A genome-wide association study of Han Chinese subjects was conducted to identify genetic susceptibility loci for nonobstructive azoospermia (NOA). In the discovery stage, 802 azoospermia cases and 1,863 controls were screened for genetic variants in the genome. Promising SNPs were subsequently confirmed in two independent sets of subjects: 818 azoospermia cases and 1,755 controls from northern China, and 606 azoospermia cases and 958 controls from central and southern China. We detected variants at human leukocyte antigen (HLA) regions that were independently associated with NOA (HLA-DRA, rs3129878, p(combine) = 3.70 × 10(-16), odds ratio [OR] = 1.37; C6orf10 and BTNL2, rs498422, p(combine) = 2.43 × 10(-12), OR = 1.42). These findings provide additional insight into the pathogenesis of NOA.

Although early apoptotic AN+/PI(-) spermatozoa only negatively correlates with sperm motility, the differences in proportion of each subpopulation of spermatozoa (especially, the percentage of AN(-)/PI(-) spermatozoa), and decreased MMP might be significant markers for diagnosing male infertility. They possibly bring additional information to predict the outcome of in vitro fertilization.

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To carry out an in-depth analysis of the scientific research on male infertility, we performed the first bibliometric analysis focusing on studies involving male infertility worldwide during the period 1995-2014. Analysis of 6357 articles in the field of male infertility showed a significant increasing trend in the number of publications over the period 1995-2014. Obstetrics and Gynecology was an important subject category and Multidisciplinary Sciences was the newest interest. Authors were mainly from Europe and USA, with researchers from Cleveland Clinic producing the most articles, and those from the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center and the University of Utah having the highest-quality articles. The USA contributed the most independent and international collaborative articles. The Cleveland Clinic and the University of Munster were the most productive institutions. The Cleveland Clinic and the University of Giessen had the most international collaboration publications. Harvard University had the most collaborators. The most common interests were pathogenesis and therapy, and new interests were hypogonadism, obesity, and cryopreservation. In conclusion, rapid development of the male infertility field was observed. Overall, collaborative and multidisciplinary science research has become more popular. The USA and its institutions play a dominant role, followed by European countries. Thanks to the common research focus worldwide, more insight into male fertility has been gained in the scientific literature over the past 20 years. [Correction added on September 21, 2016, after online publication: the term "institute" has been replaced by the term "institution" throughout the text.].

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Purpose-The purpose of the paper is to identify learning points and inspirations from two different approaches by examining how education for sustainable development (ESD) initiatives are delivered in the University of X in the UK and Tongji University in China. Design/methodology/approach-Through comparison of case studies, the pros and cons of each approach are made clear. The paper adopts semi-structured interviewing among staff and group interviewing among students as its main data collection methods. A snowball sampling strategy is employed to select potential interviewees in addition. Findings-Learning points are drawn from each institution which could be useful in informing the strategy of other higher education institutions. The main learning points for UoX are: first, engage as many students as possible through linking extra-curriculum activities back to the curriculum and offer opportunities for students to take part in campus operations. Second, a project-oriented approach could be employed to enhance interdisciplinary cooperation. The main learning points for Tongji are: pedagogic changes are required to realize a transformative education and additions of more active learning into the curriculum are needed. Third, policy support is necessary to promote the ESD agenda but only when the top-down approach mixes with a bottom-up approach significant changes will happen. Practical implications-ESD is transformative education rather than traditional education. It will guide students to study and live in a more sustainable way, which is promoted in both the formal curriculum and informal areas (including campus greening and extra-curriculum activities) in UoX as a model for developed countries and Tongji as a model for developing countries. As a dynamic whole, both of them comprise students' learning and living experiences in a microcosm of a pilot sustainable community through inter-disciplinary approaches. Originality/value-Little comparative and international research has been done in the field of educational ESD. The research seeks to address the deficiency by comparing the ESD approaches in one British and one Chinese university.

The hidden orders of physical structure in Yuyuan, an example of Chinese gardens, are explored. Methods of geometric analysis are used to examine rules of iteration and transformation in the configuration model of the garden, for example, the spatial structure of ‘gardens in a garden’, the pedestrian system of ‘circles in a circle’, and the tree-like waterway, which formulate an irregular fractal system. It is argued that these generative rules of the structure, which mainly give rise to the similarities and complexities between parts and the whole garden, are deeply rooted in the principle of I Ching.

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