Rural revitalization in China: Measurement indicators, regional differences and dynamic evolution.

It is crucial to scientifically assess China's rural revitalization and grasp its evolution laws. This paper constructs an indicator system to measure the level of rural revitalization in China from 2011 to 2021 using the entropy weight method. Then, we explore the spatial and temporal divergence and dynamic evolutionary characteristics of rural revitalization using the Dagum Gini coefficient and Kernel density. We found that the level of rural revitalization in China is low but fluctuating and increasing. Regionally, eastern China scores higher than central, western and northeastern China. In terms of dimensions, ecological livability scores are higher than prosperous industry, effective governance, affluent living and civilized countryside in that order. The regional differences in the level of rural revitalization are mainly reflected between regions, especially between eastern and western China, but the gap between regions is narrowing year by year. And the results of the Kernel density show that the level of rural revitalization in China shows a slow and balanced growth, but the eastern China shows a polarization growth. These findings can provide a comprehensive and objective outline of the advantages and shortcomings of rural revitalization development in China, and provide a policy reference for the comprehensive and stable promotion of rural revitalization construction.

CcNAC6 Acts as a Positive Regulator of Secondary Cell Wall Synthesis in Sudan Grass (Sorghum sudanense S.).

The degree of forage lignification is a key factor affecting its digestibility by ruminants such as cattle and sheep. Sudan grass (Sorghum sudanense S.) is a high-quality sorghum forage, and its lignocellulose is mostly stored in the secondary cell wall. However, the secondary cell wall synthesis mechanism of Sudan grass has not yet been studied in depth. To further study the secondary cell wall synthesis mechanism of Sudan grass using established transcriptome data, this study found that CcNAC6, a homologous gene of Arabidopsis AtSND2, is related to the secondary cell wall synthesis of Sudan grass. Accordingly, we constructed a CcNAC6-overexpressing line of Arabidopsis to investigate the function of the CcNAC6 gene in secondary cell wall synthesis. The results showed that the overexpression of the CcNAC6 gene could significantly increase the lignin content of Arabidopsis. Based on subcellular localization analysis, CcNAC6 is found in the nucleus. In addition, yeast two-hybridization screening showed that CcCP1, associated with secondary cell wall synthesis, can interact with CcNAC6. Therefore, the above results indicate that CcNAC6 has a positive regulatory effect on the secondary cell wall synthesis of Sudan grass, and it is speculated that CcNAC6 may be the main regulator of the secondary cell wall synthesis of Sudan grass through its interaction with another regulatory protein, CcCP1. This study provides a theoretical basis and new genetic resources for the creation of new Sudan grass germplasm with a low lignin content.

College students' satisfaction with online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence from Hubei Province, China.

To evaluate the performance of online teaching during the COVID-19 period, we collected 1886 survey data from college students in Hubei Province, China. The scoring rules of the Framework for Teaching were used to measure college students' satisfaction with online teaching, and an econometric model was constructed to empirically validate its dynamic influences. We found that college students' satisfaction with online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic was lower than that with offline teaching. Online teaching satisfaction was significantly affected by variables of class size, proportion of online teaching, epidemic severity, college grade, network, course classification, major classification, and the teacher's age and skills. It was further found that as COVID-19 gradually dissipated, offline teaching should be resumed as soon as possible. These findings objectively evaluate the teaching performance of college students during the COVID-19 pandemic and can provide suggestions for optimizing online teaching during future emergencies.

Can socialized pest control service reduce the intensity of pesticide use? Evidence from rice farmers in China.

