Provinces In China Research Articles

High-Quality Damaged Building Instance Segmentation Based on Improved Mask Transfiner Using Post-Earthquake UAS Imagery: A Case Study of the Luding Ms 6.8 Earthquake in China

Unmanned aerial systems (UASs) are increasingly playing a crucial role in earthquake emergency response and disaster assessment due to their ease of operation, mobility, and low cost. However, post-earthquake scenes are complex, with many forms of damaged buildings. UAS imagery has a high spatial resolution, but the resolution is inconsistent between different flight missions. These factors make it challenging for existing methods to accurately identify individual damaged buildings in UAS images from different scenes, resulting in coarse segmentation masks that are insufficient for practical application needs. To address these issues, this paper proposed DB-Transfiner, a building damage instance segmentation method for post-earthquake UAS imagery based on the Mask Transfiner network. This method primarily employed deformable convolution in the backbone network to enhance adaptability to collapsed buildings of arbitrary shapes. Additionally, it used an enhanced bidirectional feature pyramid network (BiFPN) to integrate multi-scale features, improving the representation of targets of various sizes. Furthermore, a lightweight Transformer encoder has been used to process edge pixels, enhancing the efficiency of global feature extraction and the refinement of target edges. We conducted experiments on post-disaster UAS images collected from the 2022 Luding earthquake with a surface wave magnitude (Ms) of 6.8 in the Sichuan Province of China. The results demonstrated that the average precisions (AP) of DB-Transfiner, APbox and APseg, are 56.42% and 54.85%, respectively, outperforming all other comparative methods. Our model improved the original model by 5.00% and 4.07% in APbox and APseg, respectively. Importantly, the APseg of our model was significantly higher than the state-of-the-art instance segmentation model Mask R-CNN, with an increase of 9.07%. In addition, we conducted applicability testing, and the model achieved an average correctness rate of 84.28% for identifying images from different scenes of the same earthquake. We also applied the model to the Yangbi earthquake scene and found that the model maintained good performance, demonstrating a certain level of generalization capability. This method has high accuracy in identifying and assessing damaged buildings after earthquakes and can provide critical data support for disaster loss assessment.

The Influence of Regional Specialization in Agriculture on Farmers’ Pest Control Behaviors Based on a Dual Examination of Control Strategies and Control Costs

The pest control behaviors of agricultural producers are crucial not only for effectively managing pests and diseases but also for ensuring the sustainable development of agricultural production and the environment. Regional specialization in agriculture, as a typical method to optimize planting structure, influences farmers’ control behaviors through dual mechanisms. However, existing research has largely overlooked this issue. This paper systematically examines the influence and mechanisms of agricultural regional specialization on farmers’ pest control strategies and costs. Using village tracking research data and farmer data from the Jiangsu, Sichuan, and Jilin provinces of China over 15 years, the study employs fixed-effects models and the instrumental variable method to provide empirical evidence. The research results indicate that by reducing biological diversity, which exacerbates the occurrence and damage of pests and diseases, and increasing the homogeneity of cropping structures, the development of regional specialization in agriculture prompts farmers to shift their control strategy from “ex post treatment” to “ex ante prevention” and has increased the control costs. The policy implication is that farmers should be encouraged to practice moderate crop rotation in rapidly increasing regional specialization. Additionally, strengthening real-time monitoring of pest and disease dynamics is essential to guide farmers in early prevention and timely control.

