Search Results (1,210)

Fusarium ear rot (FER), caused by Fusarium verticillioides (F. verticillioides), is a major disease of maize that reduces grain yield and quality globally. However, few major loci for FER have been verified and cloned. Resistance to FER is a quantitative trait influenced by environmental conditions, and maize genotypes completely resistant to the pathogen remain unknown. To gain a comprehensive understanding of the genetic basis of natural variation in FER resistance, a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population consisting of 257 progenies was developed by crossing the resistant line BT with the susceptible line Xi502. This population was genotyped using a set of 6807 high-density single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers developed in this study. As a result, a total of five QTLs were identified by linkage mapping across three years, located on five chromosomes, and explaining 4.38–13.13% of the phenotypic variation. Among these was a major QTL, qFER5-2. Located on chromosome 5 within the interval 185568562–185574073, qFER5-2 explained 13.13% of the total phenotypic variance. The two candidate genes within qFER5-2 exhibited distinct expression profiles between the BT and Xi502 inbred lines, suggesting their potential association with FER resistance. Collectively, these findings provide candidate genetic resources for further investigation and offer potentially useful materials for maize disease resistance breeding. Full article

Against the background of rapid urbanization and rural population decline, the revitalization of idle rural homesteads in China faces institutional constraints arising from collective ownership, membership-based qualification rights, and restrictions on market-oriented transfer. Existing studies have mainly focused on homestead circulation and exit mechanisms, while the role of long-term leasing in stabilizing rural land use expectations remains insufficiently explored. This study examines whether long-term leasing represents institutional innovation or legal avoidance through a comparative analysis of the “Shared Village” project in Gaoling District, Xi’an, and the “Xiangyue Huating” project in Shanghai. The study indicates that the Gaoling model employs flexible contractual arrangements and village-level coordination to adapt fragmented rural resources to market demand, yet its renewal-dependent operation leads to persistent legal uncertainty. In contrast, the Shanghai model adopts a collective coordination pathway. Through platform-based development and collective participation, it enhances resource integration and investment capacity, while requiring robust institutional mechanisms to curb excessive capital involvement and guarantee equitable benefit distribution. The results show the following: (1) Long-term leasing primarily functions as a mechanism for stabilizing use-right expectations rather than transferring ownership rights. (2) Different governance pathways generate different forms of use-right stability. (3) Collective intermediary governance plays a critical role in coordinating rights, supervising land use, and balancing stakeholder interests. (4) Long-term leasing constitutes institutional innovation only when it maintains collective ownership, protects farmers’ rights, and operates within established institutional boundaries. Full article

Background/Objectives: The evidence base for anticoagulation moved substantially between 2023 and 2026: a reframed atrial fibrillation (AF) guideline, new randomized data on extended treatment of cancer-associated venous thromboembolism (VTE), the first adequately powered head-to-head comparison of two direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs), the first randomized evidence for andexanet alfa, and mixed results for the factor XI inhibitor class. Real-world uptake remains incomplete. To review the 2023–2026 evidence changing anticoagulation practice, identify where bedside practice lags behind it, and outline the institutional adjustments needed to translate it into routine care. Methods: Narrative review. PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library were searched from 2000 to January 2026, with hand-searching of society guidelines and regulatory documents; eligible sources were randomized trials, pre-specified subgroup analyses, prospective registries, systematic reviews, and society-endorsed guidelines. A targeted update in March 2026 captured practice-changing trials published after the primary search date, identifying COBRRA (published 11 March 2026). This is a narrative, non-systematic review reported in accordance with SANRA: no protocol was registered, topic selection is interpretive, and no formal risk-of-bias assessment or quantitative synthesis was undertaken. Recommendations are labeled by evidence basis. Results: Seven developments warrant attention: (1) the 2023 AF guideline’s ≥2%/year anticoagulation threshold, with sex-specific application and a 1–2%/year shared decision zone; (2) API-CAT—reduced-dose apixaban non-inferior to full dose for extended cancer VTE prevention (2.1% vs. 2.8%; adjusted subhazard ratio 0.76, 95% CI 0.41–1.41; pre-specified non-inferiority margin 2.00), with less bleeding (12.1% vs. 15.6%); (3) COBRRA—apixaban substantially safer than rivaroxaban in acute non-cancer VTE (clinically relevant bleeding 3.3% vs. 7.1%; RR 0.46, 95% CI 0.33–0.65; major bleeding 0.4% vs. 2.4%; RR 0.16, 95% CI 0.06–0.40), without efficacy trade-off; (4) ANNEXA-I—a modest hemostatic advantage for andexanet alfa over usual care (67.0% vs. 53.1%) at the cost of increased thrombosis (10.3% vs. 5.6%); (5) an asymmetric factor XI landscape in which class-level conclusions remain premature; (6) new special population data (ELDERCARE-AF, AZALEA sub-analyses by kidney function); and (7) a maturing but uneven stewardship evidence base. Conclusions: Three years of trials have produced concrete implications for how anticoagulation should be practiced now. The interval between publication and routine implementation remains the largest practical problem in the field, and institutional stewardship structures are a major mechanism for closing it. Full article

