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Background Health literacy has always been considered as an important factor to promote people's health, but does it have a significant effect on health across all social strata and especially lower social strata? This study aims to analyze the influences of health literacy on health outcomes of different social strata, and then infer whether improving health literacy can reduce health disparities among different social strata. Methods Utilizing health literacy monitoring data from a city in Zhejiang Province in 2020, the samples are divided into three social strata according to the socioeconomic status score: low, middle and high social stratum, to compare whether there are significant differences in health outcomes between population with lower and higher health literacy among different social strata. In the strata with significant differences, control the confounding factors to further verify the influence of health literacy on health outcomes. Results In low and middle social strata, there are significant differences between population with lower and higher health literacy, when considering the two types of health outcomes (chronic diseases and self-rated health), but in high social stratum, this difference is not significant. After controlling the relevant variables, the influence of health literacy on the prevalence of chronic diseases is statistically significant only in low social stratum, and the health literacy is negatively correlated with the prevalence of chronic diseases(OR = 0.722, P = 0.022). In addition, there are statistical significances for positive impact of health literacy on self-rated health in both low and middle social strata (OR = 1.285, P = 0.047; OR = 1.401, P = 0.023). Conclusion Compared with high social stratum, the influence of health literacy on health outcomes of low social stratum (chronic diseases) or both middle and low social strata (self-rated health) is more significant, and both are to improve the health outcomes. This finding suggests that improving residents' health literacy may be an effective way to alleviate the health disparities among different social strata.

Both theory and observations suggest that outflows driven by an active central supermassive black hole (SMBH) has a feedback effect on shaping the global properties of the host galaxy. However, whether feedback from the outflow is effective, and if so, whether it is positive or negative, has long been controversial. Here, using the latest catalog from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), we use the flux ratio of the [O II] to [Ne V] emission lines as a proxy to compare the star formation rate (SFR) in the hosts of quasars with different types of broad absorption lines (BALs): low-ionization (Lo)BAL, high-ionization (Hi)BAL, and non-BAL. We find that SFR decreases from LoBAL to HiBAL quasars, and then increases from HiBAL to non-BAL quasars. Assuming that the sequence of LoBAL to HiBAL to non-BAL represents evolution, our results are consistent with a quenching and subsequent rebound of star formation in quasar host galaxies. This phenomenon can be explained that the SFR is suppressed by the outflow, which then rebounds once the outflow disappears as the quasars evolve from HiBALs to non-BALs. Our result suggests that the quasar outflow has a negative global feedback on galaxy evolution., 19 pages, 4 figures and 2 tables in main text. Accepted by a peer-reviewed journal

Gelugpa is the most influential extant religious sect of Tibetan Buddhism. The spatial patterns of Gelugpa monasteries have been affected by complex terrain, multiple Tibetan culture, and different socioeconomic levels. Given the diversity and complexity of Gelugpa monasteries surroundings, the geographical distribution of the monasteries presents spatial heterogeneity. Therefore, it is necessary to adopt a multi-scale perspective to provide insights into macroscopic rules on large scales and special features in the locality. The objective of this research is to propose a multi-scale framework for analyzing spatial patterns of monasteries at three scales of Tibetan Inhabited Regions, based on a new geodatabase of Gelugpa monasteries. The results show that the Tibetan Inhabited Regions present a south-eastern and central polycentric aggregated pattern with one super-center and several multilevel centers. Among the Three Tibetan Inhabited Regions of U-Tsang, Kham, and Amdo, U-Tsang appears a highly aggregated “dual cores” pattern, while Amdo emerges a highly aggregated wide-ranging “dual cores in one center” pattern. There is a distinct “dual parallel strips” pattern in Kham. The results also elaborate the connection among the multi-scale spatial patterns, having distinctive features but sharing some common rules. The multi-scale spatial patterns analysis can provide scientific evidence for the protection of Gelugpa monasteries by revealing the spatial variations.

A validated and sensitive 1H NMR method was developed for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of the two main components of “xinnaoxin” prescriptions, salidroside and betaine. For the quantitative analysis, the characteristic signals for H-3 and H-5 of salidroside at δ 7.08 ppm (2H, J = 8.58 Hz), as well as the equivalent methyl groups of betaine at δ 3.12 ppm, were selected. The verification of the analytical method was accurate and in conformity with the guidance of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. Furthermore, it has been applied to the quality assurance of products from different pharmaceutical companies. The results show that the content of salidroside in different products was satisfactory consistent with the results determined by high-performance liquid chromatography. This work implied that 1H NMR represents a feasible alternative to liquid chromatography for quantitation of salidroside and was suitable for the more comprehensive quality control of “xinnaoxin” commercial products by the simultaneous quantification of salidroside and betaine.

