Giant palaeo-landslide dammed the Yangtze river

Field evidence is presented to demonstrate that a very large landslide blocked the Jinsha River (the main stem of the Yangtze) near the present day town of Qiaojia, Yunnan Province. The discovery is significant because no persistent river-blocking landslide has been reported so far downstream in a major catchment. At the location of the landslide dam the upstream catchment area is 445 × 103 km^2. Sediments deposited behind the dam indicate that the minimum crest height was approximately 200 m with a lake volume of 11.4 +/− 1.3 km^3. The landslide occurred on the western (Sichuan) side of the river and displaced an estimated volume of at least 3.75 km^3, with material riding up to 550 m above the river on the eastern (Yunnan) side of the valley. The location is at the intersection of the Xiaojiang and Zemuhe fault zones which form part of the eastern boundary fault of the Sichuan-Yunnan Fault Block, an area where many earthquakes exceeding magnitude 7.0 have been documented in the historical record

A qualitative study of family caregivers’ coping strategies of looking after people with dementia in China

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Globally, two thirds of people with dementia are cared for by their families or friends. Family caregivers’ coping strategies of managing the caregiving burden of dementia have been studied widely in western literature. However, few attempts have been made to explore the experience of family caregivers’ coping strategies in China. The aim of this study was to explore the family caregivers’ coping strategies when caring for people with dementia in one city in the province of Shandong, China. METHODS: Fourteen family caregivers were individually interviewed, and interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to identify themes within different family members. RESULTS: Four key themes were found: (a) being filial; (b) changing self and self-care; (c) seeking help; and (d) having hope and continuing life. CONCLUSION: The study illustrates the different strategies developed by family members in order to cope with their new roles when caring for a relative who has dementia. It shows that cultural belief of filial piety plays a large role across these various coping strategies. It highlights how responsibility has been maintained and influenced by the specific sociocultural context. The results provide a useful foundation for developing interventions that support family caregivers cope with the burden of caring in this population

Loss of p53 Attenuates the Contribution of IL-6 Deletion on Suppressed Tumor Progression and Extended Survival in Kras-Driven Murine Lung Cancer

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is involved in lung cancer tumorigenesis, tumor progression, metastasis, and drug resistance. Previous studies show that blockade of IL-6 signaling can inhibit tumor growth and increase drug sensitivity in mouse models. Clinical trials in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) reveal that IL-6 targeted therapy relieves NSCLC-related anemia and cachexia, although other clinical effects require further study. We crossed IL-6-/- mice with KrasG12D mutant mice, which develop lung tumors after activation of mutant KrasG12D, to investigate whether IL-6 inhibition contributes to tumor progression and survival time in vivo. KrasG12D; IL-6-/- mice exhibited increased tumorigenesis, but slower tumor growth and longer survival, than KrasG12D mice. Further, in order to investigate whether IL-6 deletion contributes to suppression of lung cancer metastasis, we generated KrasG12D; p53flox/flox; IL-6-/- mice, which developed lung cancer with a trend for reduced metastases and longer survival than KrasG12D; p53flox/flox mice. Tumors from KrasG12D; IL-6-/- mice showed increased expression of TNFα and decreased expression of CCL-19, CCL-20 and phosphorylated STAT3 (pSTAT3) than KrasG12D mice; however, these changes were not present between tumors from KrasG12D; p53flox/flox; IL-6-/- and KrasG12D; p53flox/flox mice. Upregulation of pSTAT3 and phosphorylated AKT (pAKT) were observed in KrasG12D tumors with p53 deletion. Taken together, these results indicate that IL-6 deletion accelerates tumorigenesis but delays tumor progression and prolongs survival time in a Kras-driven mouse model of lung cancer. However, these effects can be attenuated by p53 deletion

What is the meaning of filial piety for people with dementia and their family caregivers in China under the current social transitions? An interpretative phenomenological analysis

The filial piety model of family centred care has dominated Chinese society for thousands of years. The ways in which filial piety is presented are being modified and modernised as China undergoes social transitions. The study aims to understand the meaning of filial piety for people with dementia and family caregivers. Semi-structured interviews with people with dementia ( n = 10) and family caregivers ( n = 14) were conducted. Data were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Three themes emerged: (a) ‘Being filial is a cultural continuity and my future investment’. (b) ‘The changed perception and ways of being filial’. (c) ‘Filial responsibility is a social and cultural convention, but not my personal choice’. This study highlights the importance of cultural values in family care decision making and in shaping filial responsibilities. It indicates that filial obligation can be maintained through social support, even though the nature of filial piety has been changed by social transitions. </jats:p