Abstract 4118671: Extreme ambient temperatures increase the risk of congenital heart disease mortality: insights from the national mortality surveillance system of China

Background: Climate change is intricately linked to human health, and the cardiovascular system is particularly susceptible to suboptimal temperatures, causing premature mortality. Extensive research has confirmed a robust link between non-optimal temperatures and most cardiovascular diseases; however, limited focus has been given to investigating the association between non-optimal temperatures and mortality related to congenital heart disease (CHD), one of the most prevalent cardiovascular diseases among children. Research question: Do extreme temperatures increase the risk of CHD mortality? Aims: We aimed to investigate the association between CHD mortality and ambient temperatures. Methods: Based on the national mortality surveillance system of China, we applied a two stage, individual level, time-stratified case-crossover design to investigate the association between CHD mortality and ambient temperatures from 2013 to 2021, with different thresholds of events. After estimation within each province of China, we pooled all the estimations using meta-analytic method. Sensitivity analyses and subgroup analyses were used to explore the stability and vulnerable population. Results: From 2013 to 2021, a total of 32168 CHD deaths were recorded. Neonates and adults constituted the primary age groups among all CHD-related deaths, with a majority of patients being male (55.2%). Cold temperatures exhibited a significant association with the risk of CHD mortality, while no significant association was observed with heat temperatures (Figure 1). Cold extremes made a significant contribution to CHD mortality in most defined events, with the highest contribution observed in P5_5d (indicating temperatures below the 5th percentile lasting for 5 days; odd ratio [OR]: 1.15, 95% CI: 1.03 to 1.29) (Figure 2). In comparison to male patients, female patients appeared to be more vulnerable to cold extremes, with ORs ranging from 1.08 (95% CI: 1.01 to 1.16) for P10_1d to 1.20 (95% CI: 1.01 to 1.43) for P5_5d. Conclusion: Extreme cold temperatures significantly increase the risk of CHD mortality. This is the first study performed to explore the relationship between ambient temperatures and CHD mortality, and it may suggest policy-adjustment in healthcare of CHD population.

Can China’s national comprehensive medical reform increase medical resources and reduce healthcare burden: evidence from Chinese provinces

ObjectivesChina’s national comprehensive medical reform (NCMR) is an important attempt in the reform of healthcare system, and quantitative evaluation of its effect is of great significance for continuously deepening medical reform, grasping the reform direction, and building a healthy China. Therefore, focusing on medical resources and medical burden, this study aims to systematically explore the policy effectiveness and the provincial heterogeneity of NCMR, as well as the potential influencing factors.MethodsUtilizing the collected multi-period panel data of 31 provinces in mainland China in 2006–2021, we regarded the release of the two batches of pilot provinces in NCMR as a quasi-natural experiment and comprehensively adopted a Staggered difference-in-differences (DID) model and Synthetic Control Method (SCM), combined with word frequency statistics and grouping regression analysis.ResultsNCMR can effectively increase the number of licensed physicians by 12.6% and reduce the per capita medical expense for in-patients by 7.2% in the pilot provinces. Furthermore, the NCMR policy effect in different pilot provinces shows various characteristics, and only Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Chongqing achieve both the growth of medical resources and the reduction of medical expenditure. Meanwhile, word frequency statistics are conducted based on related policy descriptions and news reports on the official websites, so as to summarize the specific policy means in the three provinces, and provide a reference for other provinces to practice the healthcare reforms. Besides, extensibility analysis shows that the effect of NCMR is affected by the population aging and health status. Groups with low degree of population aging (low-AG)/high population health status (high-HE) performed a more obvious reform effect.ConclusionThis study provides beneficial policy implications for increasing medical resources, reducing medical burden, and promoting medical reform process.

Interactive effects of intangible cultural heritage and tourism development: a study based on the data panel PVAR model and coupled coordination model

AbstractExploring the coordination and analysis of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) and tourism development is a key issue in advancing cultural heritage and conservation in Chinese society. This paper employs panel data from 30 Chinese provinces from 2013 to 2022, utilizing the coupled coordination degree model and the panel vector autoregression (PVAR) model. In terms of provinces and regions, the data investigates the development relationship between intangible cultural heritage and tourism. The results of the study are: 1. The degree of coupling coordination between the two has shown an increasing trend over the ten-year sample data period. In 2021 and 2022, COVID-19 will have a stronger negative impact on the coupling degree. 2. The eastern coastal provinces of China, as well as the municipal areas, have a higher level of coupling coordination. Inland provinces, such as those in central and western China, exhibit relatively lower levels of coordination. The PVAR model data reveals a positive correlation between the interactions generated by intangible cultural heritage. The development of intangible cultural heritage has a particular impact on tourism. Intangible cultural heritage, in turn, depends on its own development. We should strengthen the development of intangible cultural heritage in the future. The study's findings provide theoretical references for the coordinated development of intangible cultural heritage and tourism in China.

