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Lilacs (Syringa L.), a group of well-known ornamental and aromatic woody plants, have long been used for gardening, essential oils and medicine purposes in East Asia and Europe. The lack of knowledge about the complete genome of Syringa not only hampers effort to better understand its evolutionary history, but also prevents genome-based functional gene mining that can help in the variety improvement and medicine development. Here, a chromosome-level genome of Syringa oblata is presented, which has a size of 1.12 Gb including 53 944 protein coding genes. Synteny analysis revealed that a recent duplication event and parallel evolution of two subgenomes formed the current karyotype. Evolutionary analysis, transcriptomics and metabolic profiling showed that segment and tandem duplications contributed to scent formation in the woody aromatic species. Moreover, phylogenetic analysis indicated that S. oblata shared a common ancestor with Osmanthus fragrans and Olea europaea approximately 27.61 million years ago (Mya). Biogeographic reconstruction based on a resequenced data set of 26 species suggested that Syringa originated in the northern part of East Asia during the Miocene (approximately 14.73 Mya) and that the five Syringa groups initially formed before the Late Miocene (approximately 9.97 Mya). Furthermore, multidirectional dispersals accompanied by gene introgression among Syringa species from Northern China during the Miocene were detected by biogeographic reconstruction. Taken together, the results showed that complex gene introgression, which occurred during speciation history, greatly contributed to Syringa diversity.

In the process of urbanization, a brisk building boom triggers a series of environmental problems. Construction contractors usually present environmentally fraudulent behaviors, i.e., greenwashing behaviors (GWBs), to legitimize their activities, ultimately hindering the sustainable development of the society. However, the formation mechanism of the contractors' GWBs is still unclear. Through the lens of fraud GONE theory (i.e., greed, opportunity, needs, and exposure), this study applies the multi-group structural equation model (SEM) and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to examine the formation mechanisms of GWBs. The results of SEM show the relationships between four fraud factors and GWBs. Additionally, the projects are grouped into three categories: government investment projects, private-public-partnership (PPP) projects, and private investment projects. The results of multi-group SEM reveal that the effects of four fraud factors differ significantly across projects with different investment characteristics. The results of fsQCA suggest that there are three typical driving mechanisms for GWBs. Furthermore, this study develops a project information transparency framework and a "greenwashing tree" to form a systematic understanding of GWBs. Finally, on these bases, this study provides targeted suggestions and policy recommendations for governing contractors' GWBs.

PurposeOrganizational citizenship behaviors for the environment (OCBEs) represent a crucial element of environmental sustainability for a wide range of organizations. However, the leadership mechanisms underlying OCBEs are as yet unexplored, particularly regarding the delivering megaprojects. The paper aims to investigate how transformational leadership (TFL) and transactional leadership (TSL) styles shape the environmental commitment (EC) of subordinates, motivating OCBEs in megaprojects.Design/methodology/approachPartial least squares modeling and hierarchical regression were performed on data obtained from 140 experts who have been involved in megaprojects.FindingsBoth TFL and TSL styles are effective in motivating OCBEs, although the EC of subordinates partially mediates these relationships. The power distance (PD) orientation significantly moderates the relationship between TFL and OCBEs, with the relationship being more positive when the PD of subordinates is lower. Unexpectedly, a collectivist orientation (CO) was found to elevate the effect of TSL but weaken the effect of TFL.Originality/valueThe mixed and contradictory findings regarding TFL and TSL styles are reconciled in the current study by integrating the contextual factors of PD and CO. The findings of the study shed new light on “playing the cards right” when using the leadership practices, i.e. how leadership can be better leveraged to cultivate subordinates' OCBEs. They also provide targeted guidance for shaping contextual factors to increase the environmental sustainability of megaprojects.

