Exurban and suburban forests have superior healthcare benefits beyond downtown forests

Forests in urban areas provide great healthcare benefits to citizens, but it is less well known whether this benefit is related to different geographical spaces. We selected exurban forest, suburban forest, downtown forest, and urban control in Guangzhou, China to analyze the change characteristics of negative air ion concentration (NAIC), air oxygen content (AOC), and human comfort index (HCI). Based on Criteria Importance Through Intercriteria Correlation (CRITIC) method, the urban forest comprehensive healthcare index (UFCHI) was established. Finally, the evaluation criteria for UFCHI were identified by cluster analysis. The results demonstrated that (1) The NAIC in exurban forest (2,713 ± 1,573 ions/cm3) and suburban forest (2,147 ± 923 ions/cm3) was evidently better than downtown forest (1,130 ± 255 ions/cm3) and urban control (531 ± 162 ions/cm3). (2) The AOC was in the order of exurban forest (21.17 ± 0.38%) > suburban forest (21.13 ± 0.30%) > downtown forest (21.10 ± 0.16%) > urban control (20.98 ± 0.12%). (3) The HCI in urban control (5.56 ± 2.32) and downtown forest (5.15 ± 1.80) is higher than suburban forest (4.02 ± 1.53) and exurban forest (3.71 ± 1.48). (4) The UFCHI in exurban forest (1.000), suburban forest (0.790), and downtown forest (0.378) were beneficial to human health to some extent, while urban control (0.000) was at Level IV, having no healthcare benefit. Except in winter, the UFCHI in exurban forest and suburban forest were all at Level II and above; while downtown forest and urban control were all at Level III and below at all seasons. Overall, urban forests in the exurbs and suburbs have better healthcare benefits than those in the downtowns. Furthermore, it is recommended that urban residents visit exurban and suburban forests for forest therapy in spring, summer, and autumn

Poly[penta­kis­(μ-cyanido-κ2 N:C)tris­(5-phenyl-2,2′-bipyridine-κ2 N,N′)penta­copper(I)]

The hydro­thermal reaction of Cu(acetate)2 and K3[Fe(CN)6] with 5-phenyl-2,2′-bipyridine (5-ph-2,2′-bpy) in water yields the polymeric title complex, [Cu5(CN)5(C16H12N2)3]n, which consists of ribbons along the a axis, constructed from 26-membered {Cu10(CN)8} rings. In these rings, the metal atoms are bridged by cyanide groups, except for one close Cu⋯Cu contact [2.7535 (12) Å], which can be considered as ligand-unsupported. Within the rings, one Cu atom has a distorted tetra­hedral geometry through the coordination to two N atoms from 5-ph-2,2′-bpy and two N/C atoms from two cyanide groups. Two Cu atoms have a trigonal planar environment being coordinated by three cyanide groups and two other Cu atoms have a distorted square planar geometry through coordination to two N atoms from 5-ph-2,2′-bpy and two N/C atoms from two cyanide groups

Study on Effects of salt stress on the Suberin Lamella of grapevine roots

Grape is one of the oldest tree species in the world which have a relatively high tolerance to salt stress. The function of Suberin Lamella is to control the transport of water and ions, which has a positive effect on salt tolerance. However, whether the suberin lamella of grape root is related to its salt-tolerance has not been revealed. In this study, suberin lamella in roots of two grape varieties, "Crimson seedless" and "1103p", were stained by FY0888. Results showed that salt stress induced the appearance and thickening of suberin lamella of grape root cortex. The induction effect was very obvious in salt-toerant "Crimson seedless", while the effect was weak in "1103P", indicating that the suberin lamella of grape was indeed involved in the salt tolerance of grape

Concept for a Future Super Proton-Proton Collider

Following the discovery of the Higgs boson at LHC, new large colliders are being studied by the international high-energy community to explore Higgs physics in detail and new physics beyond the Standard Model. In China, a two-stage circular collider project CEPC-SPPC is proposed, with the first stage CEPC (Circular Electron Positron Collier, a so-called Higgs factory) focused on Higgs physics, and the second stage SPPC (Super Proton-Proton Collider) focused on new physics beyond the Standard Model. This paper discusses this second stage.Comment: 34 pages, 8 figures, 5 table

Characterization of Non-heading Mutation in Heading Chinese Cabbage (Brassica rapa L. ssp. pekinensis)

Heading is a key agronomic trait of Chinese cabbage. A non-heading mutant with flat growth of heading leaves (fg-1) was isolated from an EMS-induced mutant population of the heading Chinese cabbage inbred line A03. In fg-1 mutant plants, the heading leaves are flat similar to rosette leaves. The epidermal cells on the adaxial surface of these leaves are significantly smaller, while those on the abaxial surface are much larger than in A03 plants. The segregation of the heading phenotype in the F2 and BC1 population suggests that the mutant trait is controlled by a pair of recessive alleles. Phytohormone analysis at the early heading stage showed significant decreases in IAA, ABA, JA and SA, with increases in methyl IAA and trans-Zeatin levels, suggesting they may coordinate leaf adaxial-abaxial polarity, development and morphology in fg-1. RNA-sequencing analysis at the early heading stage showed a decrease in expression levels of several auxin transport (BrAUX1, BrLAXs, and BrPINs) and responsive genes. Transcript levels of important ABA responsive genes, including BrABF3, were up-regulated in mid-leaf sections suggesting that both auxin and ABA signaling pathways play important roles in regulating leaf heading. In addition, a significant reduction in BrIAMT1 transcripts in fg-1 might contribute to leaf epinastic growth. The expression profiles of 19 genes with known roles in leaf polarity were significantly different in fg-1 leaves compared to wild type, suggesting that these genes might also regulate leaf heading in Chinese cabbage. In conclusion, leaf heading in Chinese cabbage is controlled through a complex network of hormone signaling and abaxial-adaxial patterning pathways. These findings increase our understanding of the molecular basis of head formation in Chinese cabbage

