-disciplinary matrix (MMM) management of CRE was established and implemented within a medical union. ResultsA total of 1327 cases of CRE infection were detected during the 8 years, of which 352 were due to nosocomial infection, with an infection morbidity of 0.046% and a resistance rate of 10.79%. The morbidity of CRE infection showed a trend of year-to-year fluctuation. The morbidity of CRE infection was significantly higher in winter and spring than that in summer and autumn, significantly higher in men than in women (χ2 ​= ​55.891, p ​< ​0.001), and 3 times higher in elderly patients ≥65 years old than in patients <65 years old (χ2 ​= ​117.517, p ​< ​0.001). The morbidity of CRE infection after intervention with MMM management decreased significantly from 0.071% to 0.042% (χ2 ​= ​15.628, p ​< ​0.001). ConclusionsCRE prevention and control practice should be adapted to seasonal variations, gender and age differences. The effective prevention and control of CRE nosocomial infections can be achieved by implementing MMM management within a medical association.

Study on Influencing Factors and Countermeasures of Elderly Nursing Services in the Elderly.

Methods 500 inpatients with chronic diseases in a famous tertiary hospital in a city were studied, and the corresponding countermeasures were put forward through the analysis of their needs and influencing factors. Results. The study found that the vast majority of elderly patients have higher requirements for elderly care services, which is related to factors such as family income. Compared with the huge medical demand, there is a large gap in the level of domestic medical and health talents. According to relevant research, the current number of beds in China is 1 : 0.27, but in fact it is 1 : 0.4. Therefore, relevant units should strengthen the health examination of the elderly, provide high-quality medical services, make full use of health resources, and strengthen nursing management, so as to improve the quality of nursing services. Conclusion The survey results show that the vast majority of elderly patients have high requirements for their elderly care services, which is related to family income and other related factors. Therefore, relevant departments should formulate corresponding measures to improve the quality of life of the elderly.

A study on the efficiency of pediatric healthcare services and its influencing factors in China ——estimation of a three-stage DEA model based on provincial-level data

The rapid development of socio-economic has challenged pediatric health services in the new era. Assessing the efficiency of pediatric health services in China and utilizing them will facilitate the continued and stable development of pediatric health services in the face of these challenges. Based on a Three-stage DEA model of generalized modified panel, this paper uses panel data from 31 provinces and cities in China from 2008 to 2019 to estimate efficiency of pediatric health services and analyze the influential factors influencing the efficiency of pediatric services. The research establishes a multi-dimensional evaluation model of input-output-environment-impact. Fully consider the transformation of input elements such as pediatric beds, technical experts, pediatric finance, and pediatric policies in technical, professional, and economic environments. And with the help of long-term and short-term service effects of pediatrics, pediatric income, pediatric infrastructure, social satisfaction and other factors to output. Objectively summarize the real service effect of pediatrics. The model corrects for the interference of technical and non-administrative factors and obtains the most realistic pediatric performance based on changing social dynamics. The study found: (1) while the efficiency of pediatric healthcare services in China's provincial areas has been increasing year by year, there are specific geographical differences, and further improvements and rational allocation of healthcare resources are needed. Among them, the southern developed regions are 16.25% higher than the average efficiency of the northern regions. The annual floating span is 9.54%. Geography is a key factor that dominates the efficiency gap.(2) There is significant redundancy and disparity in the resources invested in pediatric services, and optimization of the economic, technological, and professional environment will continue to eliminate the impact of redundancy and drive the growth of pediatric service efficiency.The redundant scale of various input elements accounted for 31.81%. It shows that nearly 30% of the input resources have not been fully utilized. Among them, the redundancy of beds is relatively small in China, only 21.77%. It shows that the construction of pediatric beds in China is relatively effective, but the pediatric redundancy in developed areas is only 3.24%, and the adjustment of input resources across regions is the key to the optimization of pediatric services. (3) Increase in the health care price index will have a negative effect on the efficiency of pediatric services. In contrast, an increase in urbanization levels, education levels, and birth rates will drive the optimization of pediatric service efficiency.