Marine environmental design parameter extrapolation has important applications in marine engineering and coastal disaster prevention. The distribution models used for environmental design parameter usually pass the hypothesis tests in statistical analysis, but the calculation results of different distribution models often vary largely. In this paper, based on the information entropy, the overall uncertainty test criteria were studied for commonly used distributions including Gumbel, Weibull, and Pearson-III distribution. An improved method for parameter estimation of the maximum entropy distribution model is proposed on the basis of moment estimation. The study in this paper shows that the number of sample data and the degree of dispersion are proportional to the information entropy, and the overall uncertainty of the maximum entropy distribution model is minimal compared with other models.

Carrageenans are widely utilized in many commercial applications such as the food and pharmaceutical industry, due to their excellent functional properties. In this study, a sensitive LC-MS/MS method was developed to determine κ-3, κ-5, and κ-7 carrageenan oligosaccharides simultaneously. Optimum MRM transitions for κ-3, κ-5, and κ-7 carrageenan oligosaccharides were (645.079→565.111, [M-H]−), (515.137→474.946, [M-2H]2−), and (471.484→445, [M-3H]3−), respectively. Chromatographic separation was performed on an Amide column coupled with a guard column operated at 60 °C under stepwise gradient elution. The linearity of the LC-MS/MS method for κ-3, κ-5, and κ-7 carrageenan oligosaccharides, evaluated over the concentration range of 0.10–20.0 µmol L−1, was excellent. The precisions of the method for κ-3, κ-5, and κ-7 carrageenan oligosaccharides were from 0.91% to 9.66%, and the inter-day precisions were from 0.92% to 10.5%. Validation of the LC-MS/MS method indicated that the method was precise and in line with the CFDA guidance. This method has been successfully applied to an in vitro absorption study.

Color filters utilize optical resonance in thin-film nanostructures to obtain vivid reflective or transmissive colors, which has attracted a lot of attention recently. Here, we report the angle-insensitive color filters targeting different wavelengths and applications, which can be achieved by metal-dielectric-metal structures. Certain combinations of metals and dielectrics are selected to achieve efficient angle-insensitive color filters. The type and the depth of the material both have a significant influence on transmission efficiency. We expect that our work will provide some new insights for structure color applications.

In this paper, we establish a generalized extreme Value-Pareto distribution model and derive an analytical expression of Weibull–Pareto distribution model. Based on a data sample of 26-year wave height, we adopt the new model to estimate the design wave height for 500, 700 and 1000-year return periods. Results show that the design wave height from Weibull–Pareto distribution is between that of the Weibull distribution and that of the Pearson-III distribution. For the 500-year return period design wave height, the results from the new model is 1.601% lower than those from the Weibull distribution and 1.319% higher than those from the Pearson-III distribution. The Weibull–Pareto distribution innovatively considers the fractal features, extreme-value statistics and the truncated data in the derivation process. Therefore, it is a more holistic and practical model for estimating the design parameters in marine and coastal environments.

Anisotropy photoresponse can be effectively achieved based on gradient organic heterojunction. However, the gradient heterojunction has yet been studied due to the complicated process and great random error inside. Especially in the field of transient optics, the light on/off in femto/picosecond range is vitally important for high-speed optical systems, such as application in fiber communications. In this paper, the wedge-structured organic heterojunction was fabricated based on molecular beam epitaxy. The devices were combined with both wedge-structured heterojunction and half-wave plate. When the probe light was tuned to 2.0 eV, a narrow passband was instantly observed once the pump and probe light were perpendicular to each other. The photoresponse can be achieved within 0.84 ps which can tune the optical signals on and off in transient optics. The results have demonstrated an exciting application in photo sensing.

The accurate calculation of marine environmental design parameters depends on the probability distribution model, and the calculation results of different distribution models are often different. It is very important to determine which distribution model is more stable and reasonable when extrapolating the recurrence level of the studied sea area. In this paper, we constructed an evaluation method of the overall uncertainty of the calculation results and a measurement of the uncertainty of the design parameters derivation model, by incorporating the influence of sample information on the model information entropy, such as sample size, degree of dispersion, and sampling error. Results show that the sample data size and the degree of dispersion are directly proportional to the information entropy. Within the same group of data, the maximum entropy distribution model has the lowest overall uncertainty, while the Gumbel distribution model has the largest overall uncertainty. In other words, the maximum entropy distribution model has good applicability in the accurate calculation of marine environmental design parameters.

