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Stroke is the first leading cause of mortality and disability worldwide, and post-stroke spasticity (PSS) is the common complication of stroke. Sangdantongluo Granule (Z20210481000), a modern patent Chinese medicine, is widely used in clinical practice to treat PSS. Whereas, there is limited evidence of effectiveness for Sangdantongluo Granule to treat PSS. This study will evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of Sangdantongluo granule in the treatment of PSS.and Analysis This multicenter, randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study will recruit 132 participants in China who develops PSS 15 days-90 days after stroke. Participants will be randomly assigned in an equal ratio to receive either Sangdantongluo granule or placebo for 2 months twice a day orally. The primary measure is the Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS), Secondary outcome measures include Composite Spasticity Scale (CSS), Simplified Fugl-Meyer Motor Scale (S-FM), National Institute of Health stroke scale (NIHSS), Modified Rankin Scale (mRS), Modified Barther Index (MBI), and Surface electromyography. Adverse events will be supervised throughout the trial. SPSS V. 26.0 statistical software will be used for statistical analysis. Enrolment will be started in April 2022.The trial and protocol were approved by the Ethics Committee of Hunan Academy of Chinese Medicine Affiliated Hospital (No. [202102]20). We will report the results of this trial in a peer-reviewed journal.ClinicalTrials.gov ChiCTR2100044544. Registered on 23 March 2021.

The mechanism and extent of changes in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from seasonal river-floodplain wetlands subjected to land-type conversion are unknown. We monitored GHG fluxes and characterized soil microbial communities in four types of wetland (Riverside lower-beach wetland (RLW), Riverside higher-beach wetland (RHW), Cultivated wetland (CW), Mesophytic wetland (MW)) in the Yellow River flood land. Results revealed that land reclamation activities altered the distribution patterns of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) in soil, as well as the structure and activities of microbial communities, leading to changes in the GHG emissions. Cumulative CO

Satellite-based precipitation estimates with high spatial and temporal resolution and large areal coverage have provided hydrologists a potential alternative source for hydrological applications since the last few years, especially for ungauged regions. This study evaluates five satellite-based precipitation datasets, namely, Fengyun, TRMM 3B42, TRMM 3B42RT, CMORPH_BLD and CMORPH_RAW, against gauge observations for streamflow simulation with a distributed hydrological model (SWAT) over the Huifa river basin, Northeast China. Results show that, by comparing the statistical indices (MA, M5P, STDE, ME, BIAS and CC) and inter-annual precipitation, it is demonstrated that Fengyun TRMM 3B42 and CMORPH_BLD show better agreement with gauge precipitation data than CMORPH_RAW and TRMM 3B42RT. When the SWAT model for each dataset calibrated and validated individually, satisfactory model performances (defined as: NS > 0.5) are achieved at daily scale for Fengyun, TRMM 3B42 and gauge-driven model, and very good performances (defined as: NS > 0.75) are achieved at monthly scale for Fengyun and gauge-driven model, respectively. The CMORPH_BLD forced daily simulations also yield higher values of NS and R2 than CMORPH_RAW and TRMM 3B42RT at daily and monthly step. From the uncertainty results, variations of P-factor values and frequency distribution curves of NS suggest that the simulation uncertainty increase when operating the Fengyun, 3B42RT, CMORPH_BLD and CMORPH_RAW-driven model with best fitted parameters for rain gauge SWAT model. The results also indicate that the influence of parameter uncertainty on model simulation results may be greater than the effect of input data accuracy. It is noted that uncertainty analysis is necessary to evaluate the hydrological applications of satellite-based precipitation datasets.

The performance of resistive switching (RS) device based on sandwich structure is greatly affected by the characteristics of the RS layer, electrode, and interface. In this work, the effect of rapid thermal annealing (RTA) (300 °C for 120 s) on the RS performance of Ta/TaOx/Ru device was investigated. The discrete distribution in high resistance state (HRS) and low resistance state (LRS) was suppressed after RTA. Meanwhile, the endurance in oxygen RTA is higher 104 times than that of vacuum RTA. The optimized oxygen RTA is contributed to change the microstructure of TaOx (amorphous to nanocrystal), providing the local conductive path, and implant oxygens in top electrode (TE) Ta, acting as an oxygen source (reservoir). It is shown that the nanocrystal TaOx and the oxygen content in TE are intrinsically crucial to the RS behavior and the simple low temperature oxygen RTA is a powerful technique to optimize the RS performance.

A series of novel porous center-hollow ZnO/ZnSe microspheres were synthesized via two-step hydrothermal and ion-exchange method. It is found the load of ZnSe improves photocatalytic activity of the nanocomposites and ZSe-3 sample shows the most prominent performance, 88.8% of Cr(VI) can be reduced in 60 min under the irradiation of visible light (λ > 420 nm). ZnSe nanoparticles can be used to sensitize the ZnO microspheres and further extend the visible light response range. The n-p heterojunction formed at the interface between ZnO and ZnSe can also contribute to improve the separation and transfer properties of charge carriers in ZnO.