BACKGROUND: Although a great deal of research has examined the impact of socialized pest control service, few studies have discussed the relationship between socialized pest control service and pesticide use intensity. In particular, the literature ignores the impact of advanced application technologies (drone sprayers) on the intensity of pesticide use by farmers. RESULTS: Based on a survey of 1185 rice growers in Hubei Province, China, this study found that 64.13% of the sample farmers used pesticides more than three times in one rice season. Importantly, socialized pest control services have a significant negative effect on the pesticide use intensity of farmers. Compared to the sample that did not purchase the service, farmers who purchased socialized pest control services demonstrated 9.30% less pesticide intensity. Further, there was a significant difference among farmers using different application devices on pesticide use intensity. Compared to the sample using ground backpack sprayers, farmers using drone sprayers used 12.40% less pesticide intensity. CONCLUSION: This study found that the frequency of pesticide use by farmers during rice cultivation was generally high. Socialized pest control services have played a positive role in reducing the intensity of pesticide use, especially with the more obvious pesticide reduction effect of the adoption of drone sprayers. Therefore, improving socialized pest control services and promoting advanced equipment such as drone sprayers may be an important way to reduce the use of pesticides in China. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

CcNAC1 by Transcriptome Analysis Is Involved in Sudan Grass Secondary Cell Wall Formation as a Positive Regulator.

Sudan grass is a high-quality forage of sorghum. The degree of lignification of Sudan grass is the main factor affecting its digestibility in ruminants such as cattle and sheep. Almost all lignocellulose in Sudan grass is stored in the secondary cell wall, but the mechanism and synthesis of the secondary cell wall in Sudan grass is still unclear. In order to study the mechanism of secondary cell wall synthesis in Sudan grass, we used an in vitro induction system of Sudan grass secondary cell wall. Through transcriptome sequencing, it was found that the NAC transcription factor CcNAC1 gene was related to the synthesis of the Sudan grass secondary cell wall. This study further generated CcNAC1 overexpression lines of Arabidopsis to study CcNAC1 gene function in secondary cell wall synthesis. It was shown that the overexpression of the CcNAC1 gene can significantly increase lignin content in Arabidopsis lines. Through subcellular localization analysis, CcNAC1 genes could be expressed in the nucleus of a plant. In addition, we used yeast two-hybrid screening to find 26 proteins interacting with CcNAC1. GO and KEGG analysis showed that CcNAC1 relates to the metabolic pathways and biosynthesis of secondary metabolites. In summary, the synthesis of secondary cell wall of Sudan grass can be regulated by CcNAC1.

Can agricultural mechanization services narrow the income gap in rural China?

This paper examines the impact of agricultural mechanization services (AMS) on rural household income and income gap, utilizing the recentered influence function regression method and publicly available data collected through the China Labor-force Dynamics Survey. The results of this study shed light on various impacts of AMS. First, agricultural mechanization services can significantly increase rural household income, but there is heterogeneity in the impact on rural household income in different quantiles. The effect of income growth on medium-income and low-income groups is greater. Second, agricultural mechanization services help to narrow the income gap between rural households and alleviate income inequality in rural areas. Third, the effect of agricultural mechanization services on reducing the income gap between rural households in the eastern and western regions is significantly stronger than that in the central region. Finally, further analysis based on income source structure reveals that agricultural mechanization services can significantly reduce the non-agricultural income gap of rural households, but the impact on the agricultural income gap is negligible. Our findings highlight the importance of government's efforts in promoting the development of agricultural mechanization service market in order to improve the income inequality in rural areas.

Farmers' technology preference and influencing factors for pesticide reduction: evidence from Hubei Province, China.

Based on the successful experience of pesticide reduction in China, this study uses survey data from Hubei Province to measure rice farmers' technology preferences for pesticide reduction considering their needs, and compare the heterogeneous factors influencing farmers' adoption behavior. The results show that large-scale farmers prefer drone services and efficient machinery, while small-scale farmers prefer scientific standards and biopesticides for pesticide reduction. Second, farmers' adoption behavior of pesticide reduction technologies is mostly influenced by education, risk attitude, income, agricultural labor, scale, rice price, residue testing, brand, training, subsidy, and demonstration. Among them, education, risk attitude, scale, rice price, cost, and training, significantly affect farmers' adoption level of multiple pesticide reduction technologies. Further, higher rice prices and participation in training could promote the use of pesticide reduction technologies in a larger area by farmers. Therefore, the real needs of farmers should be focused on the promotion of pesticide reduction technologies, and pesticide reduction programs in different regions should carry out precise intervention policies. These findings can provide practical policy guidance for effective pesticide reduction in the central region of China.

NAC Transcription Factor GmNAC12 Improved Drought Stress Tolerance in Soybean.