The ever-increasing land reclamations along the Tarim River caused by human activities have resulted in a series of potential eco-environmental risks. This paper reveals the spatial and temporal dynamics of reclamation and the associated potential eco-environmental risks. The results indicated that 70.30% of grasslands, 9.80% of woodlands and 16.04% of bare land were reclaimed during 1990–2015. Majority of the reclaimed land was mainly within the upper and middle reaches of Tarim River, especially within the 0–5 km the river channel buffer. The consequent effect of these unexpected reclamations was regional water unbalance of agricultural and ecological water usages. The consequent limitations in ecological water, intense reclamation and cotton cultivation led to desertification, water and soil pollution, habitat destruction and biodiversity loss. This paper provides a scientific evidence for the planning of reclamation, cotton cultivation and allocations of agricultural and ecological water.

Although the monocrystalline silicon (mono-Si)-passivated emitter and rear contact (PERC) solar cells have achieved incredible efficiency, they still can be further improved by hydrogenation. So the hydrogenation was performed to investigate the improvement of large area (>240 cm2) mono-Si PERC solar cells and estimate the significance of previous light-induced degradation (pre-LID) under a high-intensity infrared (HI-IR) LEDs source platform. Then, the results indicated that the parameters, such as open-circuit voltage (Uoc) and short-circuit current density (Jsc) and fill factor (FF), could be better improved after LED hydrogenation with the execution of the pre-LID. The efficiency of mono-Si PERC solar cells with pre-LID increased by ~0.190 ± 0.005%abs. for 2 min, which was higher than that without pre-LID (0.115 ± 0.005%abs.). Moreover, the results showed that the efficiency of large area mono-Si PERC solar cells with light-induced degradation (LID) treatment after LED hydrogenation only existed a slight degradation of about −0.253 ± 0.005%rel.. Compared with mono-Si PERC solar cells without pre-LID, the efficiency improvement and LID mitigation of mono-Si solar cells with pre-LID was faster and more significant by LED hydrogenation, so that the LED hydrogenation time significantly can shorten from 6 to 2 min. Additionally, the possible presence of a boron-oxygen (BO) model was estimated, and this BO model is susceptible to be activated by the injection of external energy, resulting in more BO defects in the process of pre-LID, so that subsequent hydrogenation rate becomes faster.

Based on the extreme value theory, self–affinity, and scale invariance, we studied the temporal and spatial relationship and the variation of water level and established a model of Gumbel–Pareto distribution for designed flood calculation. The model includes the previous extreme value models, the over–threshold data, and the fractal features shared by previous extreme value models. The model was simplified into a logarithmic normal distribution and a Pareto distribution for specific parameter values, and was used to calculate the designed flood values for the Shanghai Wusong Station in 100– and 1 000–year return periods. The calculated results show that the value of the designed flood height calculated in the Gumbel–Pareto distribution is between those in the Gumbel and Pearson–III distributions. The designed flood values in the 100– and 1 000–year return periods of the model were 0.03% and 0.11% lower, respectively, than the Gumbel distribution and 0.06% and 1.54% higher, respectively, than the Pearson–III distribution. Compared to the traditional model based solely on extreme probability, the Gumbel–Pareto distribution model could better describe the probabilistic characteristics of extreme marine elements and better use the data.

Quasar outflows carry mass, momentum and energy into the surrounding environment, and have long been considered a potential key factor in regulating the growth of supermassive black holes and the evolution of their host galaxies. A crucial parameter for understanding the origin of these outflows and measuring their influence on their host galaxies is the distance (R) between the outflow gas and the galaxy center. While R has been measured in a number of individual galaxies, its distribution remains unknown. Here we report the distributions of R and the kinetic luminosities of quasars outflows, using the statistical properties of broad absorption line variability in a sample of 915 quasars from the Sloan Digital Sky Surveys. The mean and standard deviation of the distribution of R are 10^{1.4+/-0.5} parsecs. The typical outflow distance in this sample is tens of parsec, which is beyond the theoretically predicted location (0.01 ~ 0.1 parsecs) where the accretion disc line-driven wind is launched, but is smaller than the scales of most outflows that are derived using the excited state absorption lines. The typical value of the mass-flow rate is of tens to a hundred solar masses per year, or several times the accretion rate. The typical kinetic-to-bolometric luminosity ratio is a few per cent, indicating that outflows are energetic enough to influence the evolution of their host galaxies., Accepted by Nature Astronomy, 8 pages and 2 figures(main text), 8 supplementary figures