Unintended consequences of maternity leave entitlements on female labor market outcomes in China

This study provides the first empirical evidence of the impact of maternity leave entitlements on labor market outcomes for women of childbearing age in urban China. We exploit a reform during which approximately two-thirds of the provinces in China extended their leave entitlements from 2014 to 2016 and employ a triple-difference strategy to deal with the identification. The results suggest unintended effects, as leave entitlement extensions led to a reduction in the likelihood of working, formal employment, and wage for women of childbearing age relative to their counterparts. We further establish that greater reliance on employer liability may be the main mechanism behind the unintended effects, highlighting the importance of payment schemes. This study provides novel evidence and mechanisms for the labor market effect of maternity leave in women of childbearing age and provides new insights for maternity leave related policy designs.

The impact of R&D factors flow and regional absorptive capacity on China’s economic growth: Theory and evidence

Innovation is the source of economic growth. Innovation in a region comes from its own knowledge creation and knowledge spillovers from other regions. Previous studies showed that R&D factors flow benefits knowledge spillover, thereby promoting economic growth. But these studies ignored the impact of a region’s knowledge-absorptive capacity on knowledge spillovers. Ignoring the impact of regional absorptive capacity means that the knowledge spillover from the same R&D factors flow is the same, clearly inconsistent with reality. This thesis analyzes the impact of R&D factors flow on economic growth and explores the moderating effect of regional absorptive capacity on the relationship between R&D factors flow and economic growth from theoretical and empirical perspectives. First, we construct a knowledge creation and diffusion model of the new economic geography, including regional absorptive capacity, and analyze the theoretical logic of the flow of R&D factors and regional absorptive capacity influencing economic growth. Second, we employ spatial econometric models to examine the impact of R&D factors flow and regional absorptive capacity on economic growth, utilizing panel data of 30 provinces in China from 2008 to 2021. The results demonstrated a spatial positive correlation between regional economic growth in China. The R&D factors flow could have significantly promoted not just a region’s direct economic growth, but also the economic growth of surrounding regions via spatial spillover effects. Furthermore, the stronger the regional absorptive capacity, the greater the direct effects and spatial spillover effects of the R&D factors flow on economic growth. The novelty of this article is to introduce regional absorptive capacity into the theoretical model, refine the methodology for assessing regional absorptive capacity in empirical research, and examine its moderating effect between the inflow of R&D factors and regional economic growth. This article reveals that the positive impact of the inflow of R&D factors on spatial spillovers and economic growth varies depending on regional absorptive capacity. According to the conclusions above, enhancing regional absorptive capacity is equally important as facilitating the flow of R&D factors. Therefore, it is vital for a region to strengthen its absorptive capacity for new knowledge while promoting R&D factors flow. The study provides valuable policy insights for accelerating the flow of innovation factors, enhancing regional absorptive capacity, and consequently promoting long-term sustainable economic development in the region.

Research on Vocational Regional to Development by Vocational Education

Zhejiang province of China has a large economic aggregate, optimized industrial structure, balanced regional development pattern, transformation and upgrading of industrial layout, along with excellent business environment and urban-rural integrated development. For decades, through the training of technical talents which directly meets the needs of regional economic development; deepens the cooperation between schools and enterprises, provides skilled personnel support for economic and social development, and promotes regional cooperation and foreign cooperation. Taking Zhejiang Province as an example, this paper discusses how vocational education promotes the regional economy, and analyzes the existing problems and future prospects.