Cultural intelligence can effectively solve cross-cultural problems, which encourages contractors to adapt to the new international market environment. However, in international projects, the effectiveness of cultural intelligence can be complicated or moderated by the host country’s institutional environment. This study explores the impact of cultural intelligence on the performance of international construction projects and the moderating effect of institutional distance, then compares the differences between Chinese contractors and Korean contractors. In this paper, eleven hypotheses were proposed, and an empirical analysis was conducted to test the hypotheses and measure the impact of cultural intelligence on the performance of international construction projects and the moderating effect of institutional distance. The results from 144 valid questionnaires indicated that process capability and path capability in cultural intelligence have a significant positive impact on the performance of international construction projects, while formal institutional distance can positively moderate the relationship between position capability and international construction project performance. Moreover, Chinese and Korean contractors display significant differences in the moderating role of institutional distance. These findings provide theoretical support and strategic suggestions for not only contractors in China and Korea but for all international contractors seeking to improve project performance through cultural intelligence and institutional distance.

Background Critical illness is associated with cognitive, physical, and psychological impairments; however, evidence of the severity and frequency of impairments in Chinese survivors of mechanical ventilation in an intensive care unit (ICU) remains limited. Our aim was to investigate the incidence and severity of impairments in Chinese survivors of mechanical ventilation in ICU and to explore risk factors influencing specific impairments. Methods Patients discharged alive after mechanical ventilation in a large general ICU for ≥2 days were enrolled in this single-center cross-sectional study. Survivors were evaluated using measures of functional disability (Activity of Daily Living Scale), and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD, The Impact of Event Scale-Revised) via telephone interview. Multivariable analysis was conducted. Results Data were obtained from 130 consenting survivors. At follow-up (mean: 19.64 months), among those in part-time or full-time employment prior to admission, only 45.1% had returned to work. Further, 29.2% of survivors had clear disabilities affecting daily living. Deficits in activities of daily living (ADL) were mainly characterized by impairment of instrumental ADL. Predictors of ADL in mechanically ventilated survivors included age, ICU admission diagnosis, and Acute Physiology And Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) score, which accounted for 33.5% of total variance. Furthermore, 17.7% of participants had symptoms consistent with PTSD. ICU length of stay was the only predictor of PTSD, and accounted for 7.5% of total variance. Conclusions ICU survivors of mechanical ventilation in China face negative impacts on employment, and commonly have ADL impairment and PTSD. Age, ICU admission diagnosis, and APACHE II score were key factors influencing ADL, while ICU length of stay was the only factor affecting PTSD. These findings suggest that some survivors who have had certain exposures may warrant closer follow-up, and systematic interventions for these high-risk survivors should be developed in China.

To describe the long-term outcomes of intensive care unit (ICU) survivors of mechanical ventilation, and investigate the views of survivors on ICU rehabilitation clinics.A single-center cross-sectional descriptive study was designed. ICU survivors of mechanical ventilation admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University from January to December 2016 were enrolled. Data were collected from August 2017 to March 2018. The general information questionnaire, Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) and ICU rehabilitation clinics questionnaire were used to evaluate ICU survivors social-demographic factors, social and economic outcomes, clinical data, quality of life and the views on ICU rehabilitation clinics.A total of 248 ICU survivors of mechanical ventilation were included in the study, 130 (52.4%) of them were followed up successfully. The mean time from ICU discharge to follow-up day was (19.64±3.20) months. The average age of the survivors was (60.09±15.42) years old, and 55.4% of them were over 60 years old. Among 130 ICU survivors, severe pneumonia was the dominant ICU admission diagnosis (23.1%), followed by surgical operations (cardiac surgery 16.9%, other surgical operations 20.8%), lung transplantation (13.1%), and acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD, 12.3%), etc. The first APACHE II score after ICU admission was 16.88±7.37, the mechanical ventilation time was (12.52±12.34) days, and the length of ICU stay was (16.71±15.11) days. In terms of social and economic outcomes, the proportion of having full-time or part-time jobs decreased from 32.3% (42/130) before ICU admission to 25.4% (33/130) by the date of follow-up, while the unemployed rate increased from 6.9% (9/130) to 18.5% (24/130). Only 45.1% (23/51) of the ICU survivors returned to the post before ICU admission. 36.2% (47/130) of the ICU survivors reported that they needed care from others, and 86.9% (113/130) reported that their treatment experiences in ICU had an impact on their lives. In terms of quality of life, physiological function dimension, which was 34.62±33.15, scored the lowest and suffered the most. The physical pain dimension and mental health dimension suffered the least, and the scores were 90.19±16.98 and 75.28±15.15, respectively. Furthermore, physical component summary (PCS) score was 61.12±17.09, and mental component summary (MCS) score was 65.97±21.85. In terms of the views of ICU rehabilitation clinics, 68.5% (89/130) of the subjects believed that the establishment of ICU rehabilitation clinics was very helpful or helpful.The long-term outcomes of ICU survivors of mechanical ventilation are not optimistic. Their quality of life is lower than that of general people. It is necessary to set up ICU rehabilitation clinics.