In this paper, we have found that the efficiency of p-type mono-crystalline silicon (mono-Si) passivated emitter and rear contact (PERC) solar cells can be increased by $$0.12{\%}_{\mathrm {{abs.}}}$$ with the process of hydrogenation with electron injection (HEI). However, the same scheme was not suitable for p-type multi-crystalline silicon (mc-Si) solar cells. To promote power conversion efficiency (PCE) for the mc-Si solar cells, we have explored a developed HEI process for the mc-Si solar cells to improve the device performance. Meanwhile, we also analysed the mechanization inside the solar cells after applying the HEI process. Through the design of experiment (DOE), the correlation among injection current, temperature, injection time and efficiency improvement was analysed in detail. It was proved that mc-Si solar cells require higher current injection and temperature to passivate the complex impurities in the bulk, when compared to mono-Si solar cells. With the optimal scheme explored by this paper, the open circuit voltage ( $$U_{\mathrm {{oc}}}$$ ), short circuit current density ( $$J_{\mathrm {{sc}}}$$ ) and fill factor (FF) of p-type mc-Si solar cells, respectively, increased by 1.2 mV, 0.11 mA $$\hbox {cm}^{-\mathrm {{2}}}$$ and $$0.05{\%}_{\mathrm {{abs.}}}$$ , respectively. The efficiency was improved about $$0.11 \pm 0.005{\%}_{\mathrm {{abs.}}}$$ . These results will provide a certain method and basis for further improving the efficiency of mc-Si PERC cells and overcoming the light-elevated temperature-induced degradation by HEI process.

A novel designing method of tunable plasmonic multi-channel demultiplexers is proposed by combining two kinds of graphene ring coupling systems, i.e., middle-coupling structure and side-coupling structure. We discuss the optical transmission characteristic of graphene waveguide and numerically research the characteristics of the two basic structures by modulating the Fermi level applied on graphene rings in theory. By combining the two basic structures, a series of multi-channel structures are designed, and their coupling and modulating regularities are studied by changing the Fermi level applied on graphene rings. The simulation results show the perfect nodulation functions for our designed multi-channel structures and we determine our design bears significant value in future practical applications.

When exploring the temporal and spatial change law of ocean environment, the most common method used is using smaller-scale observed data to derive the change law for a larger-scale system. For instance, using 30-year observation data to derive 100-year return period design wave height. Therefore, the study of inherent self-similarity in ocean hydrological elements becomes increasingly important to the study of multi-year return period design wave height derivation. In this paper, we introduced multifractal to analyze the statistical characteristics of wave height series data observed from oceanic hydrological station. An improvement is made to address the existing problems of the multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis (MF-DFA) method, where trend function showed a discontinuity between intervals. The improved MF-DFA method is based on signal mode decomposition, replacing piecewise polynomial fitting used in the original method. We applied the proposed method to the wave height data collected at Chaolian Island, Shandong, China, from 1963 to 1989 and was able to conclude the wave height sequence presented weak multi-fractality. This result provided strong support to the past research on the derivation of multi-year return period design wave height with observed data. Moreover, the new method proposed in this paper also provides a new perspective to explore the intrinsic characteristic of data.

With the rapid development of offshore oil exploitation, risk of oil spill accidents increases. Environment impact could be reduced if we can locate and forecast the diffusion area of oil slick in real-time for quick accident rescue measurement. We have designed an oil spill tracking buoy (OSTB), which could track oil slick and transfer its latitude and longitude location periodically by Beidou satellite communication system to monitor terminal. Oil slick tracking ability relies on wind/water sail design which based on hydrodynamic equilibrium model and ocean dynamic analysis. Machinery structure is designed for both air deployment and ship deployment. Laboratory test and field experiment in Jiaozhou Bay, Qingdao, China, have proved the spilled oil tracking ability and easy-deployment of the buoy. With novel construction and a total materials cost of about $140USD, this buoy could monitor offshore area oil spill accidents continuously and provide a potential monitor solution for marine activities.

In this paper, we propose a new method to estimate the wave height of a specific return period based on the Hurst rule and a self-affine fractal formula. A detailed description of our proposed model is presented in this paper. We use the proposed model to analyze wave height data recorded along the coast of Chaolian Island from 1963 to 1989. The results show that the performance of our proposed model in estimating design wave heights is superior to traditional models.