Asynchronous mast seeding of sympatric tree species can affect seed dispersal, but it is not clear how the relative abundances of seeds might influence indirect seed–seed interaction mediated by seed dispersal agents. In this study, we investigated how seed abundance variations of the two sympatric tree species (Quercus variabilis and Pinus armandii) with asynchronous masting events influenced seed dispersal in the eastern Qinling Mountains, China. Although seed removal and seed consumption were influenced by both seed abundance and seed species, seed caching was only species-dependent, i.e., Q. variabilis acorns were more likely to be cached than P. armandii seeds irrespective of seed abundance. The proportion of scatter-hoarded P. armandii seeds depended on the abundance of Q. variabilis acorns. Regardless of seed abundance, Q. variabilis acorns were dispersed further than P. armandii seeds. Our results collectively indicate that the ecological effects of indirect seed–seed interaction mediated by seed dispersers on seed dispersal are asymmetrical and are potentially regulated by seed abundance as well as seed species (or seed traits). We recommend future studies focus on indirect seed–seed interactions among multiple species with contrasting seed traits, to better understand how they influence seed dispersal, plant regeneration and dynamics.

Nitrogen (N) is commonly a limited nutrient in wetland ecosystems. Nitrogen addition affects the ecosystem carbon (C) balance and alters soil C storage through soil chemical and biological changes. In the present study, the effects of N addition and vegetation removal after one growing season on soil properties were examined in a Calamagrostis angustifolia freshwater marsh in Northeast China. Specifically, available N (NH4+–N and NO3−–N), microbial biomass C (MBC), and dissolved organic C (DOC) concentrations in the soil were analyzed. In addition, activities of soil enzyme (β-glucosidase, invertase, and urease) were investigated. The results showed that N addition resulted in significant increase of NH4+–N and NO3−–N in both topsoil and subsoil, and vegetation removal enhanced these effects. Soil MBC concentrations increased after N addition and vegetation removal but DOC concentrations did not change significantly. As to soil enzyme activities, N addition stimulated the β-glucosidase activity in the topsoil and invertase and urease activities in both soil layers. Vegetation removal enhanced the effect of N addition on β-glucosidase and invertase activities but inhibited the effect on urease activity. These results suggested that N addition affects soil biochemical process indirectly through marshland vegetation.

Plants play an important role in CH4 emissions from wetlands. Vascular plants transport CH4 from the anaerobic zone to the atmosphere through their aerenchyma, thereby bypassing the aerobic zone and strongly increasing CH4 emission rates. However, most studies of the effect of plants on wetland CH4 emissions are based on observations made during the growing seasons. The effects in non-growing seasons are still unclear. In this study, we conducted a clipping experiment to investigate the effects of plants on CH4 emissions from a temperate marsh in the growing and non-growing seasons. The results show that the influence of plants on CH4 emissions from the wetland varied among different seasons. Plant-mediated CH4 accounted for 38% of the total fluxes in the plant-growing season. After the growing season, whether the plants transported CH4 from the soil to the atmosphere in situ was determined by the involved environmental conditions. In autumn, the plants did not transport CH4. This is because the CH4 diffused easily in the soil and water, rather than via the plants' organs. In the surface soil freezing period, CH4 diffusion was blocked and accumulated under the frozen surface. The highly concentrated CH4 in the pore water was compelled to enter the organs of the plants and diffused by them. The ‘passive diffusion’ via plants transported 84% of the total CH4 emissions during this period. Nonetheless, the plants did not transport CH4 again in the deep soil freezing season. By synthesizing our data together with previous studies, we suggested that this is because the frozen soil layer was deep enough in this period to exceed the depth horizon of the plants' roots and the CH4 in free water could not enter the plants' organs.

Anthropogenic activities have increased phosphorus (P) inputs to wetland ecosystems. However, little is known about the effect of P enrichment on soil respiration in these ecosystems. To understand the effect of P enrichment on soil respiration, we conducted a field experiment in Calamagrostis angustifolia -dominated freshwater marshes, the Sanjiang Plain, Northeast China. We investigated soil respiration in the first growing season after P addition at four rates (0, 1.2, 4.8 and 9.6 g P m −2 year −1 ). In addition, we also examined aboveground biomass, soil labile C fractions (dissolved organic C, DOC; microbial biomass C, MBC; easily oxidizable C, EOC) and enzyme activities (invertase, urease and acid phosphatase activities) following one year of P addition. P addition decreased soil respiration during the growing season. Dissolved organic C in soil pore water increased after P addition at both 5 and 15 cm depths. Moreover, increased P input generally inhibited soil MBC and enzyme activities, and had no effects on aboveground biomass and soil EOC. Our results suggest that, in the short-term, soil respiration declines under P enrichment in C. angustifolia -dominated freshwater marshes of Northeast China, and its extent varies with P addition levels.