Divergent distributions of physicians and healthcare beds in China: Changing patterns, driving forces, and policy implications

The distributions of different healthcare resources are typically examined individually and separately, thus overlooking the fundamental fact that healthcare delivery hinges on the cofunction of different resources. Divergent distributions of physicians and healthcare beds are found to significantly affect healthcare quality and efficiency, while theoretical understanding and related empirical investigations are still lacking. This study disserts the divergent distributions as embedded in medicine (i.e., physician-to-bed ratio varies for the treatment of different diseases) and shaped largely by the healthcare delivery system that determines where different diseases to be treated. Gini coefficients and bivariate Moran's Index provide strong evidence for the increasing divergence in their distributions across prefecture-level cities in China between 2000 and 2018. Spatial regression models reveal a high physician-to-bed ratio in cities of a higher level, with high finance capacity, few primary care facilities, and advanced medical technologies. Meanwhile, less developed areas are multidimensionally disadvantaged in attracting physicians, as political, economic, and medical technological forces acted jointly to determine healthcare resource distribution. This study presents a novel approach to healthcare resource distribution by focusing on the colocation of different resources, and suggests that more comprehensive policymaking is required to coordinate and optimize healthcare resource allocation across the country.

"Patient Comfort Can Be Sacrificed for Patient Safety"-Perception and Practice Reported by Critical Care Nurses Toward Physical Restraints: A Qualitative Descriptive Study.

Aim: The aim of the study was to explore the perception and practice of physical restraints used by critical care nurses.Design: A qualitative descriptive design was used.Method: From December 2019 to May 2020, a one-to-one, semi-structured in-depth interview with 10 critical care nurses from two intensive care units in a tertiary general hospital with 3,200 beds in China was conducted using the method of purposeful sampling. The data were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis.Findings: The perception of physical restraints among critical care nurses was that patient comfort can be sacrificed for patient safety. Physical restraints protected patient safety by preventing patients from unplanned extubation but influenced patient comfort. Physical restraints were common practice of critical care nurses. Relative physical restraints provided patients with more freedom of movement and rationalization of physical restraints which were the practical strategies.Conclusion: The study identified problems in critical care nurses' perception and practice on physical restraints. Critical care nurses are confident that physical restraints can protect patient safety, and the influence of physical restraints on patient comfort is just like the side effect. Although physical restraints were common practice, critical care nurses still faced dilemmas in the implementation of physical restraints. Relative physical restraints and rationalization of physical restraints help critical care nurses cope with the “bad feelings,” which may also be the cause of unplanned extubation. It is necessary for the adaptation of clinical practice guidelines about physical restraints for critically ill patients in the Chinese context, to change the perception and practice of critical care nurses and deliver safe and high-quality patient care.

Analysis and prediction of China’s future pension industry based on fitting algorithm and BP neural network

In this paper, we analyze and forecast China’s future pension industry. We first use the fitting algorithm to predict the number of elderly population in the future. Then BP neural network is used to predict the willingness of the elderly at all levels to stay in pension institutions, and then the market demand scale of the number of elderly service beds in China in the future is obtained. Finally, we get that in 2023, the demand for elderly care beds in China is expected to reach 16.7 million, and urban beds will dominate, accounting for 86.83% of all beds.

Gaining from rational health planning: Spatial reallocation of top-tier general hospital beds in China

The inequity in spatial access to health care among regions remains one of the most persistent challenges faced by countries around the world. This study addressed the problem of maldistribution of top-tier healthcare resources in China via the adoption of rational health planning. We proposed an optimization model to maximize the equity in spatial access by reallocating beds among currently existing top-tier general hospitals in China. The two-step floating catchment area method was employed to measure the spatial accessibility, and quadratic programming with the objective of minimizing the demand-factor-weighted variance of spatial accessibility was used to obtain the optimal quantity of beds in each hospital. The results demonstrated that the reallocation of beds had substantially improved both equity and efficiency of spatial access. The optimized spatial reallocation of beds promoted equity in spatial access with a 52% reduction of the weighted standard deviation, from 1.03 to 0.49, as well as achieving enhanced efficiency represented by a 153% increase in the weighted median spatial access, from 0.15 to 0.38. Our findings are expected to provide implications on spatial allocation of China’s healthcare resources, and the optimization method could be adopted in future evidence-based health planning procedures in order to improve the equitableness of healthcare delivery systems.