In this work, nickel/carbon fiber composites with excellent conductivity were successfully prepared by an electroless plating method in alkaline media, in which sodium hypophosphite was used as reducing agent. The composition, microstructure, electrical, and magnetic properties of samples were investigated by XRD, SEM, VSM, and four-probe meter techniques, respectively. It was found that the volume of aqueous ammonia and concentration of sodium hypophosphite played important roles on the microstructure of nickel coatings. The composites with compact and uniform nickel layer on the surface of carbon fiber possessed face-centered cubic phase, and the volume resistivity could reach 1.49 × 10−3 Ω cm. In addition, magnetic hysteresis measured at room temperature demonstrated that the nickel-coated carbon fiber composites showed ferromagnetic behavior with saturation magnetization (M s ) and coercivity (H c ) of 5.2 emu/g and 144.9 Oe, respectively.

The attempt to obtain long-term observed data around some sea areas we concern is usually very hard or even impossible in practical offshore and ocean engineering situations. In this paper, by means of linear mean-square estimation method, a new way to extend short-term data to long-term ones is developed. The long-term data about concerning sea areas can be constructed via a series of long-term data obtained from neighbor oceanographic stations, through relevance analysis of different data series. It is effective to cover the insufficiency of time series prediction method’s overdependence upon the length of data series, as well as the limitation of variable numbers adopted in multiple linear regression model. The storm surge data collected from three oceanographic stations located in Shandong Peninsula are taken as examples to analyze the number-selection effect of reference oceanographic stations (adjacent to the concerning sea area) and the correlation coefficients between sea sites which are selected for reference and for engineering projects construction respectively. By comparing the N-year return-period values which are calculated from observed raw data and processed data which are extended from finite data series by means of the linear mean-square estimation method, one can draw a conclusion that this method can give considerably good estimation in practical ocean engineering, in spite of different extreme value distributions about raw and processed data.

The frequency and amplitude of water level fluctuations were major driving forces for wetland vegetation evolution in the Poyang Lake Deltas. This study examined changes in wetland vegetation evolution of two deltas, namely Ganjiang Main-branch Delta wetland (GMD) and Ganjiang Southern-branch Delta wetland (GSD), in autumns from 1973 to 2009. Wetland vegetation evolution monitoring using Landsat remotely sensed imageries was related to changes in hydrology stemming including the annual peak, lowest water levels and number of flooded days at four characteristic water levels (10, 13, 15 and 17 m) from natural climatic variations. Results showed that the annual peak water level of GMD (Xingzi station) decreased by 5.78 m and the annual lowest water level decreased by 2.27 m; while the annual peak water level of GSD (Tangyin station) decreased by 6.41 m and the annual lowest water level decreased by 2.53 m. The number of flooded days at water levels 15 and 17 m indicated a consistent trend while flooded days at water levels 10 and 13 m were significantly different. Vegetation coverage of both deltas showed trends of increasing and expanded fan-shaped towards the middle of the lake area. The annual peak and lowest water levels had negative correlation with the vegetation coverage areas for both deltas. The flooded days at water level 13 m had the greatest effect on the vegetation coverage area at GMD; while the flooded days at water level 17 m had the greatest effect on the vegetation coverage area at GSD.

Ketamine (KTM), a N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, was found to has an anti-inflammatory effect, but some patients suffered from exacerbated pro-inflammatory reactions after anesthesia with KTM. The present study was aimed to examine the underlying mechanism of pro-inflammatory effects of KTM. In this study, RAW264.7 cells were exposed to KTM and NMDA alone or combined for 30 min before lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation. The expression levels of IL-6 and TNF-α were detected by RT-PCR and ELISA, and those of NMDA receptors by RT-PCR in RAW264.7 cells. Additionally, the TLR4 expression was determined by RT-PCR and flow cytometry, respectively. The results showed that in RAW264.7 cells, KTM alone promoted the TLR4 expression, but did not increase the expression of IL-6 or TNF-α. In the presence of LPS, KTM caused a significantly higher expression of IL-6 and TNF-α than LPS alone. NMDA could neither alter the IL-6 and TNF-α mRNA expression, nor reverse the enhanced expression of IL-6 and TNF-α mRNA by KTM in LPS-challenged cells. After TLR4-siRNA transfection, RAW264.7 cells pretreated with KTM no longer promoted the IL-6 and TNF-α expression in the presence of LPS. In conclusion, KTM accelerated LPS-induced inflammation in RAW264.7 cells by promoting TLR4 expression, independent of NMDA receptor.