NAC transcription factors (TFs) could regulate drought stresses in plants; however, the function of NAC TFs in soybeans remains unclear. To unravel NAC TF function, we established that GmNAC12, a NAC TF from soybean (Glycine max), was involved in the manipulation of stress tolerance. The expression of GmNAC12 was significantly upregulated more than 10-fold under drought stress and more than threefold under abscisic acid (ABA) and ethylene (ETH) treatment. In order to determine the function of GmNAC12 under drought stress conditions, we generated GmNAC12 overexpression and knockout lines. The present findings showed that under drought stress, the survival rate of GmNAC12 overexpression lines increased by more than 57% compared with wild-type plants, while the survival rate of GmNAC12 knockout lines decreased by at least 46%. Furthermore, a subcellular localisation analysis showed that the GmNAC12 protein is concentrated in the nucleus of the tobacco cell. In addition, we used a yeast two-hybrid assay to identify 185 proteins that interact with GmNAC12. Gene ontology (GO) and KEGG analysis showed that GmNAC12 interaction proteins are related to chitin, chlorophyll, ubiquitin-protein transferase, and peroxidase activity. Hence, we have inferred that GmNAC12, as a key gene, could positively regulate soybean tolerance to drought stress.

Key Soybean Seedlings Drought-Responsive Genes and Pathways Revealed by Comparative Transcriptome Analyses of Two Cultivars.

Seedling drought stress is one of the most important constraints affecting soybean yield and quality. To unravel the molecular mechanisms under soybean drought tolerance, we conducted comprehensive comparative transcriptome analyses of drought-tolerant genotype Jindou 21 (JD) and drought-sensitive genotype Tianlong No.1 (N1) seedlings that had been exposed to drought treatment. A total of 6038 and 4112 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in drought-tolerant JD and drought-sensitive N1, respectively. Subsequent KEGG pathway analyses showed that numerous DEGs in JD are predominately involved in signal transduction pathways, including plant hormone signaling pathway, calcium signaling pathway, and MAPK signaling pathway. Interestingly, JA and BR plant hormone signal transduction pathways were found specifically participating in drought-tolerant JD. Meanwhile, the differentially expressed CPKs, CIPKs, MAPKs, and MAP3Ks of calcium and MAPK signaling pathway were only identified in JD. The number of DEGs involved in transcription factors (TFs) is larger in JD than that of in N1. Moreover, some differently expressed transcriptional factor genes were only identified in drought-tolerant JD, including FAR1, RAV, LSD1, EIL, and HB-PHD. In addition, this study suggested that JD could respond to drought stress by regulating the cell wall remodeling and stress-related protein genes such as EXPs, CALSs, CBPs, BBXs, and RD22s. JD is more drought tolerant than N1 owing to more DEGs being involved in multiple signal transduction pathways (JA, BR, calcium, MAPK signaling pathway), stress-related TFs, and proteins. The above valuable genes and pathways will deepen the understanding of the molecular mechanisms under drought stress in soybean.

Biopesticides extension and rice farmers' adoption behavior: a survey from Rural Hubei Province, China.

Although the beneficial effects of the agricultural extension of farmers' biopesticides adoption have been largely demonstrated, the questions of what approaches can better extend biopesticides and how to improve their effectiveness still need to be explored. In a survey of 1148 rice farmers in Hubei Province, China, the technology supply and demand theory is used to explain the low efficiency of biopesticides extension. The endogenous switching probit model is used to estimate the impact of biopesticides technology publicity, training, demonstration and subsidies on farmers' adoption. The results show that biopesticides extension can promote rice farmers' adoption probability by 10.3 ~ 11.7%. And technology demonstration is currently the best way to extend biopesticides. Moreover, inadequate supply and demand of biopesticides are important for explaining the inefficiency of biopesticides extension in China. Extending biopesticides is better for farmers with smaller scales, younger ages, and lower education and for those who are cooperative members. Therefore, we should not only actively conduct biopesticides demonstration but also more importantly induce farmers' biopesticides demand and secure the market supply of biopesticide products. These findings will provide useful guidance for biopesticides extension and pesticides reduction in China and other developing countries.

