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Tibetan Plateau uplift has been suggested as the main driving force for mid-latitude Asian inland aridity (AIA) and for deposition of thick aeolian sequences in northern China since the Miocene. However, the relationship between earlier AIA and Tibetan Plateau mountain building is uncertain because of a lack of corresponding thick aeolian sequences with accurate age constraints. We here present results for a continuous aeolian sequence that spans the interval from >51 to 39 Ma from the eastern Xorkol Basin, Altun Shan, northeastern Tibetan Plateau. The basal age of the studied sequence postdates initial uplift of the Tibetan Plateau by several million years. Our results indicate that the local palaeoclimate was teleconnected strongly to the overall global cooling pattern, so that local enhanced aridification recorded by the studied aeolian sequence is dominantly a response to global climatic forcing rather than plateau uplift. The role Tibetan Plateau uplift played in Asian inland aridification remains unclear due to a paucity of accurately dated records. Here, the authors present a continuous aeolian sequence for the period >51–39 Ma, analysis of which indicates that aridification was driven by global climatic forcing rather than uplift.

X-ray bursts are among the brightest stellar objects frequently observed in the sky by space-based telescopes. A type-I X-ray burst is understood as a violent thermonuclear explosion on the surface of a neutron star, accreting matter from a companion star in a binary system. The bursts are powered by a nuclear reaction sequence known as the rapid proton capture process (rp process), which involves hundreds of exotic neutron-deficient nuclides. At so-called waiting-point nuclides, the process stalls until a slower β+ decay enables a bypass. One of the handful of rp process waiting-point nuclides is 64Ge, which plays a decisive role in matter flow and therefore the produced X-ray flux. Here we report precision measurements of the masses of 63Ge, 64,65As and 66,67Se—the relevant nuclear masses around the waiting-point 64Ge—and use them as inputs for X-ray burst model calculations. We obtain the X-ray burst light curve to constrain the neutron-star compactness, and suggest that the distance to the X-ray burster GS 1826–24 needs to be increased by about 6.5% to match astronomical observations. The nucleosynthesis results affect the thermal structure of accreting neutron stars, which will subsequently modify the calculations of associated observables.Rapid proton capture nucleosynthesis stalls at waiting-point nuclides, including 64Ge. Precision mass measurements in the vicinity of this nuclide influence state-of-the-art calculations of X-ray bursts from accreting neutron stars.

Hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) activity in China was surveyed to assess its current status. A record number of HCTs (21 884: 16 631 allogeneic (76%) and 5253 autologous (24%)) were reported by 76 centers in China between 1 January 2008 and 30 June 2016. HCT trends included continued growth in transplant activity, a continued rapid increase in haploidentical donors (HID), and slower growth for unrelated donors, matched-related donors (MRD) and cord blood transplantation (CBT). The proportion of HID HCT among allogeneic HCTs increased from 29.6% (313/1062) in 2008 to 48.8% (1939/3975) in 2015, even 51.7% (1157/2237) in the first half of 2016. During this time frame, the proportion of MRD HCTs among allogeneic HCTs decreased from 48.1% (511/1062) to 33.0% (332/3975). The proportion of unrelated donor HCTs among allogeneic HCTs decreased from 20.4 (216/1062) to 13.6% (540/3975). The proportion of CBTs among allogeneic HCTs was increased from 2.1% (22/1062) to 4.2% (184/3975). HCTs have been increasing continuously for all indications except chronic myelogenous leukemia. Severe aplastic anemia is a common HCT indication among non-malignant diseases in China. The number of cases of allogeneic HCT for this disorder has increased annually, from 59 (5.6%) in 2008 to 569 (14.3%) in 2015, even 334 (14.9%) in the first half year in 2016. This survey clearly shows recent trends for HCTs in China.