Electromagnetic Ni@glass fiber composite with perfect Ni layers were successfully obtained by a versatile electroless deposition method. Glass fibers were firstly pretreated by roughing, sensitization, and activation. Then the glass fibers after pretreatment were conducted the electroless nickel process. We have investigated the influence of bath solution parameters on the morphology, chemical composition, magnetic property, and conductivity of the Ni@glass fiber composites using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, vibrating sample magnetometry, transmission electron microscope, and four-probe meter techniques, respectively. The deposited nickel coatings and volume resistivity of the obtained samples were dependent on the bath temperature, pH value, dosage of complexing agent and reductant. Uniform and compact Ni film could be deposited on the surface of glass fibers, with which the optimal volume resistivity could reach (7.36 ± 0.37) × 10−3 Ω cm, and the saturation magnetization (M s ) and coercivity (H c ) were confirmed to be 3.0 emu/g and 164.5 Oe, respectively. The current synthetic process may prompt the applicability in electromagnetic shielding field with industrial scale production.

The urban heat environment in Nanjing metropolitan region is significantly affected by human activities. The days of high temperature and heat waves became increasingly obvious. Therefore, this paper aimed to reveal the temporal changes in high temperature and heat waves and analyze the relevant disasters. The results showed that the duration and average high temperature were both increasing during 1951–2013. Days of heat waves were mainly concentrated in August. The longest duration of extreme heat was in 2013 lasting 9 days. The major issues caused by high temperature and heat waves were energy consumption, power shortage, human health and human habitat deterioration. Land use change driven by human activities altered the underlying surface and accelerated urban heat island effect. These views provide scientific evidence for assisting urban planning and industrial restructuring in the future.

Arable land change trends, namely stable arable land, change into arable land, change into non-arable land, stable non-arable land and ephemeral arable land were subsequently categorized from the temporal trajectories of arable land changes. To deeper understand the landscape change patterns consequent from arable land use, three metrics at class level were employed. Arable land, in general, decreased by 57.24 % during 1985–2010. The change trajectory from arable to non-arable land was consistent with urban expansion. Change trajectory from arable into non-arable land was mainly located in Jiangning District while stable arable land coverage was high in Liuhe District. Stable arable land was mainly dominant in locations away from the city center. Trends in stable non-arable land, however, had a completely opposite trajectory to that of arable into non-arable land. About 59.26 % change into non-arable land was located within 10–15 km buffers and was more dramatic than other trajectories and characterized with high fragmentation. Rural labor migration, economic development, policies and urban expansion were the major driving force associated with the observed arable land changes.

Risk analysis and assessment relating coastal structures has been one of the hot topics in the area of coastal protection recently. In this paper, from three aspects of joint return period of multiple loads, dike failure rate and dike continuous risk prevention respectively, three new risk analysis methods concerning overtopping of sea dikes are developed. It is worth noting that the factors of storm surge which leads to overtopping are also considered in the three methods. In order to verify and estimate the effectiveness and reliability of the newly developed methods, quantified mutual information is adopted. By means of case testing, it can be found that different prior variables might be selected dividedly, according to the requirement of special engineering application or the dominance of loads. Based on the selection of prior variables, the correlating risk analysis method can be successfully applied to practical engineering.

The wetland landscape patterns of the Yellow River Delta have undergone an extremely significant change due to rapid economic development since 2000. The aim of this paper is to quantitatively analyze spatial and temporal changes of these wetlands in the recent decade. Three sets of wetland maps were acquired using object–oriented classification method based on remotely sensed imageries in 2000, 2005 and 2010. Then landscape indices from class and landscape level using FRAGSTATS 3.3 software were used to quantify the spatial and temporal dynamics of wetlands. The results showed that wetlands coverage decreased by approximately 2.27%. Natural wetlands decreased while constructed wetlands increased, especially prawn pools, which increased by 268.33%. Wetland landscape patches gradually became more complex and decentralized. Wetlands distribution analysis indicated that wetlands were mainly located in the area 45 km from the coastline. The study indicated a relatively high diversity at the estuary of the river and the north of the study area. However, wetlands were highly fragmented in the south of the study area and urban area. Dynamic of wetlands was mainly caused by human–induced factors, especially GDP and urban built–up area.

The β-Ni(OH)2 platelets and nanorods with length ranging from 2 to 6 μm have been successfully synthesized via a hydrothermal method, and no templates or additives were employed. The products were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction and scanning electron microscopy techniques. The dosage of sodium hydroxide and temperature were found to play important roles in controlling the size and morphology of β-Ni(OH)2. The shape of β-Ni(OH)2 platelets was successfully sustained during the thermal transformation to NiO. Optical property of the NiO platelets was investigated by means of UV–Vis spectrum, exhibiting small red shift compared to the bulk counterpart. Such β-Ni(OH)2 and NiO microstructures may find potential applications in micro/nano-devices.