Guidelines Management to Promotion of Wushu in Schools Within Jinzhong City

Research Objective: Wushu in schools promotes physical fitness, self-discipline, and focus while also preserving cultural heritage and instilling a sense of tradition. It promotes teamwork, builds confidence, and instills lifelong values such as perseverance and respect. Thus, this research aimed to study construct guideline management to promote wushu in schools within Jinzhong City Shanxi Province China. Research Method: This research is qualitative. The population of 1250 persons as a sample from Taro Yamane table opened confidence at 95% sample group was 286 students were student in the wushu club from 10 high schools in Jinzhong City, the step of collection data a questionnaire survey from students, 7 Expert interviews, 10 experts for Focus group and5 experts for Connoisseurship discuss and confirm guideline. The statistics analysis of data used content analysis and mean(x̄) and standard division (S.D.) Results: The results showed that the guideline management for promoting wushu in school was planning, organization, leading, and controlling. The planning has 9 items The organization has 9 items The leading 9 items and the controlling has 7 items. Conclusion: This study developed comprehensive guidelines for promoting Wushu in secondary schools in Jinzhong City, Shanxi Province, China, using strategic planning, organizing, leading, and controlling methods. Key findings highlight the importance of structured planning, effective team organization, leadership in athlete development, and systematic evaluation processes. The study emphasizes that successful Wushu promotion requires aligning curriculum adjustments with national goals, continuous teacher and coach development, and the integration of modern technologies for training and evaluation.

Catalogue of fungi in China 4: Didymiaceae and Physaraceae (Myxomycetes)

ABSTRACT Myxomycetes play crucial ecological roles, yet their species diversity, distribution, and taxonomic relationships remain poorly understood. In this study, we examined 104 specimens from 19 provinces in China. Through morphological analysis, we identified a group of species with reduced lime formation, a feature typically associated with the Physaraceae, but with key morphological similarities to the Diderma. A comprehensive phylogenetic analysis was conducted using three genes (nSSU, EF-1α, and COI), resulting in a dataset of 452 sequences from 116 species. Notably, we identified a distinct clade within Didymiaceae containing species with fewer lime knots, a trait traditionally linked to Physaraceae. This clade, designated as the new genus Neodiderma, was phylogenetically positioned as a sister group to Diderma, potentially representing a transitional group between Didymiaceae and Physaraceae, supported by both morphological and molecular evidence. Eleven new species — N. macrosporum, N. pseudobisporum, N. verrucocapillitium, N. rigidocapillitium, N. rufum, Physarum guangxiense, P. subviride, P. nigritum, P. biyangense, P. neoovoideum, and P. jilinense — were identified from China, and their phylogenetic positions were analysed. Additionally, N. spumarioides (formerly Diderma spumarioides) was recombined. The new and recombined species were formally described and illustrated, and a key to the sections and species of Neodiderma and Physarum was provided.

The mediating effect of work-life balance on the relationship between work-family conflict and psychological well-being among Chinese working women

The study aims to explore whether work-life balance mediates the impact of work-family conflict and its dimensions on psychological well-being. Using a survey method, data were collected from a sample of 258 working women in Hebei province in China. The analysis was carried out using IBM SPSS and the PROCESS macro in order to test the mediation model. The findings show that work-family conflict has an indirect effect on psychological well-being through work-life balance. In the case of work-to-family conflict, a suppression effect is detected in which the mediator shows an underlying relationship between the work-to-family conflict and psychological well-being. On the other hand, family-to-work conflict is fully moderated by work-life balance. Based on these results, it can be concluded that enhancing the quality of work-life balance may help to reduce the negative impact of work-family conflict on psychological health. The findings of this study can be beneficial to organizations and policy makers to formulate policies that would enhance the mental health and work productivity of women professionals in China.