Substitution or complementarity: why do rice farmers use a mix of biopesticides and chemical pesticides in China?

BACKGROUND: Although scholars have become increasingly concerned about finding ways to encourage more farmers to use biopesticides and fewer to use chemical pesticides, few studies have investigated the prevalence of Chinese rice farmers' mixed use of biopesticides and chemical pesticides for pest management. RESULTS: Based on a household survey in Hubei Province, China, this study found that 59.18% of the sample rice farmers used a mix of biopesticides and chemical pesticides. There is mainly a complementarity relationship between rice farmers' decision to use biopesticides and chemical pesticides. The pursuit of multiple production purposes is the main reason why farmers decide on the mixed-use of pesticides. Specifically, farmers generally tend to use biopesticides to ensure food safety for consumption, and chemical pesticides to reduce costs for profitability. The decision of farmers to mix pesticides has led to an increase of pesticide varieties and costs. However, it reduces the frequency of pesticide use, and does not result in a significant increase in rice yield and output value. CONCLUSION: While food safety should be emphasized in working towards greater use of biopesticides, rice farmers' mixed use of biopesticides and chemical pesticides will remain for a long time until the biotechnology is more developed. In fact, programs that investigate the effects of a combination of biopesticides and chemical pesticides should be implemented to achieve pesticide reduction, because biopesticides and chemical pesticides have specific disadvantages. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

Pest control ability, technical guidance, and pesticide overuse: evidence from rice farmers in rural China.

Pesticide overuse is still prevalent in many developing countries. And improving farmers' pest control ability is considered to be the key to achieve pesticide reduction. Based on the survey data of 822 rice farmers from Hubei, Jiangxi, and Zhejiang provinces in the Yangtze River Basin, we demonstrated the impact of pest control ability and technical guidance on farmers' pesticide overuse. We find that rice farmers' insufficient pest control ability does not necessarily lead to pesticide overuse, which depends on whether there is external technical guidance. The technical guidance of government agrotechnical stations and pesticide retailers can weaken pesticide overuse caused by lack of personal ability. In terms of sample, variable and method substitution, the above estimated results are still robust. In addition, we find that different subjects and links of pesticide technical guidance will bring different impacts. The technical guidance of agrotechnical stations mainly plays a role in the time and type of pesticide application, while the pesticide retailers mainly play a role in the time and dosage of pesticide application. This paper emphasizes that strengthening the guidance and regulation of pesticide technology guidance subject is also an efficient way of pesticide reduction. This will help to improve the effect of agricultural extension and accelerate the realization of pesticide reduction target in China.

The power of habit: does production experience lead to pesticide overuse?

The influence of farmers' production experience on pesticide overuse is empirically analyzed by an endogenous switching probit model of pesticide use time, type, and dosage, based on survey data of 836 rice farmers in the Yangtze River Basin of China. We find that farmers' production experience is an important cause of pesticide overuse, especially for small-scale farmers. Older, self-sufficient, small-scale, non-cooperative members and rice farmers with distant market towns are more likely to use pesticides based on their personal experience. In terms of pesticide use time, type, and dosage, 35.26%, 30.10%, and 28.52% of the samples, respectively, relied on a decision based on "experience." Among them, farmers' decision-making based on production experience for pesticide type and dosage are the key causes of pesticide overuse. These results will be helpful for reducing pesticides and correcting farmers' "bad habits" within agricultural ecosystems.

GmNAC8 acts as a positive regulator in soybean drought stress.