Since the financial crisis in 2008, the international construction market has shown a relatively weak state of development. Along with China’s “Belt and Road Initiative,” an increasing numb...

Biological safety of hot water is important, and it is affected by pipeline material to a certain degree. Polypropylene random (PPR), polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and stainless steel (SS) are the common materials for pipelines in domestic hot water systems (DHWS), and biofilm growth characteristics, and biofilm microbial communities and biological diversity on the walls of pipelines are affected by the pipeline materials to a certain extent. In this paper, the effects of different materials on the growth characteristics and diversity of microbial communities were studied. The results showed that after about 60 days, the bacteria of the biofilm on the wall of pipelines completed a microbial growth cycle. Compared with PPR and SS, a greater amount of the total number of bacteria, Escherichia coli and heterotrophic plate count (HPC) attached to the PVC pipeline. Although the types of bacteria on the pipelines were similar, the proportions of species were different. Proteobacteria were the dominant bacteria at the phylum level on all the walls of the PPR, PVC and SS pipelines, and the dominant bacteria at the genus level changed before and after the exfoliation of biofilm. Some potential pathogens, such as Pseudomonas and Legionella, were detected in biofilm, so effective biofilm disinfection should be considered to ensure biological safety in DHWS.

The endangered status and narrow distribution in Syringa pinnatifolia , a sub-alpine shrub species, were primarily caused by its poor drought adaptation related to its lower degree of physiological adjustment despite its greater degree of morphological plasticity. Although deep rooting is usually considered a drought-tolerant trait, we found that Syringa pinnatifolia, a deep rooting and hydrotropic shrub, has a limited distribution in arid areas. To elucidate the mechanisms for its narrow distribution, we conducted two experiments to examine the physiological and morphological responses to water availability and heterogeneity in S. pinnatifolia and a widespread congeneric species, S. oblata. We measured gas exchange, water use efficiency, and plasticity index in plants of these two species grown at different levels of soil water regimes and in containers with patched water distribution. Our results showed that high photosynthetic capacity in the narrowly distributed S. pinnatifolia was an important factor enabling its survival in the harsh sub-alpine environment. High photosynthetic capacity in S. pinnatifolia, however, was obtained at the expense of high transpiratory water loss, resulting in lower integrative water use efficiency. Biomass allocation to roots in S. pinnatifolia increased by 73 % when soil water increased from 75 to 95 % field capacity, suggesting that S. pinnatifolia could be less competitive for above-ground resources under favorable water regimes. The horizontal root hydrotropism and vertical root hydrotropism of S. pinnatifolia in soil with patched water patterns were likely related to compensation for leaf water loss at low soil water level, indicating a limited capacity for homeostasis within the plant for water conservation and lower level of inherent drought-tolerance. In summary, greater degree of morphological plasticity but lower degree of physiological adjustment may be the main causes for the hydrotropism and narrow distribution of S. pinnatifolia in the sub-alpine habitats.