Novel cobalt dendritic flowers have been successfully synthesized in high yield through a simple, facile, cost-effective solvothermal method. The products were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and vibrating sample magnetometer techniques. The cobalt dendritic frames were composed of a main trunk and side branches covered by many flower-like petals. It was found that dosage of complex reagent, volume ratio of ethanol to water, and reaction time play important roles in controlling the resultant shapes. These cobalt dendritic flowers exhibit ferromagnetic behavior with a saturation magnetization of 154.1 emu/g and an enhanced coercivity up to 229 Oe, respectively, and are expected to have applications in both magnetoelectronic devices and catalysis.

A simple electroless copper plating process was employed to prepare copper-coated glass fibers with excellent conductivity. The glass fibers were pretreated by etching, sensitizing, and activating procedures. Disodium ethylenediamine tetra acetate (EDTA-2Na) and hydrazine hydrate (N2H4·H2O) were employed as complex reagent and reductant, respectively. It was found that the copper deposition was greatly influenced by dosage of EDTA-2Na, concentration of sodium hydroxide (NaOH), temperature, and volume of N2H4·H2O. The optimal temperature for electroless copper plating ranged from 40 to 60 °C. The composites were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy techniques. The result showed that the minimum volume resistivity of 0.0010 Ω cm was obtained for the sample with perfect copper coatings on the surface of glass fibers. This method is simple, low-cost, and large production, and can be extended to fabricate other metal-coated glass fibers with distinct conductivity.

Objective To investigate the effect of Qindan Capsule (芩丹胶囊, QC) on collagen synthesis and the mechanism underlying the process in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs).

Human-driven dynamics of land cover types in the Tarim Basin are able to affect potential dust source regions and provide particles for dust storms. Analyses about dynamics of potential dust source regions are useful for understanding the effects of human activities on the fragile ecosystem in the extremely arid zone and also provide scientific evidence for the rational land development in the future. This paper therefore selected the Tarim Basin, NW China, as a representative study area to reveal spatiotemporal dynamics of land cover and their impacts on potential dust source regions. The results showed that farmland, desert and forest increased by 28.63, 0.64 and 29.27%, while grassland decreased by 10.29% during 1990–2010. The largest reclamation, grassland loss and desertification were 639.17 × 103, 2350.42 × 103 and 1605.86 × 103 ha during 1995–2000. The relationship between reclamation and grassland loss was a positive correlation, while a highly positive correlation was 0.993 between the desertification and grassland loss at different stages. The most serious dust source region was the desertification during 1990–2010 (1614.58 thousand ha), and the serious region was stable desert (40,631.21 thousand ha). The area of the medium and low dust source region was 499.08 × 103 and 2667.27 × 103 ha. Dramatic reclamation resulted in the desertification by destroying natural vegetation and breaking the balance of water allocation in various regions.

Nanjing (China) has undergone rapid urbanization since the reform and opening up in 1978. The urban heat environment has been affected significantly by human activities. In this paper, we aim at revealing the influence of land cover types on urban heat retrieved from the thermal infrared band of Landsat-5 Thematic Mapper. The results show that the high-temperature area is mainly located in the urban area of Nanjing, while the low-temperature area is located in the forest and water body areas. The average land surface temperature of Qinhuai District is the highest (29.1 °C), while Pukou District has lower temperatures. Geometrically, the city center has the highest temperature, and the land surface temperature gradually decreases with distance from the city center. The land surface temperature of industrial land is the highest, while rivers reveal the lowest temperature in the region (24.3 °C). The size and number of land cover patches have a positive correlation with the heat contribution. The construction land has the significantly positive correlation with land surface temperature, while arable land, forest, water body and wetland have significantly negative correlations. Land surface temperatures in highly growing urban areas are higher than the associated old town, and this is due to the use of new construction materials, and to lower vegetation coverage.

Irrigation is critical for oasis agriculture in Alar irrigated region, Northwestern China. The reference evapotranspiration (ET0) estimation using a modified Penman-Monteith method recommended by FAO is a baseline for rational irrigation scheduling. Thus, crop coefficients (Kc) were estimated using a ratio between reference and observed evapotranspiration. Then, we analyzed the relationship between temporal crop coefficients (Kc) and synchronized normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) derived from multi-temporal remotely sensed images. The results showed that reference evapotranspiration increased from spring to summer hereafter decreased gradually to winter with the peak of ET0 ranging from 8 to 9 mm/day. A closely linear relation between NDVI and Kc of cotton was finally acquired with a coefficient of determination of 0.94. An acceptable accuracy of this model by comparing observed and simulated evapotranspiration illustrated the credibility of this model. This paper provides a scientific approach to estimate regional crop coefficient and evapotranspiration.

