Enabling citizen participation with the planning support system: Empirical evidence from crowdsourcing greenway planning

Urban greenways are closely related to public interests, such as outdoor recreation, environmental quality, and public health; thus, public participation is regarded as one of the key strategies for effective greenway planning. The recent development of the communicative Planning Support Systems (PSS), which are GIS-based platforms for supporting planning tasks, has provided new opportunities for the public to give feedback, communicate with decision-makers, and contribute to optimal greenway planning outcomes. This research explores the enabling factors of PSS exemplified by the Wuhan Crowdsourcing Planning Platform, which was first experimented with the municipal greenway planning program. Through in-depth interviews and platform information, we find that the user-friendliness of the platform, the awareness-raising and mobilization of citizens, and the process management are the three most important factors that enable the acceptance and application of the platform

Do the Characteristics of Independent Directors and Supervisory Board Members Matter in China?

This paper investigates and compares the characteristics of independent directors and supervisory board members in Chinese listed firms. The occupational backgrounds of independent directors and supervisory board members in listed firms are very different. Besides, different firms have different preferences in employing independent directors and supervisory board members according to their demands. Moreover, the empirical results show that characteristics of independent directors and supervisory board members have no clear relationship with firm performance. No matter their professional backgrounds or age, the independent directors and supervisory board members do not have the authority to affect the decision making process of management. Thus they cannot really contribute to firm performance

Improved Statistical Analysis for Array CGH-Based DNA Copy Number Aberrations

Array-based comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) allows measuring DNA copy number at the whole genome scale. In cancer studies, one may be interested in identifying DNA copy number aberrations (CNAs) associated with certain clinicopathological characteristics such as cancer metastasis. We proposed to define test regions based on copy number pattern profiles across multiple samples, using either smoothed log2-ratio or discrete data of copy number gain/loss calls. Association test performed on the refined test regions instead of the probes has improved power due to reduced number of tests. We also compared three types of measurement of copy number levels, normalized log2-ratio, smoothed log2-ratio, and copy number gain or loss calls in statistical hypothesis testing. The relative strengths and weaknesses of the proposed method were demonstrated using both simulation studies and real data analysis of a liver cancer study

Characteristics of trace metals in marine aerosols and their source identification over the Southern Ocean

Atmospheric trace metals (Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb, Fe, V, and Cr), As, Al and Na in marine aerosols were studied over the Southern Ocean during the 28th Chinese National Antarctic Research Expedition. Fe was the most abundant of the analyzed trace metals, with an average concentration of 28.824 ng∙m-3. V and Zn concentrations were also high, and their average concentrations were 5.541 ng∙m-3 and 2.584 ng∙m-3, respectively. Although sea spray significantly influenced the marine aerosol particles measured (Na had the highest concentrations of the analyzed elements, with an average concentration of 2.65 μg∙m-3), multivariate analyses (enrichment factor and principal components analysis) indicated that most of the elements were not associated with oceanic sources. Over the Southern Ocean, Fe, Cd, As, Al and Cr in the aerosols mainly originated from crustal sources, while Cu, Pb, V and Zn originated from crustal sources and anthropogenic emissions. The enrichment factors (EFcrust) for most elements (Fe, Al, As, Cr, Cd, Cu and V) were much lower in the northern latitudes, indicating that when the sampling occurred closer to land the concentrations of these elements in aerosols were strongly affected by terrestrial crustal sources

Bronchoscopic ethanol injection combined with cryotherapy is an effective treatment for benign airway stenosis caused by endotracheal intubation or tracheotomyc

The benign tracheal stenosis is a challenge in interventional pulmonary disease. Bronchoscopic ethanol injection (BEI) is always used in airway stenosis caused by malignant tracheal tumor. The efficacy and safety of BEI in benign airway stenosis has not been studied before. To compare the safety and efficacy between bronchoscopic icryotherapy and BEI combined with bronchoscopic cryotherapy in the treatment of benign tracheal stenosis. A retrospective study included 61 patients with tracheal stenosis caused by endotracheal intubation and tracheotomy from July 2010 to June 2015 was made. 33 patients received repeated bronchoscopic cryotherapy alone were in Group A, 29 patients underwent repeated cryotherapy combined with BEI were in Group B. Dyspnea index, tracheal diameter were collected before and after treatment. Efficacy and complications were compared in two groups. The changes of tracheal diameter, dyspnea index were significant before and after treatment in both groups (P < 0.05). The long-term cure rate was higher in group B than that in group A (100% vs 84.8%). The average duration for dilated airway stable was much shorter in group B than group A (166±28 days vs 278±32 days, P < 0.05). The average cryotherapy session performed in group B was significantly less than that in group A (22.1±4.7 vs 34.9±6.5, P < 0.05). Meanwhile the complications in group A were seldom, the incidence of complications related to BEI were low in group B (mild chest pain 7.1%, bleeding 3.6% and cough 10.7%). BEI combined with bronchoscopic cryotherapy is an effective minimally invasive choice for releasing the airway obstructive symptoms