The inspiratory pressure is often set by tolerance of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patient during noninvasive pressure support ventilation (PSV). However, physiological effects of this setting remain unclear. This study was undertaken to assess the physiological effect of highest tolerated assist level on COPD patient. The baseline inspiratory pressure (PS) was titrated by tolerance in 15 severe COPD patients with hypercapnia during acute exacerbation. In addition to the baseline PS, an additional decrease by 25% (PS− = 75% PS) or increase by 25% (PS+ = 125% PS) of PS was applied to the patients. Each level lasted at least 20 minutes. Respiratory rate (RR), tidal volume (Vt), inspiratory effort (PTPpesin/min), and neuro-ventilatory coupling (VE/RMS%) were measured. Asynchrony Index (AI) was calculated. The Vt and VE/RMS% were significantly increased by PS level (Vt: 561 ± 102 ml, VE/RMS%: 1.06 ± 0.42 L/%, comfort score: 7.5 ± 1.1). The inspiratory muscles were sufficiently unloaded (PTPpesin/min 56.67 ± 32.71 cmH2O.S/min). In comparison with PS, PS+ resulted in a further increase in Vt, VE/RMS% and AI (P < 0.01), with no further reduction in neural drive (RMS) and respiratory muscle activity (P > 0.05). Increasing inspiratory pressure significantly enhances the VE/RMS% and Vt. However, the inspiratory pressure higher than COPD patient's most tolerated level cannot lead to further reduction in respiratory muscle load and RMS, but more asynchrony events. Physiological data can monitor the patient's responses and the ventilator-patient interaction, which may provide objective criterion to ventilator setting.

Rare earth elements (REEs) make unique and vital contributions to our current world of technology. Separating and recycling REEs is of great importance to diversify the sources of REEs and advance the efficient use of REE resources when the supply is limited. In light of separation nanotechnology, diethylenetriamine-pentaacetic acid (DTPA) functionalized magnetic nanosorbents have been synthesized and investigated for the highly selective extraction of heavy (Sm-Ho) and light (La-Nd) lanthanides (Ln) from aqueous solutions. The results demonstrated that the separation factor (SF) between heavy-Ln and light-Ln groups reached the maximal value of 11.5 at low pH value of 2.0 in 30 min. For example, the SFs of Gd/La and Dy/La pairs were up to 10 times higher than that reported by other studies. Besides the excellent selectivity, our double-coated magnetic nanoparticles coupled with diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (dMNP-DTPA) nanosorbents are more advantageous in that the Ln(III) sorption was effectively and quickly (in 30 min) achieved in acid solutions with pH values as low as 2.0. Such attributes ensure a stronger adaptability to the harsh environments of REE recycling processes. Displacement phenomena were subsequently observed between the heavy-Ln and light-Ln ions that were coexisting in solution and competing for the same sorption sites, causing the increase in sorption capacity of heavy Ln on the surface of nanosorbents with time. The order of affinity of Ln(III) to DTPA-functionalized magnetic nanosorbents perfectly followed the corresponding stability constants between Ln(III) and nonimmobilized DTPA. Displacement phenomena and lanthanide contraction, as well as the surface nanostructures of DTPA-functionalized nanosorbents, significantly improved the separation factors of heavy-Ln/light-Ln pairs. The Ln(III) interaction with DTPA-functionalized magnetic nanosorbents followed the pseudo-second-order kinetics with a correlation coefficient extremely high and close to unity.

Megaprojects are booming worldwide, and are having a significant impact on social and economic developments (e.g., immigrant settlement, poverty eradication, and public health) as well as the natural environment (e.g., ecological processes and biodiversity). Sustainability is, therefore, an important concern in the realm of megaprojects. Previous studies have attempted to explore this issue from various and disparate perspectives. As yet, there has been no comprehensive quantitative review of research on megaproject sustainability. Hence, in this study, a scientometric review was conducted of 134 papers that present hybrid approaches (e.g., document statistics, GPS visualization, co-occurrence analysis, and cluster network), with the aim of providing an accurate and holistic summary of this realm. These research documents on megaproject sustainability are classified into six categories according to their focuses, including mega event, socio economic, growth coalition, environmental licensing, tension points, and the private sector. On this basis, a 3P framework (i.e., purpose, people, and process) is established to showcase a road map for sustainable megaproject development. This study provides researchers, developers, and policymakers with a systematic and in-depth understanding of global sustainability research in megaproject management.