Research on the impact and mechanism of digital economy on China’s food production capacity

Enhancing and strengthening food production capacity has always been a top priority in agricultural research, serving as a cornerstone for ensuring national food security and stable economic development. This study, based on panel data spanning from 2011 to 2021 across 30 provinces in China, delves into the mechanism through which the digital economy impacts food production capacity. Employing a double fixed effect model, a mediation effect model, and a panel threshold model, we uncover several key findings: The digital economy significantly boosts food production capacity, with robustness tests affirming the reliability of our results. Mechanism analysis reveals that the digital economy enhances food production capacity by elevating total factor productivity and bolstering agricultural resilience. The threshold effect underscores that urbanization levels exhibit a single-threshold impact, wherein the influence of the digital economy on food production capacity intensifies upon crossing this threshold. Heterogeneity analysis reveals that the digital economy significantly boosts food production capacity in central and primary grain-producing regions, while its impact is comparatively weaker in the eastern and western regions, as well as in non-primary grain-producing areas. In summary, this research sheds light on the pivotal role of the digital economy in augmenting food production capacity, offering valuable insights into regional variations and thresholds in its impact across China.

Effects of major air pollutants on cognitive function in middle-aged and elderly adults: Panel data evidence from China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study.

Although numerous studies have discussed about the impact of air pollution on cognitive function, a consensus has yet to be reached, necessitating further exploration of their relationship. The aim of this study is to reveal the effects of major air pollutants on cognitive function in Chinese middle-aged and older adults, while considering the lagged effects of pollution. Panel data were constructed by integrating the air pollutants concentration (particulate matter diameter ≤1 µm (μm) (PM1), PM2.5, PM10, nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and ozone (O3)) among 28 provinces in China and the personal characteristics from China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study participants during the period of 2011-2015. To explore the effects of single pollutants and their interactions on cognitive function, panel linear regression using ordinary least squares method was employed, and first-order lag effects (two-year interval) of air pollution were introduced into the models. Our study revealed that, after adjusting for confounding factors, higher levels of particulate matter (PM1, coefficient (Coef.) = -0.093, P = 0.001; PM2.5, Coef. = -0.051, P = 0.001; PM10, Coef. = -0.030, P = 0.001) and NO2 (Coef. = -0.094, P = 0.006) were associated with lower cognitive function scores among the participants. Moreover, the interaction between the five major pollutants exhibited a negative effect on cognitive function(Coef. = -2.89, P = 0.004). PM1, PM2.5, PM10 have detrimental effects on the cognitive function of middle-aged and elderly adults in China, where increasing particle diameter correlates with a less negative impacts, providing theoretical underpinnings for the formulation of environmental protection policies.

The impact of internet medical service on rural gender inequality in health opportunity: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundThe increasing popularity of Internet medical service may have alleviated the gender inequality in health opportunity faced by rural women. However, research to ascertain the association between Internet medical service and gender inequality in health opportunity is scarce. This study explored the impact of Internet medical service on gender inequality in health opportunity among rural women and the underlying mechanisms involved.MethodsA multistage stratified cross-sectional survey was conducted across six counties in three provinces in China, yielding 3,108 responses for a 97.13% response rate. The questionnaire was used to collect information on Internet healthcare use, health status, health behaviors, social activities and personal exercise, chronic disease status, and demographic and socio-economic characteristics of the participants. Based on Roemer's theory of equality of opportunity (EOP), we established a decomposition strategy for the fairness gap between genders, which we used for the measurement of the gender inequality in health opportunity Fixed effects models, propensity score matching (PSM), and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression were utilized to explore the impact of Internet medical service on rural gender inequality in health opportunity.ResultsOn average, rural women experienced a gender health fairness gap of 1.63. Internet medical service significantly mitigated this inequality (β = -0.0602, P = 0.0002), and this finding remained significant across propensity score matching (PSM) and LASSO regression analyses. Mechanistic analysis revealed that human capital positively moderates this effect (β = -0.0510, P < 0.01), while income (β = 0.0370, P < 0.001) and marital status (β = 0.2039, P < 0.001) have negative moderating effects.ConclusionsBy focusing on gender inequality in the digital era, this study highlights the mitigating role of Internet medical service on gender inequality in health opportunity in rural areas. This study proposes and validates the mechanisms through which Internet medical service alleviates gender inequality in health opportunity, suggesting that human capital amplifies this effect, while high personal income and marital status attenuate this effect. These findings contribute to understanding how the digital age can narrow gender health opportunity equality, providing support for future interventions aimed at promoting health equity and gender equality.

