Studies on Well-Being of Urban Residents from the Perspective of Green Growth-Based on Empirical Analysis on Residents in Chengdu City of Western China

In this paper, we make empirical analysis on the well-being of urban residents and its influencing factors from the perspective of green growth by using the survey data from the studying team which made the Urban Green Growth and Public Well-Being Investigation on 19 jurisdictional counties (districts and cities) of Chengdu City in August, 2015. The results suggest that residents’ well-being has obvious regional differences, and the main city zone has the lowest green well-being while the third city cycle-layer has the highest green well-being. From the view of internal influencing factors of the resident well-being, the results show that age and income are positively correlated with the residents’ green well-being, and the former correlation is significant, while residents’ well-being of Chengdu is negatively correlated with the educational level. From the view of external influencing factors, green cover percentage, air quality and water quality are positively correlated with the residents’ green well-being, while waste treatment and amount of factory have no significant correlations with residents’ green well-being

Molecular dynamics simulation of graphene sinking during chemical vapor deposition growth on semi-molten Cu substrate

Copper foil is the most promising catalyst for the synthesis of large-area, high-quality monolayer graphene. Experimentally, it has been found that the Cu substrate is semi-molten at graphene growth temperatures. In this study, based on a self-developed C-Cu empirical potential and density functional theory (DFT) methods, we performed systematic molecular dynamics simulations to explore the stability of graphene nanostructures, i.e., carbon nanoclusters and graphene nanoribbons, on semi-molten Cu substrates. Many atomic details observed in the classical MD simulations agree well with those seen in DFT-MD simulations, confirming the high accuracy of the C-Cu potential. Depending on the size of the graphene island, two different sunken-modes are observed: (i) graphene island sinks into the first layer of the metal substrate and (ii) many metal atoms surround the graphene island. Further study reveals that the sinking graphene leads to the unidirectional alignment and seamless stitching of the graphene islands, which explains the growth of large single-crystal graphene on Cu foil. This study deepens our physical insights into the CVD growth of graphene on semi-molten Cu substrate with multiple experimental mysteries well explained and provides theoretic references for the controlled synthesis of large-area single-crystalline monolayer graphene

Cloning and expression trait of UDP-glucose:flavonoid 3-O-glucosyltransferase gene (UF3GT) in turnip

Anthocyanin is a class of important secondary metabolites in plants. UDP-glucose:flavonoid  3-O-glucosyltransferase (UF3GT) is a committed catalytic enzyme in the late stage of anthocyanin  biosynthesis. BrUF3GT1 and BrUF3GT2 genes were cloned by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction  (RT-PCR) method from ‘Tsuda’ and ‘Yurugi Akamaru’ turnips. The open reading frame (ORF) of BrUF3GT1 and  BrUF3GT2 genes contained 1407 bp encoding proteins of 468 amino acids. Amino acid sequence analysis  showed that BrUF3GT1 and BrUF3GT2 had 87% identity to UF3GT of Arabidopsis thaliana, and the  glycosyltransferase protein family domain was in the amino acids sequence from 16 to 453. The nucleotide  sequence of BrUF3GT1 and BrUF3GT2 genes showed only seven nucleotide differences, and one common  deduced amino acid sequence. The northern blotting results showed that the expression of BrUF3GT1 and BrUF3GT2 genes could be induced by irradiation of ultra-violet A (UV-A), and the expression of the genes was correlated with light-exposure time. The 51.88 and 51.89 KDa proteins of BrUF3GT1 and BrUF3GT2 were  successfully purified after prokaryotic induced expression.Key words: Turnip, UDP-glucose:flavonoid 3-O-glucosyltransferase (UF3GT) gene, gene clone, sequence analysis, gene expression

Large-angle and high-efficiency tunable phase grating using fringe field switching liquid crystal

We propose a switchable phase grating using fringe field switching (FFS) cells. The FFS phase grating possesses several attractive features: large diffraction angle, high diffraction efficiency, fast response time, and high contrast ratio. It can diffract \u3e 32% light to +/- 2nd orders with a large diffraction angle of 12.1 degrees. Meanwhile, its response time remains relatively fast even at -40 degrees C. A simulation model is developed to explain the experimental results and good agreement is obtained. We also demonstrate a blazed phase grating to achieve tunable beam steering between 0th, 1st and 2nd orders

Hydrophilic domains compose of interlocking cation-? blocks for constructing hard actuator with robustness and rapid humidity responsiveness

Biomimetic actuators have seemingly infinite potential for use in previously unexplored areas. However, large stresses and a rapid water response are difficult to realize in soft actuators, owing to which their practical applicability is currently limited. In this paper, a new method for designing and fabricating humidity-responsive sturdy hard actuator. By combining a rigid matrix and hydrophilic water domains consisting of dynamic interlocking cation-π blocks, high-performance polymer actuator was synthesized that swell rapidly in response to a water gradient in their environment, resulting in unprecedentedly large stresses. More critically, the strong interlocking cation-π blocks reform and the intermolecular distance is reduced when the water is removed, allowing the deformed actuator to revert its original shape. The proposed design principle can potentially be extended to produce different types of sturdy actuators with rapid water responsiveness

Pleistocene glacial cycle effects on the phylogeography of the Chinese endemic bat species, Myotis davidii