The Local Origin of the Tibetan Pig and Additional Insights into the Origin of Asian Pigs

BACKGROUND: The domestic pig currently indigenous to the Tibetan highlands is supposed to have been introduced during a continuous period of colonization by the ancestors of modern Tibetans. However, there is no direct genetic evidence of either the local origin or exotic migration of the Tibetan pig. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We analyzed mtDNA hypervariable segment I (HVI) variation of 218 individuals from seven Tibetan pig populations and 1,737 reported mtDNA sequences from domestic pigs and wild boars across Asia. The Bayesian consensus tree revealed a main haplogroup M and twelve minor haplogroups, which suggested a large number of small scale in situ domestication episodes. In particular, haplogroups D1 and D6 represented two highly divergent lineages in the Tibetan highlands and Island Southeastern Asia, respectively. Network analysis of haplogroup M further revealed one main subhaplogroup M1 and two minor subhaplogroups M2 and M3. Intriguingly, M2 was mainly distributed in Southeastern Asia, suggesting for a local origin. Similar with haplogroup D6, M3 was mainly restricted in Island Southeastern Asia. This pattern suggested that Island Southeastern Asia, but not Southeastern Asia, might be the center of domestication of the so-called Pacific clade (M3 and D6 here) described in previous studies. Diversity gradient analysis of major subhaplogroup M1 suggested three local origins in Southeastern Asia, the middle and downstream regions of the Yangtze River, and the Tibetan highlands, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: We identified two new origin centers for domestic pigs in the Tibetan highlands and in the Island Southeastern Asian region

What Makes a Good Cabman? Behavioral Patterns Correlated with High-Earning and Low-Earning Taxi Driving

The average hourly income of taxi drivers could be improved by understanding the realized income of taxi drivers and investigating the variables that determine their income. Based on 4.85 million taxi-trajectory GPS records in Shenzhen, China, this study built a multi-layer road index system in order to reveal the behavioral patterns of drivers with varying income levels. On this basis, late-shift drivers were further selected and classified into two categories, namely high-earning and low-earning groups. Each driver within these groups was further classified into three income levels and four categories of factors were defined (i.e., occupied trips and duration, operational region, search speed, and taxi service strategies). The sample-based multinomial logit model was used to reveal the significance of these income-influencing factors. The results indicate significant differences in the drivers’ behavioral habits and experience. For instance, high-earning drivers focused more on improving efficiency using mobility intelligence, while low-earning drivers were more likely to invest in working hours to boost their revenue

Application of Variable Weight Coefficient Method in State Evaluation of AC Contactor

AC contactor state evaluation is a challenging problem. This paper proposes an AC contactor state assessment method based on variable weight coefficient. Firstly, the characteristic indicators that have a great influence on the state of the AC contactor are selected, and the state evaluation index system is established. Secondly, using the subjective and objective combination weighting method combined with the analytic hierarchy process and the grey relational analysis method, the constant weight coefficient is obtained, and the variable weight coefficient method with the equalization function is introduced to obtain the variable weight coefficient of each characteristic parameter. Finally, the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method is used to evaluate the running state of the AC contactor. The experimental results show that the state evaluation method proposed in this paper can accurately reflect the real state of the AC contactor operation and effectively improve the reliability of the power system

Effect of Pyrolysis Temperature on the Sorption of Cd(II) and Se(IV) by Rice Husk Biochar

This study investigated the removal of metal cations (Cd(II)) and metalloid anions (Se(IV)) from their aqueous solution by using agricultural waste (rice husk biochar). Rice husk biochar samples were prepared under 300, 500, and 700 °C pyrolysis conditions and their physicochemical properties were characterized. Aqueous Cd(II) and Se(IV) sorption kinetics and isotherms of rice husk biochar were studied. The results showed that the yield of rice husk biochar decreased from 41.6% to 33.3%, the pH increased from 7.5 to 9.9, and the surface area increased from 64.8 m2/g to 330.0 m2/g as the pyrolysis temperature increased from 300 °C to 700 °C. Under the experimental conditions, at increasing preparation temperatures of rice husk biochar, the sorption performance of Cd(II) and Se(IV) was enhanced. The sorption capability and sorption rate were considerably higher and faster for Cd(II) ions than for Se(IV) ions. Cd(II) sorption was found to reach equilibrium faster, within 150 min, while Se(IV) sorption was slower and reached equilibrium within 750 min. The maximum sorption capacities of cadmium and selenium by rice husk biochar were 67.7 mg/g and 0.024 mg/g, respectively, according to Langmuir model fitting