Tensions in dementia care in China: An interpretative phenomenological study from Shandong province

Aims: The study aims to analyse the tensions and the challenges of dementia care that are experienced by people with dementia and their family caregivers in China. Background: China has the largest dementia population in the world; however, dementia care services and related support services are still developing. Caring for a person with dementia is very challenging, as evidenced by many studies. As the majority of people with dementia are looked after by their family in their homes in China, it is very important to understand what people with dementia and their family caregivers are experiencing in the context of dementia care services that are in the process of developing. Design: Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was used. Method: Semi‐structured individual interviews with 24 participants (10 people with dementia and 14 unrelated family caregivers) recruited from a mental health centre in Shandong Province. Findings: Three main themes emerged that highlighted unmet need: (a) Lack of support services, (b) Insufficient institutional care and (c) Social attitude and social stigma towards dementia. Conclusions: These themes reveal the challenges that the participants face in the context of dementia care services that are in the process of development in China; and how their lived experiences have been affected by the constraints of social support, public services, healthcare access, long‐term care services and social stigma. Implications for practice: This study highlights the tensions that are identified by people with dementia and family caregivers. The research recommends that more support services would be beneficial for this group and would also enhance family support dementia care in China. Looking after an older family member is a culturally, socially and legally embodied norm in Chinese society, so it is important to address education for dementia awareness and the sustainability of family support care services in China by providing dementia services and resources to support both people with dementia and family caregivers

Loiss: A Byte-Oriented Stream Cipher

This paper presents a byte-oriented stream cipher -- Loiss, which takes a 128-bit initial key and a 128-bit initial vector as inputs, and outputs a key stream of bytes. The algorithm is based on a linear feedback shift register, and uses a structure called BOMM in the filter generator, which has good property on resisting against algebraic attacks, linear distinguishing attacks and fast correlation attacks. In order for BOMM to be balanced, the S-boxes in BOMM must be orthomorphic permutations. To further improve the capability in resisting against those attacks, the S-boxes in BOMM must also possess some good cryptographic properties, for example, high algebraic immunity, high nonlinearity, and so on. However current researches on orthomorphic permutations pay little attention on their cryptographic properties, and we believe that Loiss not only enriches applications of orthomorphic permutations in cryptography, but also motivates the research on a variety of cryptographic properties of orthomorphic permutations

Microwave electrometry with Rydberg atoms in a vapor cell using microwave amplitude modulation

We have theoretically and experimentally studied the dispersive signal of the Rydberg atomic electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) - Autler-Townes (AT) splitting spectra obtained using amplitude modulation of the microwave (MW) field. In addition to the two zero-crossing points, the dispersion signal has two positive maxima with an interval defined as the shoulder interval of the dispersion signal $\Delta f_{\text{sho}}$. The relationship of MW field strength $E_{\text{MW}}$ and $\Delta f_{\text{sho}}$ are studied at the MW frequencies of 31.6 GHz, 22.1 GHz, and 9.2 GHz respectively. The results show that $\Delta f_{\text{sho}}$ can be used to character the much weaker $E_{\text{MW}}$ than the interval of two zero-crossing points $\Delta f_{\text{zeros}}$ and the traditional EIT-AT splitting interval $\Delta f_{\text{m}}$, the minimum $E_{\text{MW}}$ measured by $\Delta f_{\text{sho}}$ is about 30 times smaller than that by $\Delta f_{\text{m}}$. As an example, the minimum $E_{\text{MW}}$ at 9.2 GHz that can be characterized by $\Delta f_{\text{sho}}$ is 0.056 mV/cm, which is the minimum value characterized by frequency interval using vapour cell without adding any auxiliary fields. The proposed method can improve the weak limit and sensitivity of $E_{\text{MW}}$ measured by spectral frequency interval, which is important in the direct measurement of weak $E_{\text{MW}}$

Recent Changes of Suspended Sediment Yields in the Upper Yangtze River and Its Headwater Tributaries