This paper aimed to quantitatively analyze the spatial distribution and variations of geographical indications for agricultural products (hereafter, AGIs) in China. A total of 1758 AGIs data were acquired and mapped. Spatial analysis methods were used to reveal their spatial distribution and variation. The results revealed that AGIs in China are clustery distributed with high concentrations in southeastern China, especially in Shandong, Fujian, Zhejiang Province. Fresh fruit and vegetable type had the highest number of AGIs (35.58 %). The spatial distribution of AGIs was mainly influenced by natural factors such as natural resource endowments and anthropogenic activities such as historical farming civilization, local economic development and management level of local governments.

A three-layer structure of n-type organic semiconductors (PTCDA/PTCDA:PCBM/PCBM) is successfully identified as photoanode for photoelectrochemical water oxidation during the overall splitting of water into hydrogen/oxygen in a nearly stoichiometric ratio (H2:O2 = 2:1) under visible irradiation (λ > 420 nm). A possible charge separation mechanism under visible light illumination was also proposed.

Graphene has lots of applications, such as field-effect transistors, solar cells and transparent electrodes. In this work, we developed a new donor-acceptor graphene hybrid by covalently bonding a donor phenanthrene-9-carboxaldehyde (PCA) onto the acceptor graphene (PCA-graphene) via 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition azomethine ylides. The resulting PCA-graphene is soluble in N,N-dimethyformamide (DMF). The optoelectronic device (photoanode) fabricated by spin-coating DMF solution of the hybrids exhibits an enhanced photocurrent under visible irradiation.

The introduction of IMRT requires users to confirm that the isodose distributions and relative doses calculated by their planning system match the doses delivered by their linear accelerators. To this end the commercially available software, VeriSoft (PTW-Freiburg, Germany) was trialled to determine if the tools and functions it offered would be of benefit to this process. The CMS XiO (Computerized Medical System, St. Louis, MO) treatment planning system was used to generate IMRT plans that were delivered with an upgraded Elekta SL15 linac. Kodak EDR2 film sandwiched in RW3 solid water (PTW-Freiburg, Germany) was used to measure the IMRT fields delivered with 6 MV photons. The isodose and profiles measured with the film generally agreed to within +/- 3% or +/- 3 mm with the planned doses, in some regions (outside the field) the match fell to within +/- 5%. The isodose distributions of the planning system and the film could be compared on screen, allowing for electronic records of the comparison to be kept if desired. The features of this software would be of benefit to an IMRT QA program.

The ecological water conveyance project that pipes water from Daxihaizi reservoir to lower reaches of Tarim River has been implemented ten times since 2000. After ecological water conveyance, restoration has taken place for vegetation along the dried-up lower reaches of the Tarim River. The changes of vegetation fluctuated yearly due to ecological water conveyance. In order to reveal the detailed process of vegetation changes, remote sensing images from 1999 to 2010 were all classified individually into vegetated and non-vegetated areas using the soil-adjusted vegetation index threshold method. Then inter-annual changes of vegetation over a period of 12 years were obtained using a post-classification change detection technique. Finally, spatial–temporal changes distribution of vegetation cover and its response to ecological water conveyance were analyzed. The results indicate: (1) vegetation area increased by 8.52 % overall after ecological water conveyance. Vegetation between 2003 and 2004 increased dramatically with 45.87 % while vegetation between 2002 and 2003 decreased dramatically with 17.83 %. (2) Vegetation area gain is greater than vegetation loss during 1999–2000, 2001–2002, 2003–2004 and 2009–2010 periods. Although vegetation restoration is obvious from 1999 to 2010, vegetation loss also existed except for the periods above. It indicates that vegetation restoration fluctuated due to ecological water conveyance. (3) Spatial distribution of vegetation restoration presented “strip” distribution along the river and group shaper in the lower terrain area, while spatial distribution of vegetation loss mainly located in the upper reaches of river and area far away from the river. (4) Vegetation restoration area had a positive relative with total ecological water conveyance volume. The scheme and season of ecological water conveyance had also influenced the vegetation restoration. The vegetation change process monitoring, based on continuous remote sensing data, can provide the spatial–temporal distribution of vegetation cover in a large-scale area and scientific evidences for implementing ecological water conveyance in the lower Tarim River.