The Arabidopsis vacuolar H(+)-pyrophosphatase (AVP1) has been well studied and subsequently employed to improve salt and/or drought resistance in herbaceous plants. However, the exact function of H(+)-pyrophosphatase in woody plants still remains unknown. In this work, we cloned a homolog of type I H(+)-pyrophosphatase gene, designated as PtVP1.1, from Populus trichocarpa, and investigated its function in both Arabidopsis and poplar. The deduced translation product PtVP1.1 shares 89.74% identity with AVP1. Semi-quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and quantitative real-time PCR analyses revealed a ubiquitous expression pattern of PtVP1.1 in various tissues, including roots, stems, leaves and shoot tips. Heterologous expression of PtVP1.1 rescued the retarded-root-growth phenotype of avp1, an Arabidopsis knock out mutant of AVP1, on low carbohydrate medium. Overexpression of PtVP1.1 in poplar (P. davidiana × P. bolleana) led to more vigorous growth of transgenic plants in the presence of 150 mM NaCl. Microsomal membrane vesicles derived from PtVP1.1 transgenic plants exhibited higher H(+)-pyrophosphatase hydrolytic activity than those from wild type (WT). Further studies indicated that the improved salt tolerance was associated with a decreased Na(+) and increased K(+) accumulation in the leaves of transgenic plants. Na(+) efflux and H(+) influx in the roots of transgenic plants were also significantly higher than those in the WT plants. All these results suggest that PtVP1.1 is a functional counterpart of AVP1 and can be genetically engineered for salt tolerance improvement in trees.

The joint effect on the growth of wheat seedlings under Cd2+ stress (0, 0.5 mmol L−1) and [C2mim][OAc] with a series of concentrations (0, 100, 200, 300, 400, 500 mg L−1) was investigated. Physiological characteristics including superoxide dismutases, peroxidases, catalase and malondialdehyde were studied in hydroponic and soil cultures. Results indicated that, compared to samples treated under Cd2+ stress alone, joint treatment groups showed Cd2+ stress was mitigated by ionic liquid at appropriate concentrations (≤400 mg L−1 in hydroponic treatments and ≤300 mg L−1 in soil culture treatments). Use of inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy showed less Cd2+ in organelles in the joint treatment group. This phenomenon could be due to [C2mim][OAc] forming metal complexes with Cd2+, thus reducing the amount of free Cd2+ available for absorption by the seedlings.

A novel nanotechnology for the separation of radioactive waste that uses magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) conjugated with actinide specific chelators (MNP-Che) is reviewed with a focus on design and process development. The MNP-Che separation process is an effective way of separating heat generating minor actinides (Np, Am, Cm) from spent nuclear fuel solution to reduce the radiological hazard. It utilizes coated MNPs to selectively adsorb the contaminants onto their surfaces, after which the loaded particles are collected using a magnetic field. The MNP-Che conjugates can be recycled by stripping contaminates into a separate, smaller volume of solution, and then become the final waste form for disposal after reusing number of times. Due to the highly selective chelators, this remediation method could be both simple and versatile while allowing the valuable actinides to be recovered and recycled. Key issues standing in the way of large-scale application are stability of the conjugates and their dispersion in solution to maintain their unique properties, especially large surface area, of MNPs. With substantial research progress made on MNPs and their surface functionalization, as well as development of environmentally benign chelators, this method could become very flexible and cost-effective for recycling used fuel. Finally, the development of this nanotechnology is summarized and its future direction is discussed.