Human Activity Changed the Genetic Pattern of the Orchid Phaius flavus Population

Human activity often has profound effects on plant growth and evolution. Orchids are the most diverse group of flowering plants and are threatened by habitat fragmentation, over-harvesting, and urbanization. A population of Phaius flavus from Beikengding Mount (BM) in the Fujian Province of China was divided into two patches by road construction. This study evaluated its genetic characteristics using restriction site-associated DNA sequencing (RAD-seq) data, more than seven years post-road construction. The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of road construction on the evolution of isolated patches within a population. The analysis revealed that the genetic diversity of patch B was slightly higher than that of patch A in the BM population of P. flavus. Principal component and phylogenetic analyses, genetic structure and genetic differentiation analysis, and bottleneck detection indicated relatively independent genetic differentiation between the two patches. Thus, the construction of the Y013 village road may have influenced different patches of this population on a genetic level. This study provides a case for understanding the impact of specific human activities on plant populations, and then biodiversity conservation. It is conducive to formulating more effective biological protection strategies to mitigate the damage inflicted by human activities on biodiversity.

Pressure Injuries and the Waterlow Subscales in the Intensive Care Unit: A Multicentre Study

ABSTRACTBackgroundPressure injuries (PIs) impose a significant burden on patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) and the healthcare system. Assessing the risk of developing PIs is crucial for prevention. However, it is unclear whether all subscales of the Waterlow scale can be used to assess PIs risk in ICU.ObjectivesTo assess whether all subscales of the Waterlow scale can predict PIs risk in ICU.DesignMulticentre prospective study.MethodsA total of 18,503 patients from ICUs in 40 tertiary‐level hospitals in Gansu province of China were enrolled from April 2021 to August 2023. The incidence and characteristics of PIs were recorded. Univariate Cox regression analyses were performed for each subscale as a predictor of PIs development, followed by multivariate Cox regression with covariates for each subscale separately.ResultsOut of 17,720 patients included, the incidence of PIs was 1.1%. Multivariate analysis revealed skin type (HR: 1.468, 95% CI: 1.229, 1.758), sex (HR: 0.655, 95% CI: 0.472, 0.908), advanced age (HR: 1.263, 95% CI: 1.106, 1.442), continence (HR: 1.245, 95% CI: 1.052, 1.473), tissue malnutrition (HR: 1.070, 95% CI: 1.007, 1.136) and neurological deficit (HR: 1.153, 95% CI: 1.062, 1.251) were independently predictive of PIs development for all participants. Skin type (HR: 2.326, 95% CI: 1.153, 3.010) (HR: 2.217, 95% CI: 1.804, 2.573) independently predicted PIs occurrence for high‐risk and very high‐risk group, respectively, while sex (HR: 0.634, 95% CI: 0.431, 0.931) and age (HR: 1.269, 95% CI: 1.083, 1.487) predicted PIs development for very high‐risk group.ConclusionsThis study found that not all subscales of the Waterlow scale are associated with the PIs development in patients in ICU, highlighting the importance of the skin type subscale in predicting PI risk across all patient groups.Implications for Clinical PracticeNurses need to focus on patient's skin and related (moisture, pain and pressure) conditions and take measures to promote skin health and avoid the occurrence of PI.Patient or Public ContributionNone.