Let $\mathrm{\Phi }$ be the Riemann theta kernel and $D\left(z\right)={\int }_0^{\infty }\mathrm{\Phi }\left(u\right)\cos \left(zu\right) du$, so that $\mathrm{\Xi }\left(z\right)=\xi (1/2+iz)=4D\left(z\right)$. The Riemann hypothesis is equivalent to the global growth criterion ${\mathsf{\partial }}_y{\left|D(x+iy)\right|}^2>0$ for all real x and all $y>0$; in the form ${\mathsf{\partial }}_y{\left|D(x+iy)\right|}^2={\displaystyle \frac{1}{8}}\Re \left({\xi }^{\prime }\left(s\right)\overline{\xi \left(s\right)}\right)$ with $s=1/2+y+ix$, this criterion is an identity between entire quantities and remains meaningful at the zeros of $\xi$. Using the symmetric Hadamard product we close the half-plane $\sigma >1$ unconditionally, localising the obstruction to the strip $1/2<\sigma \le 1$. In diagonal coordinates $a=(u+v)/2$, $b=(u-v)/2$, we derive the exact two-variable representation of the growth derivative and the resulting longitudinal–transverse decomposition ${\mathsf{\partial }}_y{\left|D\right|}^2={\displaystyle \frac{2}{x}}{\int }_0^{\infty }[Q_y\left(a\right)\sin \left(2xa\right)+{\epsilon }_x(a;y)] da$, in which the longitudinal envelope $Q_y$ is unconditionally positive. This representation makes it natural to seek positivity blockwise, over the phase-aligned intervals $J_m=[m\pi /x,(m+1)\pi /x]$ on which the oscillation completes a full period. We report that this localisation is obstructed. The companion paper proves that, for each fixed $y>0$, the globally summed longitudinal and transverse sectors cancel to all algebraic orders as $x\to \infty$ (each is of size $x^{-5}$, their sum is exponentially small, and their ratio tends to $-1$), and deduces that for every $y>0$ and all sufficiently large x at least one aligned block is negative. Universal phase-aligned blockwise positivity is therefore impossible, and independent algebraic-order estimates of the two sectors, followed by addition, cannot determine the sign, which survives only in the exponentially small remainder left after the cancellation. Global positivity remains equivalent to the Riemann hypothesis and remains open; what the theta-kernel representation shows is that it cannot be reconstructed from independent local positivity. Positivity here is intrinsically nonlocal. Correlated groupings of blocks, exact resummation, and globally coupled identities are not excluded. No proof of the Riemann hypothesis is claimed. Full article

Background/Objectives: Prostate cancer is one of the most common non-skin solid malignancies among male solid organ transplant recipients (SOTRs), in whom radical prostatectomy is technically demanding. We report the first use of indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescence for simultaneous transplanted-ureter identification and renal graft vascular mapping during robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP), and the first use of the CMR Versius^® platform in a SOTR. Methods: Retrospective case series of four consecutive male SOTRs (two renal [RTRs], two hepatic) undergoing RARP. In both RTRs, a dual-route ICG protocol was used on the da Vinci Xi with Firefly^® imaging: pre-docking intraureteral ICG via a ureteral catheter for ureter identification, plus an intravenous ICG bolus for graft vascular mapping and cortical perfusion. One hepatic recipient was operated with the CMR Versius^® system using an infra-umbilical port configuration to avoid the chevron transplant scar. Results: All four procedures were completed robotically without conversion. Median operative time was 176 min and median estimated blood loss 350 mL. Surgical margins were negative (R0) in all four; final pathology was pT3aN0 in three and pT2N0 in one, although in the renal recipients nodal staging reflected a contralateral-only dissection. PSA was undetectable at three months in all patients. One hepatic recipient later developed biochemical recurrence, managed with salvage radiotherapy and androgen deprivation therapy, with subsequent undetectable PSA. One hepatic recipient had a Clavien–Dindo IIIa complication. No graft dysfunction occurred. Conclusions: ICG-guided RARP and the CMR Versius^® platform appear technically feasible in carefully selected solid organ transplant recipients treated at an experienced multidisciplinary centre, with no graft-related complications observed in this small initial series. These preliminary findings require validation in larger, multicenter studies before general safety and oncological efficacy can be established. Full article