NAC proteins represent one of the largest transcription factor (TF) families involved in the regulation of plant development and the response to abiotic stress. In the present study, we elucidated the detailed role of GmNAC8 in the regulation of drought stress tolerance in soybean. The GmNAC8 protein was localized in the nucleus, and expression of the GmNAC8 gene was significantly induced in response to drought, abscisic acid (ABA), ethylene (ETH) and salicylic acid (SA) treatments. Thus, we generated GmNAC8 overexpression (OE1 and OE2) and GmNAC8 knockout (KO1 and KO2) lines to determine the role of GmNAC8 in drought stress tolerance. Our results revealed that, compared with the wild type (WT) plant, GmNAC8 overexpression and GmNAC8 knockout lines exhibited significantly higher and lower drought tolerance, respectively. Furthermore, the SOD activity and proline content were significantly higher in the GmNAC8 overexpression lines and significantly lower in the GmNAC8 knockout lines than in the WT plants under drought stress. In addition, GmNAC8 protein was found to physically interact with the drought-induced protein GmDi19-3 in the nucleus. Moreover, the GmDi19-3 expression pattern showed the same trend as the GmNAC8 gene did under drought and hormone (ABA, ETH and SA) treatments, and GmDi19-3 overexpression lines (GmDi19-3-OE9, GmDi19-3-OE10 and GmDi19-3-OE31) showed enhanced drought tolerance compared to that of the WT plants. Hence, the above results indicated that GmNAC8 acts as a positive regulator of drought tolerance in soybean and inferred that GmNAC8 probably functions by interacting with another positive regulatory protein, GmDi19-3.

GmHsp90A2 is involved in soybean heat stress as a positive regulator.

Heat shock protein 90 s (Hsp90s), one of the most conserved and abundant molecular chaperones, is an essential component of the protective stress response. A previous study reported at least 12 genes in the GmHsp90s family in soybean and that GmHsp90A2 overexpression enhanced thermotolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana. Here, we investigate the roles of GmHsp90A2 in soybean by utilizing stable transgenic soybean lines overexpressing GmHsp90A2 and mutant lines generated by the CRISPR/Cas9 system. The results showed that compared with wild-type plants (WT) and empty vector control plants (VC), T3 transgenic soybean plants overexpressing GmHsp90A2 exhibited increased tolerance to heat stress through higher chlorophyll and lower malondialdehyde (MDA) contents in plants. Conversely, reduced chlorophyll and increased MDA contents in T2 homozygous GmHsp90A2-knockout mutants indicated decreased tolerance to heat stress. GmHsp90A2 was found to interact with GmHsp90A1 in yeast two-hybrid assays. Furthermore, subcellular localization analyses revealed that GmHsp90A2 was localized to the cytoplasm and cell membrane; as shown by bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) assays, GmHsp90A2 interacted with GmHsp90A1 in the nucleus and cytoplasm and cell membrane. Hence, we conclude that GmHsp90A1 is able to bind to GmHsp90A2 to form a complex and that this complex enters the nucleus. In summary, GmHsp90A2 might respond to heat stress and positively regulate thermotolerance by interacting with GmHsp90A1.

China's Response to the 2014 Ebola Outbreak in West Africa.

Beginning in March 2014, West Africa has endured the largest outbreak of Ebola viral disease (EVD) in history. The crisis highlighted the role of China in addressing public health emergencies of international concern (PHEIC). Through bilateral and multilateral channels, China kicked off its largest ever humanitarian mission in addressing a PHEIC. The unprecedented generosity served the domestic needs to prevent EVD from spreading into China, but it was also consistent with China's foreign policy objective to pursue soft power in Africa. While its total funding to EVD control in West Africa was no match of top donors like the United States, it becomes much more impressive when adjusted for gross domestic product (GDP) per capita. As Beijing becomes more sensitive to disease outbreaks overseas and as the scope of its humanitarian engagement grows and diversifies, the space for China's cooperation with international actors over global health governance is expected to further expand.

International institutions and China's health policy.

This article examines the role of international institutional actors in China's health policy process. Particular attention is paid to three major international institutional actors: the World Bank, the World Health Organization, and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Through process tracing and comparative case studies, the article looks at how international institutions contribute to policy change in China and seeks to explain different outcomes in the relationship between international institutions and China's health policies. It finds that despite the opaque and exclusive authoritarian structure in China, international institutions play a significant role in the country's domestic health governance. By investing their resources and capabilities selectively and strategically, international institutions can change the preferences of government policy makers, move latent public health issues to the government's agenda, and affect the timing of government action and the content of policy design. Furthermore, the study suggests that different outcomes in the relationship between China's health policies and global health governance can be explained through the seriousness of the externalities China faces.