Distribution and Flora of Seaweed Beds in the Coastal Waters of China

Seaweed plays an important role in energy production in marine, coastal, and island ecosystems. The protection of seaweed beds is a key point for coastal ecosystem health, but the community characteristics, dominant species, and distribution of seaweed beds in the coastal waters of China are still unknown. Dividing seaweed beds based on their ecological function is also required for coastal ecosystem conservation, marine development, and utilization. We conducted ecological surveys on various types of ecosystems at approximately 50 sites dedicated to the conservation of seaweed bed biodiversity in China from 2018 to 2019. These seaweed beds were classified into different flora by water temperature and the attributes of the dominant species. The study showed that Sargassum dominated the coast of China. The coverage of the genus Undaria and the genus Laminaria in the coastal waters of Liaoning and Shandong was high and gradually decreased from Zhejiang to the south. The mean biomass of the seaweed beds along the coast of China was 7.29 kg/m2, and the mean coverage was 41.25%. The height and fresh weight of the dominant species gradually decreased with the decreasing latitude. The seaweed beds were distributed from the shallow water zone to the profundal zone along the coast from north to south, and the bathymetry of seaweed beds in Hainan was below 6 m. Based on the water temperature, the attributes of the seaweed beds, the temperature attributes of the dominant species, and the seaweed’s distribution, the seaweed beds in China can be specifically divided into temperate warm water types, subtropical warm water types, and tropical warm water types. This study is relevant to the development of regulations and directives to ensure biodiversity conservation and environmental sustainability.

Long-Term Changes in the Unique and Largest Seagrass Meadows in the Bohai Sea (China) Using Satellite (1974–2019) and Sonar Data: Implication for Conservation and Restoration

Seagrass meadows play critical roles in supporting a high level of biodiversity but are continuously threatened by human activities, such as sea reclamation. In this study, we reported on a large seagrass (Zostera marina L.) meadow in Caofeidian shoal harbor in the Bohai Sea of northern China. We evaluated the environmental impact of sea reclamation activities using Landsat imagery (1974–2019) by mapping seagrass meadow distribution changes. ISODATA was adopted for the unsupervised classification and mapping of seagrass beds. The error matrix developed using the in situ data obtained from acoustic surveys for Landsat 8OLI image classification was 87.20% accurate. The maps showed rapidly increasing changes in seagrass meadows as the amount of reclaimed land increased. Some seagrass meadows experienced large-scale changes, and sea reclamation has been suggested as the main factor responsible for habitat loss, which results from physical damage, excessive sedimentation, and increased turbidity caused by reclamation. In addition, habitat degradation may have resulted from three storm surges induced by typhoons in 1992–1998. Fortunately, land reclamation, forming an artificial “longshore bar”, buffers seagrass meadows from wave actions, providing relatively sheltered conditions, which has allowed a large habitat increase since 2012. These were the largest eelgrass meadows (3,217.32 ha), with a peripheral area of ~100 km2, in the Bohai Sea of northern China in 2019. However, the existing largest eelgrass beds in China are threatened by trawling, clam harvesting (especially clam sucking), channel dredging, and culture pond construction. Our work will help coastal managers monitor the environmental impacts of reclamation activities on seagrass meadows on a large spatio-temporal scale and will also provide information for seagrass restoration using artificial “longshore bars”.

Improving Hospital Based Medical Procurement Decisions with Health Technology Assessment and Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis.

This research proposes a new medical procurement decision-making tool named Evaluation of Medical Technology Procurement (EMTP), which combines Mini-health Technology Assessment (Mini HTA) with the analytic hierarchy process (AHP), as well as the intuitionistic linguistic multi-criteria group decision model for multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA). This tool was applied to a medical device procurement decision in a large provincial general hospital with more than 5000 beds in China as a case study. Specifically, the AHP evaluation framework is first established to determine the evaluation dimensions and criteria. This goal is achieved by applying the AdHopHTA Mini-HTA template and gathering data from questionnaires completed by experts from 33 major public hospitals in Anhui Province, China. The professionals within the application hospital were invited to evaluate the alternative products in a pairwise comparison and obtain a ranking of their advantages and disadvantages. This goal is achieved using the intuitionistic linguistic fuzzy model to deal with the subjectivity and uncertainty that may be present in the professional evaluation by experts in different fields. At the same time, the Keeney-Raiffa MCDA (KRM) method was used to demonstrate the accuracy of the application results. The results show that our tool can achieve the same effect as the verification method while being more efficient, easier to use, and requiring fewer participants. The advantages and disadvantages of several evaluation methods combined with multi-criteria methods are discussed, including verification methods, pointing out the advantages and limitations of this research tool as well as the prospects for the future.

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Reassessment of the cicada fossil &lt;em&gt;Oncotympana lapidescens &lt;/em&gt;Zhang, 1989 with the description of a new genus (Hemiptera, Cicadoidea, Cicadidae)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Zhang (1989) described the cicada species Oncotympana lapidescens from a fossilized head, thorax, hind legs and well preserved right forewing from the Shanwang fossil beds in China. Moulds (2018) accepted Zhang’s association of this species with O. melanoptera Distant, 1904 (now Hyalessa melanoptera (Distant, 1904)) and in so doing transferred O. lapidescens to the genus Hyalessa China, 1925.