Coordinated planning for offshore wind and electricity–hydrogen system based on SDDP: A case study of coastal provinces in China

The coordinated development of offshore wind and electricity–hydrogen systems (OW-EHS) has the potential to enhance the utilization of renewable energy sources and achieve carbon neutrality. This article presents a case study of nine coastal provinces in China and designs four scenarios to analyze the economic benefits and potential hydrogen production capacity of OW-EHS. A multi-stage stochastic dual dynamic programming based approach is proposed for integrating OW-EHS, exploring offshore wind energy as both a primary electricity source for coastal regions and a clean, sustainable energy source for electrolyzers. It accounts for variations in hydrogen demand, wind uncertainty, load profiles, and electricity price dynamics, offering a holistic perspective on the feasibility and benefits of collaborative offshore wind and electricity–hydrogen systems. A comparative analysis highlights the effectiveness of the proposed planning approach, demonstrating its capacity to maximize the overall system benefits, encompassing both the optimal levelized cost of energy and hydrogen production. The new discoveries elucidate the unique attributes and advantages of each coastal province in OW-EHS. This research provides a tailored blueprint for coastal provinces in China to harness their offshore wind potential and accelerate progress towards carbon neutrality.

Governance of rural solid waste under a multi-subject governance model

Rural solid waste (RSW) exhibits distinct characteristics compared to municipal solid waste (MSW), such as dispersed distribution, long governance chains, and low recycling value, making it unsuitable to apply the same management measures as MSW. Government-led RSW management results in excessive administrative costs, and the inherent characteristics of RSW reduce market enthusiasm for its management. To address these issues, this paper integrates the “ multi-subject governance “ model with RSW management and establishes a systematic evaluation index system for RSW governance. Utilizing the Best-Worst Method (BWM), key factors were identified. Utilizing the VIKOR method, representative provinces in China were used as case studies to validate the scientific nature of the evaluation indices. The research findings indicate that the multi-subject governance model is an effective approach for RSW management. Key factors influencing RSW management effectiveness include various governmental measures, waste sorting, and a long-term multi-subject governance mechanism. Case analysis reveals a strong correlation between the level of economic development and the effectiveness of RSW management. However, constructing a government-led, multi-subject collaborative urban-rural interconnected RSW management model can effectively address RSW management issues in economically underdeveloped areas. This research provides innovative solutions for RSW management, contributing to high-quality and sustainable development in rural areas.

The genome landscape of the Xinglong buffalo

BackgroundXinglong buffalo, as an indigenous breed in Hainan province of China, possesses characteristics such as high humidity tolerance, disease resistance and high reproductive capacity. Combined with whole genome sequencing technology, comprehensive investigation can be undertaken to elucidate the genomic characteristics, functions and genetic variation of Xinglong buffalo population.ResultsXinglong buffalo has the highest genetic diversity, lowest runs of homozygosity average length, and fasted decay of linkage disequilibrium in our study population. Phylogenetic tree results revealed that Xinglong buffalo was gathered together with Fuzhong buffalo firstly. The population genetic structure analysis indicates that at K = 3, the Xinglong buffalo for the first time showed a distinct ancestral origin from other water buffalo. Furthermore, compared to different populations, candidate genes displaying significantly distinct patterns of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (e.g., RYR2, COX15, PCDH9, DTWD2, FCRL5) distribution have been identified in the Xinglong buffalo.ConclusionsBased on the whole genome sequencing data, this study identified a substantial number of SNPs and assessed the genetic diversity and selection signatures within the Xinglong buffalo population. These results contribute to understanding the genomic characteristics of Xinglong buffalo and their genetic evolutionary status. However, the practical significance of these signatures for genetic enhancement still requires confirmation through additional samples and further experimental validation.

First Report of Powdery Mildew Caused by Golovinomyces ambrosiae on Symphyotrichum subulatum in China.