NAC domain transcription factors are important regulators that activate the secondary wall biosynthesis in wood formation. In this work, we investigated the possible functions of an NAC family member SECONDARY WALL-ASSOCIATED NAC DOMAIN PROTEIN2 (PtSND2) using chimeric repressor silencing technology. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, subcellular localization and transcriptional activation analyses indicated that PtSND2 is a wood-associated transcriptional factor with the predicted transcriptional activation activity, which could be inhibited by the repression domain SUPERMAN REPRESSION DOMAIN X (SRDX) in yeast. Wood formation was severely repressed in transgenic poplar plants overexpressing PtSND2-SRDX. Meanwhile, the secondary cell wall thickness of xylem fibers was restrained, and the contents of cellulose and lignin were obviously decreased in the stems of transgenic plants. Further studies indicated that expressions of a number of wood-associated genes were down-regulated in the stems of transgenic plants. Our results suggest that PtSND2 may play important roles during the secondary growth of stems in poplar.

A miniature multiplexer based on Film Bulk Acoustic Resonator (FBAR) is designed for Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) terminal combined 1900 MHz PCS duplexer with 800 MHz Cellular duplexer in this paper. FBAR multiplexer is simulated based on a new FBAR model which combines Mason equivalent circuit model with parasitics model. The parasitics, including RF pads, bonding wires and substrate coupling, have some effects on multiplexer insertion loss and stopband rejection. The methods of modifying bandwidth, improving power capacity and temperature coefficient are also discussed.

A novel low power, low phase noise CMOS oscillator based on thin film bulk acoustic resonator (FBAR) is submitted in this paper, which aims at application in wireless sensor networks. This oscillator is designed as current-reuse configuration to reduce power dissipation. The simulation results show that the oscillator operating at 1.878 GHz consumes 1.8 mW with a low supply voltage of 900 mV. That is only a half of power consumption of the conventional topologies. Moreover, its phase noises are -107 dBc/Hz and -135 dBc/Hz at 10 kHz and 100 kHz offsets respectively, and its FOM is -238 dBc/Hz.

Film bulk acoustic resonator (FBAR) is widely used as an individual component RF filter in RF circuit because of its very high Q factor and low temperature coefficient. However, the RF pads and bonding wires of FBAR component will lower its Q factor. This effect is modeled by a new model named as PMBVD based on the traditional modified Butterworth-Van Dyke (MBVD) model in this paper. PMBVD model can describe FBAR individual component more exactly than MBVD model, especially near FBAR operating frequency, as proved by test results. The influences by different kinds of RF pads are also analyzed based on PMBVD. The simulations based on PMBVD show that optimized RF pads can enhance whole device Q factor to meet demands.

The joint effect on the growth of wheat seedlings under Cd(2+) stress (0, 0.5 mmol L(-1)) and [C2mim][OAc] with a series of concentrations (0, 100, 200, 300, 400, 500 mg L(-1)) was investigated. Physiological characteristics including superoxide dismutases, peroxidases, catalase and malondialdehyde were studied in hydroponic and soil cultures. Results indicated that, compared to samples treated under Cd(2+) stress alone, joint treatment groups showed Cd(2+) stress was mitigated by ionic liquid at appropriate concentrations (≤ 400 mg L(-1) in hydroponic treatments and ≤ 300 mg L(-1) in soil culture treatments). Use of inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy showed less Cd(2+) in organelles in the joint treatment group. This phenomenon could be due to [C2mim][OAc] forming metal complexes with Cd(2+), thus reducing the amount of free Cd(2+) available for absorption by the seedlings.