To reveal the heave deformation characteristics and influencing factors of high-speed railway subgrade–culvert transition section (SCTS) on expansive soil foundations under water immersion, this study takes the Xi’an–Ankang High-Speed Railway as the engineering background. An in situ vertical swelling pressure test was conducted, and the equivalent thermal expansion coefficient was back-calculated based on the temperature–moisture equivalence theory. A three-dimensional numerical model was then established. The effects of immersion zone width, swelling potential, and immersion location were analyzed. The results show that, as the immersion center gradually deviates from the culvert center, the maximum subgrade heave deformation exhibits a non-monotonic trend of first decreasing and then increasing. When the immersion zone is locally distributed beneath the culvert, differential heave deformation of the SCTS is likely to occur. Gray relational analysis indicates that the maximum heave deformation is highly associated with both immersion zone width and swelling potential, while the width of heave area is more closely associated with immersion zone width. In engineering practice, the immersion range of the foundation near the SCTS should be carefully controlled, and drainage, anti-seepage, waterproofing, and soil improvement measures should be adopted to reduce the risk of differential heave deformation. Full article

Oxidative stress is a central mechanism underlying the toxicity of fine particulate matter (PM_2.5); however, the source-specific chemical drivers of particle-associated oxidative potential remain incompletely understood. In this study, the oxidative potential (OP) of ambient PM_2.5 in Xi’an was investigated during winter and summer using the dithiothreitol (DTT) assay, with particular emphasis on the toxicological roles of water-soluble metals and emission sources. PM_2.5 exhibited significantly higher volume-normalized OP (DTT_v) in winter, indicating an enhanced particle-associated oxidative stress burden during the heating period. Notably, although water-soluble metals accounted for only a minor fraction of PM_2.5 mass, interpretable machine learning analysis (XGBoost–SHAP) identified potassium and manganese as dominant contributors to OP, highlighting the importance of biomass burning tracers and redox-active transition metals in particle-mediated reactive oxygen species generation. Source apportionment further revealed pronounced seasonal contrasts: dust sources contributed substantially to wintertime OP primarily due to their large mass loading, whereas traffic-related emissions dominated OP in summer owing to their high intrinsic oxidative toxicity. Overall, these findings suggest that variations in PM_2.5 oxidative potential are more closely associated with chemical composition and source-specific oxidative activity than with particle mass alone, providing additional insight into the factors influencing PM-related health risks. Full article

With the continuous digital transformation of the construction industry, differences in the depth and effectiveness of BIM application during the construction phase of building projects have become increasingly evident. To systematically evaluate BIM application maturity during this stage, this study develops a construction phase-specific maturity assessment framework. First, based on the characteristics of BIM application during the construction phase and the logic of maturity assessment, the concept of BIM application maturity is defined. An evaluation indicator system is then constructed using the Balanced Scorecard as an organising framework, covering four dimensions: financial and cost-effectiveness, customer and delivery value, internal processes and efficiency, and learning and innovation capability. Second, grey relational analysis is used to screen and optimise the initial indicators, while the AHP-CRITIC combined weighting method is adopted to integrate subjective expert judgement and objective data characteristics. On this basis, a cloud model-based evaluation method is introduced to transform qualitative maturity assessment into quantitative evaluation while considering fuzziness and randomness. Finally, the proposed framework is applied to Project C as an empirical case application. The results show that the overall BIM application maturity of Project C during the construction phase is classified as the Integration Level. Among the four first-level dimensions, the customer and delivery value dimension performs relatively strongly, while the learning and innovation capability dimension shows the lowest expectation value. The proposed framework can help identify the maturity level and relative weaknesses of BIM applications during the construction phase, and can provide a reference for targeted BIM improvement and construction management decision-making. Full article

Cross-border multimodal transportation systems are essential for regional connectivity, yet their structural concentration, modal imbalance, community organization, and accessibility differentiation remain insufficiently understood from an entropy perspective. Based on 2024 data, this study constructs railway, highway, aviation, and integrated transportation networks between Western China and the five Central Asian countries. It integrates complex network analysis, structural entropy, modal diversity entropy, Louvain community detection, and accessibility assessment within a structure–organization–function framework. The results reveal a core–periphery pattern, with Xi’an, Urumqi, Almaty, and Tashkent serving as hubs. Structural entropy shows that highway connections are balanced, aviation links are concentrated around core hubs, and the integrated network reflects the coexistence of core-hub agglomeration and multimodal coverage expansion. Modal diversity entropy indicates that high connectivity does not necessarily imply balanced modal configuration, and 41.8% of nodes remain dependent on a single mode. Community detection reveals local cohesion and global segmentation, while accessibility analysis identifies a Western China core and Central Asian periphery. Sensitivity analyses based on common-node normalization, travel-time weighting, and alternative modal weights confirm the robustness of the findings. These results provide an integrated diagnostic framework for identifying structural concentration, modal imbalance, and accessibility inequality in cross-border multimodal transportation networks. Full article