Symphyotrichum subulatum (Michx.) G. L. Nesom (syn. Aster subulatus), an annual herb in the Asteraceae family, is native to North America. Nowadays, it has become an invasive weed in several provinces of China, including Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Sichuan (Li and Xie, 2002). Despite being invasive, this species holds significance in Chinese medicine, where it is used for the external treatment of eczema and swollen sore poison (Hu, 2020). In June 2023, symptoms of powdery mildew were observed in S. subulatum populations in Deyang and Nanchong, Sichuan Province, China. About 32.73% among 55 surveyed S. subulatum plants showed signs of infection. Symptoms initially appeared as small, scattered white powdery patches on the leaves, which enlarged and coalesced over time. Subsequently, hyphal growth forming extensive conidia covered up to 90% of the leaf area on both surfaces (Fig. S1A, B), and the infected leaves withered and fell off (Fig. S1A). A specimen was archived at China West Normal University (SsPM-ZL). Conidiophores were cylindrical and erect, 66.4 to 183.2 µm (avg. 108.2±40.8 μm) in length (n=30) (Fig. S1C). Conidia, produced singly, were ellipsoid-ovoid to nearly cylindrical, measuring 29.5 to 36.7 μm in length (avg. 32.9±2.6 μm) and 16.0 to 19.9 μm in width (avg. 17.4±1.3 μm), lacking distinct fibrosin bodies (n=30) (Fig. S1D). Under a scanning electron microscope, turgid conidia displayed reticulate wrinkles on the surface, with gentle contractions or bulges at both poles (Fig. S1E, F). Based on these characteristics, the powdery mildew fungus was consistent with the genus Golovinomyces (Bradshaw et al. 2022a). To confirm the identity of the causal fungus of specimen (SsPM-ZL), the calmodulin (CAM), RNA polymerase II subunit (RPB2), glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), glutamine synthetase (GS), and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) were amplified using PMCAMF/R, PMRPB2F/R, PMGAPDH1/3R, PMGSF/R, and PM5/ITS4 primers (Bradshaw et al. 2022b), and deposited in GenBank (CAM: OR761878; RPB2: OR761881; GAPDH: OR761879; GS: OR761880; ITS: OR758452). BLAST analysis showed 99 to 100% identity with the sequences of Golovinomyces ambrosiae (FH00941234) for CAM (ON101658, 99.65%), RPB2 (ON119165, 100%), GS (ON075690, 99.78%), and ITS (ON073876, 99.47%). Phylogenetic analysis was performed in MEGAX with maximum likelihood method (Kumar et al. 2016) and clustered SsPM-ZL into the G. ambrosiae clade with a 100% bootstrap support value based on the concatenated sequences of CAM, RPB2, GAPDH, GS and ITS (Fig. S2). Combining morphological and phylogenetic analyses, SsPM-ZL was identified as Golovinomyces ambrosiae. To evaluate pathogenicity, leaves of 3 healthy potted S. subulatum plants (3 leaves per plant) were inoculated by gently pressing them with diseased leaves, while 3 non-contact plants were used as control. Plants in two groups were incubated in separate greenhouses maintained at 27±1°C, with a photoperiod of 14 hours and a relative humidity of 80%. After 7 days, the inoculated plants exhibited symptoms of powdery mildew (Fig. S1H, J), while the control plants remained asymptomatic (Fig. S1G, I). Morphological characteristics of the artificially induced powdery mildew were consistent with those on naturally infected plants. Powdery mildew caused by G. ambrosiae has been reported affecting Helianthus tuberosus (Huang et al. 2017) and Bidens pilosa (Mukhtar et al. 2022) in China. To our knowledge, this is the first report of powdery mildew caused by G. ambrosiae on S. subulatum in China. Our finding will provide the fundamental knowledge for future powdery mildew diagnosis and the development of potential control strategies.