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Global climatic oscillations, glaciation cycles and the unique geographic topology of China have profoundly influenced species population distributions. In most species, contemporary distributions of populations cannot be fully understood, except in a historical context. Complex patterns of Pleistocene glaciations, as well as other physiographic changes have influenced the distribution of bat species in China. Until this study, there had been no phylogeographical research on <it>Myotis davidii</it>, an endemic Chinese bat. We used a combination of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA markers to investigate genetic diversity, population structure, and the demographic history of <it>M. davidii</it>. In particular, we compared patterns of genetic variation to glacial oscillations, topography, and environmental variation during the Pleistocene in an effort to explain current distributions in light of these historical processes.</p> <p>Results</p> <p><it>M. davidii </it>comprises three lineages (MEP, SWP and SH) based on the results of molecular variance analysis (AMOVA) and phylogenetic analyses. The results of a STRUCTURE analysis reveal multi-hierarchical population structure in <it>M. davidii</it>. Nuclear and mitochondrial genetic markers reveal different levels of gene flow among populations. In the case of mtDNA, populations adhere to an isolation-by-distance model, whereas the individual assignment test reveals considerable gene flow between populations. MDIV analysis indicate that the split of the MEP and SWP/SH lineages, and from the SWP and SH lineages were at 201 ka BP and 158 ka BP, respectively. The results of a mismatch distribution analysis and neutrality tests indicate a population expansion event at 79.17 ka BP and 69.12 ka BP in MEP and SWP, respectively.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The complex demographic history, discontinuous extant distribution of haplotypes, and multiple-hierarchy population structure of <it>M. davidii </it>appear associated with climatic oscillations, topography and eco-environmental variation of China. Additionally, the three regions are genetically differentiated from one another in the entire sample set. The degree of genetic differentiation, based on the analysis of mtDNA and nDNA, suggests a male-mediated gene flow among populations. Refuges were in the MEP, SH and the lower elevations of SWP regions. This study also provides insights for conservation management units (MEP, SWP and SH).</p

Surface-enhanced Raman Spectroscopy Facilitates the Detection of Microplastics &lt; 1 μm in the Environment

Micro- and nanoplastics are considered one of the top pollutants that threaten the environment, aquatic life and mammalian (including human) health. Unfortunately, the development of uncomplicated but reliable analytical methods that are sensitive to individual microplastic particles, with sizes smaller than 1 μm, remains incomplete. Here, we demonstrate the detection and identification of (single) micro- and nanoplastics, by using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), with Klarite substrates. Klarite is an exceptional SERS substrate; it is shaped as a dense grid of inverted pyramidal cavities, made of gold. Numerical simulations demonstrate that these cavities (or pits) strongly focus incident light into intense hotspots. We show that Klarite has the potential to facilitate the detection and identification of synthesized and atmospheric/aquatic microplastic (single) particles, with sizes down to 360 nm. We find enhancement factors of up to two orders of magnitude for polystyrene analytes. In addition, we detect and identify microplastics with sizes down to 450 nm on Klarite, with samples extracted from ambient, airborne particles. Moreover, we demonstrate Raman mapping as a fast detection technique for sub-micron microplastic particles. The results show that SERS with Klarite is a facile technique that has the potential to detect and systematically measure nanoplastics in the environment. This research is an important step towards detecting nanoscale plastic particles that may cause toxic effects to mammalian and aquatic life when present in high concentrations

Cytoreductive Surgery and Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy for Pseudomyxoma Peritonei of Appendiceal Origin - 801 Cases from a Single Institution in China

Aim: As more and more centers has published their treatment results ofpseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP) with cytoreductive surgery (CRS) andhyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC), the data from Chinais missing. Myxoma Department of Aerospace Hospital is the biggestcenter treating PMP in China. The purpose of this study is to report theearly and long-term outcomes for PMP from this single center. Methods:801 appendix-derived PMP out of 1008 consecutive patients treated inMyxoma Department of Aerospace Hospital between 2008 and 2019 wereretrospectively analyzed. Results: Complete cytoreductive surgery (CCRS)was achieved in 240 (30%) patients with median PCI of 14(1~39), andthe rest had maximal tumor debulking (MTD), HIPEC was implementedin 96.3% of CCRS and 78.6% of MTD. The major morbidity (gradeIII/IV) was 11.4% and the 30-day operative mortality is 0.7%. The 5-and 10-year OS of CCRS was 76.9% and 64.1%, which is significantlyhigher than MTD (5-, 10-year OS as 36.1%, 27.1%; p20, MTD, high pathologic grade and without HIPECwere independent factors predicting poorer prognosis. Conclusions: CCRS+HIPEC can benefit PMP well with controllable risks. MTD+HIPEC maybenefit PMP as well when CCRS cannot be achieved after fully asscessmentby an experienced peritoneal maglignacy center, but the surgery should beperformed as limited as possible

Reactive air wetting and brazing of Al2O3 ceramics using Ag–Nb2O5 filler: Performance and interfacial behavior

We firstly performed the reactive air wetting and brazing of Al2O3 ceramics using Ag–(0.5‒12)Nb2O5 fillers, where Nb2O5 can react with liquid Ag and O2 from air to generate AgNbO3. The contact angle of the Ag–Nb2O5/Al2O3 system almost linearly decreases from ~71.6° to 32.5° with the Nb2O5 content increasing, and the joint shear strength reaches the maximum of ~65.1 MPa while employing the Ag–4Nb2O5 filler, which are mainly related to the formation and distribution of the AgNbO3 phase at the interface. Moreover, the interfacial bonding and electronic properties of related interfaces were investigated by first-principles calculations. The calculated works of adhesion (Wa) of Ag(111)/Ag–O–AgNbO3(001) and AgNbO3(001)/Al2O3(100) interfaces are higher than that of the Ag(111)/Al2O3(110) interface, indicating good reliability of the Ag/AgNbO3/Al2O3 structure. The relatively large interfacial charge transfer indicates the formation of Ag–Ag, Al–O, and Ag–O bonds in the Ag/AgNbO3/Al2O3 structure, which can contribute to the interfacial bonding