Encouraging results from a small sample of patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) undergoing haploidentical donor (HID) hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) must be extended. Furthermore, an algorithm derived from a comparison of the outcomes of HID and identical-sibling donor (ISD) HSCT must be established. Therefore, the outcomes of 454 MDS patients who underwent HSCT from HIDs ( n =226) or ISDs ( n =228) between 2003 and 2013 that were reported to the Chinese Bone Marrow Transplantation Registry were analyzed. Among the 3/6 HID ( n =136), 4–5/6 HID ( n =90) and ISD patient groups, the 4-year adjusted cumulative incidences of non-relapse mortality were 34, 29 and 16%, respectively (overall P =0.004), and of relapse were 6, 7 and 10%, respectively (overall P =0.36). The 4-year adjusted probabilities of overall survival were 58, 63 and 73%, respectively (overall P =0.07), and of relapse-free-survival were 58, 63 and 71%, respectively (overall P =0.14); pairwise comparison showed that the difference was only statistically significant in the 3/6 HID vs ISD pair. The data suggest that ISDs remain the best donor source for MDS patients while HIDs (perhaps 4–5/6 HID in particular) could be a valid alternative when an ISD is not available; human leukocyte antigen disparity had no effect on survival among the HID patients.

Few studies have presented a comparison of myeloablative cord blood transplantation (CBT) and HLA-identical sibling hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) for AML in a disease-specific analysis, and the evaluation of GvHD-free and relapse-free survival (GRFS) in AML patients after unrelated CBT has not been reported. A total of 162 consecutive AML patients receiving intensified myeloablative unrelated CBT ( n= 107) or allogeneic PBSC transplantation (allo-PBSCT) or bone marrow transplantation (BMT) from an HLA-identical sibling donor ( n= 55) were investigated. Neutrophil or platelet engraftment was slower in the CBT cohort compared with that in the allo-PBSCT/BMT cohort. The incidence of grade II–IV or grade III–IV acute GvHD (aGvHD) and transplant-related mortality (TRM) were not significantly different in the two cohorts. Compared with the allo-PBSCT/BMT cohort, the CBT cohort had a significantly lower rate of chronic GvHD (cGvHD) (13.7% vs 28.3%; P= 0.047) or extensive cGvHD (9.9% vs 24.1%; hazard ratio (HR)=2.06, P= 0.039). The incidence of relapse at 5 years in the CBT cohort was significantly lower than that in the allo-PBSCT/BMT cohort (15.3% vs 36.1%; HR=4.62, P= 0.009). The probabilities of overall survival and leukemia-free survival were similar between the two cohorts. The adjusted 5-year probability of GRFS was higher after CBT than that after allo-PBSCT/BMT (55.4% vs 39.2%; HR=1.63, P= 0.042). The present study suggests that, for AML patients, intensified myeloablative unrelated CBT is associated with less cGvHD and a lower risk of relapse. In addition, these patients do not experience excessive TRM or severe aGvHD that translates into better GRFS compared with those patients who undergo HLA-identical sibling allo-PBSCT/BMT; this observation may reflect the clinical separation between cGvHD and GvL within our CBT protocol.

We report a single-center experience in treating 18 consecutive patients with severe aplastic anemia (SAA) who received unrelated cord blood transplantation (CBT). The median age was 17 years (range 5–61 years). Sixteen cases received a reduced-intensity regimen composed of CY (total dose1200 mg/m 2 ), rabbit antithymocyte globulin (ATG, total dose 30 mg/kg) and fludarabine (FLU, total dose 120 mg/m 2 ). CYA and mycophenolate mofetil were used as GVHD prophylaxis. Two patients were not evaluable for engraftment because of early death on day +21 and +22. Only one of the sixteen cases achieved engraftment, but experienced secondary graft failure 3 months post transplantation. Fifteen patients experienced primary graft rejection, but all of them acquired autologous recovery. The 3-month and 6-month cumulative incidence of response was 56% and 81%, respectively. So far, 16 patients have survived for 330–1913 days (median, 750 days) after transplantation. The probability of OS at 2 years was 88.9%. Our data indicate that CBT for newly diagnosed SAA using no irradiation but FLU and ATG-based conditioning still seems to inevitably lead to the high risk of rejection, but may facilitate autologous recovery and improve survival with low risk of transplant-related mortality.

Isochronous mass spectrometry based on heavy-ion storage rings is a powerful tool for direct mass measurements of very short-lived nuclei. Owing to the nature of in-flight separation of high-energy reaction products, many ion species with different mass-to-charge ratios (m/q) can be transmitted to and stored in the ring in one shot. However, high mass resolving power can be achieved only for a limited range of ion species with velocities well matching the isochronous condition of the ring. The knowledge of velocities of each stored ions is required to overcome this restriction. For this purpose, two time-of-flight (TOF) detectors were installed 18 m apart in one straight section of the cooler-storage ring CSRe in Lanzhou. The time sequences measured by the two TOF detectors for each stored ion were used for the precision determination of its velocity. A relative precision of the velocity is achieved to the level of10−5for individual ions. The betatron oscillations of the ion motion in the ring were clearly identified in the data and were taken into account in the analysis. The presented technique can be used for measurements of machine tunes and their dependence on particle momenta.