Abstract: Suspended sediment yields in the Upper Yangtze River and its four headwater tributaries (i.e., Jinsha, Min, Jialing and Wu) have declined significantly during the recent decades. Compared with 1956Compared with -1970, mean annual suspended sediment yield during 2001-2011wasreduced by 84% in the Upper Yangtze River at Yichang, by 34% in the Jinsha at Pingshan, by 84% in the Jialing at Beibei, by 75% in the Wu at Wulong, and by 48% in the Min at Gaochang. Linking the observed decadal changes of runoff discharge and suspended sediment load to dam construction and multiple environmental rehabilitation projects (e.g., soil-water conservation, reforestation) during the past decades, it can be concluded that the construction of large dams on the main stem and major tributaries of the Upper Yangtze River has played a principal role in the reduction of fluvial suspended sediment yields, while the environment rehabilitation projects may make limited contributions to the changes in suspended sediment yields except for the Jialing River

Celastrus orbiculatus Thunb. extracts and celastrol alleviate NAFLD by preserving mitochondrial function through activating the FGF21/AMPK/PGC-1α pathway

ObjectiveNon-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a prevalent chronic liver disease globally, characterized by the accumulation of lipids, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial dysfunction in the liver. Celastrus orbiculatus Thunb. (COT) and its active compound celastrol (CEL) have demonstrated antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Our prior research has shown the beneficial effects of COT in mitigating NAFLD induced by a high-fat diet (HFD) in guinea pigs by reducing hepatic lipid levels and inhibiting oxidative stress. This study further assessed the effects of COT on NAFLD and explored its underlying mitochondria-related mechanisms.MethodsCOT extract or CEL was administered as an intervention in C57BL/6J mice fed a HFD or in HepG2 cells treated with sodium oleate. Oral glucose tolerance test, biochemical parameters including liver enzymes, blood lipid, and pro-inflammatory factors, and steatosis were evaluated. Meanwhile, mitochondrial ultrastructure and indicators related to oxidative stress were tested. Furthermore, regulators of mitochondrial function were measured using RT-qPCR and Western blot.ResultsThe findings demonstrated significant reductions in hepatic steatosis, oxidative stress, and inflammation associated with NAFLD in both experimental models following treatment with COT extract or CEL. Additionally, improvements were observed in mitochondrial structure, ATP content, and ATPase activity. This improvement can be attributed to the significant upregulation of mRNA and protein expression levels of key regulators including FGF21, AMPK, PGC-1α, PPARγ, and SIRT3.ConclusionThese findings suggest that COT may enhance mitochondrial function by activating the FGF21/AMPK/PGC-1α signaling pathway to mitigate NAFLD, which indicated that COT has the potential to target mitochondria and serve as a novel therapeutic option for NAFLD

Prevalence and associated factors with oral frailty in middle-aged and older hospitalized patients: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundWith the development of the economy and society, people pay more and more attention to oral health. Oral frailty can limit nutritional intake and make an individual physically weak, which is detrimental to people’s health. Therefore, it is urgent to identify oral frailty and their associated risk factors. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the oral frailty and its influencing factors in Chinese middle-aged and older hospitalized patients.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted from May 2023 to February 2024 in 2 tertiary hospitals in Wuhu City, Anhui Province, China. The self-designed sociodemographic information, the Oral Frailty Index-8, the 2-item Connor–Davidson resilience scale (CD-RISC-2), the sarcopenia screening questionnaire, and the three-item short literacy survey were used in this study.ResultsA total of 914 middle-aged and older adults patients were recruited. The prevalence of oral frailty was 48.7% (445/914). In the univariate analysis, oral frailty was significantly associated with age, education, place of residence, monthly income, sarcopenia, resilience, and health literacy. Correlation analysis showed that oral frailty was significantly negatively correlated with sarcopenia, resilience, and health literacy. In the binary logistic regression analysis, oral frailty was significantly associated with sarcopenia, and health literacy. Health literacy was a protective factor of oral frailty.ConclusionThis study aimed to investigate the prevalence of oral frailty and identify the associated influencing factors among middle-aged and older adults patients in Anhui Province, China. This study identified several factors influencing oral frailty in middle-aged and older adults patients. Therefore, the government and relevant departments should implement targeted interventions to improve middle-aged and older adults patients’ oral frailty