Chiral Recognition of Hydantoin Derivatives Enabled by Tetraaza Macrocyclic Chiral Solvating Agents using \u3csup\u3e1\u3c/sup\u3eH NMR Spectroscopy

Enantiomers of a series of hydantoin derivatives were prepared from d- and l-amino acids with p-tolyl isocyanate and 3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl isocyanate as guests for chiral recognition by 1H NMR spectroscopy. Meanwhile, several tetraaza macrocyclic compounds were synthesized as chiral solvating agents from d-phenylalanine and (1S,2S)-(+)-1,2-diaminocyclohexane. An uncommon enantiomeric discrimination has been successfully established for hydantoin derivatives, representatives of five-membered N,N-heterocycles, in the presence of tetraaza macrocyclic chiral solvating agents (TAMCSAs) 1a-1c by means of 1H NMR spectroscopy. Several unprecedented nonequivalent chemical shifts (up to 1.309 ppm) were observed in the split 1H NMR spectra. To evaluate practical applications in the determination of enantiomeric excess (ee), the ee values of samples with different optical purities (up to 95% ee) were accurately calculated by the integration of relevant proton peaks. To better understand the chiral discriminating behavior, Job plots of (±)-G1 with TAMCSA 1a were investigated. Furthermore, in order to further explore any underlying intermolecular hydrogen bonding interactions, theoretical calculations of the enantiomers of (S)-G1 and (R)-G1 with TAMCSA 1a were performed by means of the hybrid density functional theory (B3LYP/6-31G*) of the Gaussian 16 program

Exploring the plankton bacteria diversity and distribution patterns in the surface water of northwest pacific ocean by metagenomic methods

The study of marine microbial communities is crucial for comprehending the distribution patterns, adaptations to the environment, and the functioning of marine microorganisms. Despite being one of the largest biomes on Earth, the bacterioplankton communities in the Northwest Pacific Ocean (NWPO) remain understudied. In this research, we aimed to investigate the structure of the surface bacterioplankton communities in different water masses of the NWPO. We utilized metagenomic sequencing techniques and cited previous 16S rRNA data to explore the distribution patterns of bacterioplankton in different seasons. Our results revealed that Cyanobacteria, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Actinobacteria dominated the microbial communities, accounting for over 95% of the total. During spring, we observed significant differentiation in community structure between the different water masses. For instance, Prochlorococcus and Pseudoalteromonas were primarily distributed in the nutrient-deficient subtropical countercurrent zone, while Flavobacteriaceae and Rhodobacteraceae were found in the Kuroshio-Oyashio mixing zone. During summer, the surface planktonic bacteria communities became homogenized across regions, with Cyanobacteria becoming the dominant group (68.6% to 84.9% relative abundance). The metabolic processes of the microorganisms were dominated by carbohydrate metabolism, followed by amino acid transport and metabolism. However, there was a low relative abundance of functional genes involved in carbohydrate metabolism in the Kuroshio-Oyashio mixing zone. The metagenomic data had assembled 37 metagenomic-assembled genomes (MAGs), which belong to Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Euryarchaeota. In conclusion, our findings highlight the diversity of the surface bacterioplankton community composition in the NWPO, and its distinct geographic distribution characteristics and seasonal variations

Diversity analysis of the rhizospheric and endophytic bacterial communities of Senecio vulgaris L. (Asteraceae) in an invasive range

Increasing evidence has confirmed the importance of plant-associated bacteria for plant growth and productivity, and thus it is hypothesized that interactions between bacteria and alien plants might play an important role in plant invasions. However, the diversity of the bacterial communities associated with invasive plants is poorly understood. We therefore investigated the diversity of rhizospheric and endophytic bacteria associated with the invasive annual plant Senecio vulgaris L. (Asteraceae) based on 16S rRNA gene data obtained from 57 samples of four Senecio vulgaris populations in a subtropical mountainous area in central China. Significant differences in diversity were observed between plant compartments. Specifically, the rhizosphere harbored many more bacterial operational taxonomic units and showed higher alpha diversity than the leaf and root endospheres. The relative abundance profiles of the bacterial community composition differed substantially between the compartments and populations, especially at the phylum and family levels. However, the top five phyla (Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, and Acidobacteria) accounted for more than 90% of all the bacterial communities. Moreover, similar endophytic communities with a shared core set of bacteria were observed from different Senecio vulgaris populations. Heavy-metal-resistant, phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (Brevundimonas diminuta), nitrogen-fixing bacteria (Rhizobium leguminosarum), and cold-resistant bacteria (Exiguobacterium sibiricum) were present in the endosphere at relatively high abundance. This study, which reveals the structure of bacterial communities and their putative function in invasive Senecio vulgaris plants, is the first step in investigating the role of plant–bacteria interactions in the invasion of this species in China