Background and Objectives: Xerostomia is common among institutionalized older adults, but the relative contributions of comorbidity burden and medication-class burden remain incompletely clarified. This study evaluated their associations with Xerostomia Inventory (XI) severity and explored related salivary dysfunction and clinical oral health findings. Materials and Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 90 institutionalized older adults in Bucharest, Romania. Xerostomia Inventory (XI) scores, a binary dry-mouth question, chairside salivary assessments, comorbidity categories, medication classes, oral mucosal findings, and complete denture retention and stability were recorded. Primary analyses used hierarchical regression and bootstrap statistical decomposition; secondary and exploratory analyses evaluated salivary concordance, medication classes, denture-related findings, and oral mucosal conditions. Results: Medication-class count remained associated with XI severity after adjustment for comorbidity burden (partial r = 0.445, p < 0.001), whereas the association between comorbidity burden and XI was no longer significant after adjustment for medication-class count (partial r = −0.063, p = 0.557). Inclusion of medication-class count increased the explained variance in XI scores (ΔR² = 0.253, p < 0.001). Bootstrap decomposition yielded similar findings, with a significant indirect estimate and a non-significant direct estimate. Among complete denture wearers, XI severity was associated with maxillary denture instability (ρ = −0.687, n = 44). Conclusions: In this cohort, medication-class burden showed the strongest association with xerostomia severity, whereas comorbidity burden was not independently associated after adjustment. Given the cross-sectional design, these findings should be interpreted as exploratory associations and support future prospective studies integrating medication review with geriatric-prosthodontic assessment. Full article

Background: Eldecalcitol (ELD) and denosumab are some of the most common therapeutic options for osteoporosis management. ELD effectively increases bone mineral density (BMD) in osteoporotic patients, independent of baseline vitamin D status or calcium intake. However, the efficacy of denosumab combined with either ELD or native vitamin D plus calcium in postmenopausal Chinese women with osteoporosis has not been established. Methods: In this single-center, randomized, open-label, active-controlled clinical trial, postmenopausal women with osteoporosis (defined as a BMD T-score ≤ −2.5 at the lumbar spine [LS], total hip [TH], or femoral neck [FN], or low bone mass with fragility fracture history) were enrolled from Xi’an Honghui Hospital in China and randomized 1:1 to two 12-month treatment regimens: the ELD group received ELD (0.75 μg orally daily) combined with denosumab (60 mg subcutaneously every 6 months), while the control group received the same denosumab regimen plus native vitamin D (800 IU orally daily) and calcium (600 mg orally daily). The primary endpoint was the 12-month percent change in LS BMD from baseline. Secondary endpoints included changes in FN- and TH-BMD from baseline, bone turnover markers, serum parathyroid hormone, quality of life, and the incidence of new fractures. Results: Of the 100 randomized participants, 45 in the ELD group and 46 in the control group were included in the efficacy analysis. After 12 months of treatment, LS-BMD increased significantly in both groups (both p < 0.05), with a greater increase in the ELD group than in the control group (6.75% vs. 4.99%), yielding a statistically significant between-group least-squares mean difference of 1.75% (95% CI, 0.10 to 3.41; p = 0.038). The reduction in serum β-CTX was significantly smaller in the ELD group than in the control group at 3 months (91.00% vs. 93.62%, p = 0.002), with no significant between-group differences thereafter. Seven fractures were reported (one non-vertebral in the ELD group; one vertebral and five non-vertebral in the control group). No significant between-group differences in FN- or TH-BMD, quality of life, or overall adverse event rates were observed. Both regimens were generally well-tolerated, without clinically meaningful calcium-related safety signals. Conclusions: Combination therapy with denosumab and eldecalcitol improved LS-BMD more effectively than denosumab with native vitamin D and calcium in postmenopausal Chinese women with osteoporosis. Clinical trial number: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT05884372, registered on 1 June 2023. Full article