Silica coated iron oxide (SiO 2 /Fe 3 O 4 + γ- Fe 2 O 3 ) nanoparticles (SIO-NPs; 75±10 nm in diameter) were prepared by encapsulation of iron oxide NPs with silica using sol-gel method and characterized through spectroscopy methods. The SIO NPs were chemically activated by cyanogens bromide and then functionalized with Escherichia coli ( E. coli ) antibodies. These immuno-magnetic (IM NPs) were used to capture and concentrate E. coli from ~ 180 cfu/ mL suspension. The identification of bacteria was performed by plating on nutrient agar, fluorescent microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) was used to identify different biomolecules of bacterial cell upon the interaction of colloidal silver nanoparticle (Ag NPs 6±4 nm) at different period of time. In our previous report we demonstrated the antibacterial property of colloidal Ag NPs. Therefore, current approach, using IM, and Ag NPs and SERS, provide detailed molecular identification of E. coli as Ag NPs interact over the time. This method would be applicable for food safety, environment protection, biological threat material, antibacterial and other routine E. coli identification projects.

Summary Rhus typhina L. (staghorn sumac) is a clonal woody species that is considered potentially invasive in its non-native habitats. It is slow growing as seedlings, but grows fast once established. Its growth in the early stages is limited by many abiotic factors, including light intensity. To evaluate its potential of becoming invasive in areas it has been introduced into, we conducted a field experiment to investigate the effects of light intensity on the physiology and growth of R. typhina. Two-month-old R. typhina seedlings were examined under five light levels, that is, 100% full sunlight (unlimited light), moderate stress (50% or 25% of full sunlight) and severe stress (10% or 5% of full sunlight), for 60 days in Hunshandak Sandland, China. Net photosynthetic rate (PN) was reduced significantly under severe light stress, but PN of the moderately stressed seedlings was unaffected. Light stress also led to a reduction in saturated light intensity of the moderately stressed seedlings by 20% and of the severely stressed seedlings by 40%, although the light saturation points were as high as 800 and 600 lmol m � 2 s � 1 for the moderately and severely stressed seedlings, respectively. Under severe light stress, the maximum quantum yield of Photosystem II (Fv/Fm) decreased significantly, but the minimal fluorescence yield (F0) increased compared to that of the control plants. The number of newly produced leaves and the stem height, however, decreased as the light intensity became lower. Root length and leaf area decreased, whereas specific leaf area significantly increased as light became increasingly lower. Biomass production was significantly reduced by light stress, but the allocation pattern was unaffected. Our results demonstrated that R. typhina seedlings can survive low light and grow well in other light conditions. The physiology and growth of R. typhina will likely enable it to acclimate to varying light conditions in Hunshandak Sandland, where R. typhina has been widely cultivated for sand stabilization and other purposes. Because of its ability to tolerate low light and to compete aggressively for light resource once established, that is, becoming invasive, we urge caution when it comes to introducing R. typhina into its non-native habitats, despite its many ecological benefits.

In this paper, we present a novel method to render colorful 3D fractals based on so-called color-control sphere (CSS) and our improved escape-time algorithm. In the method, each point, called parameter point, in parameter domain is first judged whether it is an escape-point or not by an iteration loop, under the governing of a discrete dynamic system. Once the iteration loop is exited, an orbiting point corresponding to the parameter point is then mapped to a mapped-point in CCS and the distance from the mapped-point to the center of CCS is evaluated. Subsequently, a color for rendering the parameter point can be obtained by employing a predefined color-control function in CCS with respect to the distance. Finally, all surface points, which are taken as a set of initial points of the discrete dynamic system, of arbitrary shape embedded in the parameter domain are rendered with their corresponding colors. As a result, a pseudo-3D fractal can be archived on the 3D surface.

Surface functionalized magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) are appealing candidates for analytical separation of heavy metal ions from waste water and separation of actinides from spent nuclear fuel. This work studies the separation dynamics and investigates the appropriate magnetic-field gradients. A dynamic study of colloidal MNPs was performed for steady-state flow. Measurements were conducted to record the separation time of particles as a function of magnetic field gradient. The drag and magnetic forces play a significant role on the separation time. A drop in saturation magnetization and variation of particle size occurs after surface functionalization of the MNPs; these are the primary factors that affect the separation time and velocity of the MNPs. The experimental results are correlated to a theoretical one-dimensional model.