This study included data from 185 consecutively treated patients, 16 years of age or older, who underwent myeloablative transplantation using unrelated umbilical cord blood (UCB) (UCB transplantation (UCBT), n =70) or HLA-identical sibling donor peripheral blood stem cells alone or combined with bone marrow (BMT/PBSCT, n =115) from October 2001 to December 2012. All patients received myeloablative regimens, cyclosporin A plus mycophenolate mofetil as prophylaxis for GVHD, and similar supportive care. Although hematopoietic recovery was significantly delayed after UCBT, the rate of neutrophil engraftment was comparable. The median follow-up was 53 months (range, 15–136 months) for BMT/peripheral blood SCT (PBSCT) recipients and 35 months (range, 10–123 months) for UCBT recipients. There were no significant differences in the cumulative incidence of grades III to IV acute GVHD, relapse rate, or 3-year probabilities of disease-free survival between patients receiving UCBT and those receiving BMT/PBSCT. However, the cumulative incidence of chronic and extensive chronic GVHD was lower in UCBT recipients. The rates of long-term survivors returning to school or work and off immunosuppressive therapy were significantly higher after UCBT, which indicated that long-term survivors who underwent UCBT had a higher quality of life.

This study aimed to describe the nutritional status of elderly people living in a rural area of North China. Community-based, cross-sectional prevalence survey. 3 rural towns of Lvliang City, Shanxi Province, China. A sample of 1845 community residents (29.1% of those eligible) 55 years or older (birth before 1958-01-01). The participants were assessed regarding demographic characteristics, height, weight, as well as having a physical examination and blood sampling for serum cholesterol, total homocysteine (tHcy), folate, and vitamin B12 levels. 991 (53.7%) were female and 139 (7.5%) did not complete the anthropometric measurement. Prevalence of underweight and obesity was 3.5% and 24.9% in men and 6.7% and 31.0% in women (P = 0.003, P = 0.005, respectively). Prevalence of hypercholesterolemia and hypocholesterolemia was 13.5% and 52.6% in men and 25.0% and 34.3% in women (P < 0.001, P < 0.001, respectively). Prevalence of high LDL-c concentrations was 8.8% in men and 16.8% in women (P < 0.001). The mean serum tHcy in men (28.8 ± 20.1 μmmol/l) was significantly higher than in women (21.0 ± 15.1 μmmol/L, P < 0.001). Prevalence of hyperhomocysteinemia (defined as > 15μmmol/L) was 79.7% in men and 65.5% in women (P < 0.001). Prevalence of low folate (defined as < 11 nmol/L) and vitamin B12 levels (defiend as < 185 pmol/L) was 70.8 % and 76.8% in men and 56.5% and 72.6% in women (P < 0.001, P = 0.036, respectively). Correlation coefficients between tHcy, folate, and vitamin B12 indicated an inverse linear correlation (r = −0.21, P < 0.001, r = −0.35, P < 0.001, respectively). As China's economic climate has developed, the nutritional status of elderly people in the rural parts of the country has improved in some aspects. However, the trend toward obesity will lead to a shift in the burden of obesity-related chronic diseases. In addition, rurally-located elderly people are at high risk of death that may be associated with abnormal serum cholesterol. The data also suggest that severe deficiencies in folate and vitamin B12 levels exist, as well as there being a high prevalence of hyperhomocysteinemia. Folate and vitamin B12 supplementation are necessary to prevent related diseases.

Ti 2 PbC was synthesized for the first time by pressureless reaction synthesis using Ti/Pb/TiC as starting materials at a heating rate of 2 °C/min and holding at 1370 °C for 2 h in a tube furnace protected by Ar atmosphere. The effects of starting powders, heating rates, and holding temperatures on the formation of Ti 2 PbC were investigated. It was found that elementary mixture of Ti/Pb/C or higher heating rates fail to form Ti 2 PbC. The decreased lattice parameters in the synthesized Ti 2 PbC indicated the existence of Pb vacancies in the compound. A reaction mechanism was proposed to explain the formation of Ti 2 PbC.