Background: Health literacy has become an important determinant of population health. Understanding health literacy levels among physical examination populations in China and examining their associations with social support and quality of life can provide evidence to guide preventive health strategies. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted from May 2023 to May 2024 among 416 individuals undergoing routine physical examinations at a tertiary hospital in Xi’an, China. Participants completed a socio-demographic characteristics questionnaire, the Health Literacy Surveillance Rapid Assessment Questionnaire, the Social Support Rating Scale and the Euro-Qol five-dimension questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, correlation analyses, and multiple linear regression models were used to examine health literacy status, associated factors, and the former’s relationships with social support and quality of life. Results: Health literacy in the physical examination population was higher than the national average, and the proficiency rate was 52.4%. The findings indicate a significant and positive association between social support and health literacy (r = 0.398, p < 0.01); health literacy was found to be significantly and positively associated with quality of life (r = 0.216, p < 0.01). According to the multiple linear regression analysis, factors correlated with health literacy included age, gender, place of residence, marital status, educational level, monthly household income, payment method for physical examinations, frequency of physical examinations, and social support. Conclusions: Enhancing the health education competencies of medical personnel to enable effective dissemination of health information during physical examinations, promoting family involvement in health management to cultivate collective health awareness and practices, and improving the medical insurance system to encourage regular physical examinations are effective strategies for strengthening public health literacy. Full article

In recent years, social media platform has been proven to be an effective medium for China to conduct its public digital diplomacy. After China’s President Xi Jinping encouraged his diplomats to tell China’s story well for promoting China’s global influence, they are increasingly using social media as a tool of public digital diplomacy. In this regard, Chinese diplomats in Nepal are no exception and are actively using social media to disseminate information and interact with local people to advance China’s interests. However, there is a research gap regarding the pattern, content, popularity, and effectiveness of their social media practices in Nepal. This study aims to fulfil this research gap by examining Chinese diplomats’ public digital diplomacy practice in Nepal through the content analysis of their posts in X from the lens of Grunig’s four models of global PR theory. Through the explanatory sequential mixed content analysis method, this study provides practical insights into the effective digital engagement of China’s public diplomacy efforts in Nepal. This study finds that China’s digital diplomacy could be strengthened by localizing content to better align with Nepal’s socioeconomic context, thereby improving audience relevance and engagement. Nepali publics engage more with Nepal-related content. Full article

Reducing carbon emissions while carrying out urban renewal has put existing residential buildings in the spotlight for low-carbon transformation. These buildings typically consume large amounts of energy and offer significant savings potential, making them a priority in the building sector. Addressing the challenges of limited capital, long payback periods, and inadequate comprehensive benefit assessment in building energy retrofits, this study introduces a carbon trading mechanism and develops a priority decision-making framework based on life-cycle cost–benefit analysis and net present value rate (NPVR). Five typical retrofit measures (grouped into four simulation categories), including external wall insulation, roof insulation, window replacement, lighting upgrade, and rooftop photovoltaic (PV) system, are evaluated through TRNSYS energy simulation applied to an aging residential building in Xi’an, China. The results demonstrate that lighting system upgrades and rooftop PV installation yield the highest economic returns and investment efficiency, while building envelope insulation measures, despite delivering substantial energy savings, exhibit lower NPVR due to high initial investment. Sensitivity analysis reveals that electricity price is the dominant factor influencing economic viability, whereas carbon price under current market conditions exerts limited influence on retrofit prioritization. The proposed framework provides a quantitative decision-support tool for building owners and policymakers to optimize retrofit investment strategies under budget constraints. Full article

Modern residential balconies have the potential to function as passive solar buffer spaces, yet their thermal performance in cold-region high-rise apartments remains insufficiently explored. This study proposes a stepwise glazing–phase change material (PCM) integrated balcony sunspace strategy for a typical high-rise residential apartment in Xi’an, China. Dynamic simulations were conducted to evaluate the effects of balcony orientation, glazing system, PCM melting temperature, and PCM thickness on indoor thermal comfort and annual heating and cooling demand. First, an open living room-connected balcony was used as the benchmark case, and five glazing systems were compared under southwest-, south-, and southeast-facing orientations. Then, based on the optimal glazing system, a 9C–PCM–9C partition wall was introduced between the enclosed balcony sunspace and the living room. The results showed that the optimal glazing system increased the annual thermal comfort ratio by 4.15–5.24 percentage points and reduced annual heating and cooling demand by 13.78–15.80 kWh/m² and 6.16–7.21 kWh/m², respectively. Further PCM integration achieved additional improvements, with 21 °C + 30 mm identified as the optimal configuration for all orientations. Compared with the glazing-only case, it increased thermal comfort by 2.05–2.50 percentage points and reduced heating and cooling demand by 4.80–5.10 kWh/m² and 1.64–1.76 kWh/m², respectively. The findings provide a practical passive design strategy for climate-responsive balcony sunspaces in cold-region residential buildings. Full article