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As the subway system is beginning to operate interval trains in the early morning, it is necessary to discuss the first train timetable synchronization with interval trains. In this paper, with the consideration of both ordinary trains and interval trains, we study the first train timetable problem with minimum total transfer waiting time. The first train timetable model is formulated as a mixed integer programming problem and a genetic simulated annealing algorithm is developed to deal with the case study of Beijing subway network. The proposed model and the algorithm are effective in improving the performance of the first train timetable synchronization. After optimization, the total transfer waiting time and the number of long waiting time transfer directions for Beijing subway network have decreased significantly. The results indicate that operating interval trains is an effective way to solve the problem of long waiting time in early morning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Promoting endothelial cell (EC) proliferation and angiogenesis after indirect revascularization surgery is crucial for decreasing the stroke rate in moyamoya patients. However, the role of delta-like factor 1 (DLK1) in regulating EC proliferation in chronically ischaemic brains and the specific mechanisms remain unclear. Therefore, we compared the expression levels of DLK1 in the dura mater (DM) tissues of patients with moyamoya disease and patients with aneurysms, and dual luciferase reporter and RNA binding protein immunoprecipitation assays were conducted to determine whether DLK1 is a target gene of miR-126-5p. The effect of DLK1 on EC proliferation and the interaction between DLK1 and miR-126-5p were explored in vitro. Then, we established an animal model of two-vessel occlusion together with encephalo-myo-synangiosis (2VO+EMS). The temporalis muscles (TMs) of the animals were transfected with DLK1 lentiviral RNA (Lv-DLK1) and short hairpin RNA (sh-DLK1) to compare the DLK1 expression, angiogenesis (CD31 count), and numbers of vacuoles and impaired tight junctions in the ECs of TM-covered chronically ischaemic brains as well as the cognitive improvement in each group. DLK1 expression was lower in the DM tissues of moyamoya patients than in those of the aneurysm patients, and DLK1 was identified as a target gene of miR-126-5p. In vitro, DLK1 inhibited EC proliferation, migration and angiogenesis and exerted effects opposite those of miR-126-5p. In 2VO+EMS rats, compared to the control transfection, the TM transfection of Lv-DLK1 induced significantly higher DLK1 expression and worse angiogenesis in the TM-covered ischaemic brain as well as less extensive cognitive improvement, while the transfection of sh-DLK1 into the TM had the opposite effects. In summary, DLK1, a target gene of miR-126-5p, negatively regulates angiogenesis in chronically ischaemic brains and is expected to be a new target to improve the efficacy of indirect revascularization surgery and the prognosis of moyamoya patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cases of unpredictable, idiosyncratic liver damage of moxifloxacin (MXF) have been occasionally reported. However, the health effects of MXF exposure remain controversial. The current study examined the metabolic phenotypes and intestinal flora characteristics of hepatotoxicity induced by MXF. Rats were administered moxifloxacin hydrochloride tablets at doses of 36, 72, and 108 mg/kg body weight/day for 21 days. The levels of tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates were decreased, whereas those of lipids (arachidonic acid, hexadecanoic acid, and linoleic acid) were increased, reflecting disorders of energy–related and lipid metabolism. Enrichment analysis of the differential metabolites suggested that butanoate metabolism was associated with MXF–induced liver injury. 16S rRNA sequencing uncovered that the diversity of gut intestinal was decreased in MXF–treated rats. Specifically, the abundance of Muribaculaceae was increased, whereas that of Lachnospiraceae, a family of butyrate–producing bacteria, was decreased. The combined serum metabonomics and gut microbiome datasets illustrated the involvement of butanoic acid and energy metabolism in the regulatory changes of the gut–liver axis associated with MXF–induced liver injury. The regulation of endogenous small molecules and intestinal flora during drug–induced liver injury was first described from the perspective of the gut–liver axis, providing a research basis for the mechanism of clinical drug–induced liver injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to determine COVID-19-related awareness, knowledge, impact and preparedness among elderly Asians; and to evaluate their acceptance towards digital health services amidst the pandemic. 523 participants (177 Malays, 171 Indians, 175 Chinese) were recruited and underwent standardised phone interview during Singapore's lockdown period (07 April till 01 June 2020). Multivariable logistic regression models were performed to evaluate the associations between demographic, socio-economic, lifestyle, and systemic factors, with COVID-19 awareness, knowledge, preparedness, well-being and digital health service acceptance. The average perception score on the seriousness of COVID-19 was 7.6 ± 2.4 (out of 10). 75.5% of participants were aware that COVID-19 carriers can be asymptomatic. Nearly all (≥ 90%) were aware of major prevention methods for COVID-19 (i.e. wearing of mask, social distancing). 66.2% felt prepared for the pandemic, and 86.8% felt confident with government's handling and measures. 78.4% felt their daily routine was impacted. 98.1% reported no prior experience in using digital health services, but 52.2% felt these services would be helpful to reduce non-essential contact. 77.8% were uncomfortable with artificial intelligence software interpreting their medical results. In multivariable analyses, Chinese participants felt less prepared, and more likely felt impacted by COVID-19. Older and lower income participants were less likely to use digital health services. In conclusion, we observed a high level of awareness and knowledge on COVID-19. However, acceptance towards digital health service was low. These findings are valuable for examining the effectiveness of COVID-19 communication in Singapore, and the remaining gaps in digital health adoption among elderly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore the effect of concentrated dephenolic cottonseed protein (CDCP) partly instead of fish meal on the non-specific immune of Penaeus monodon, we designed a single factor test to study the four types of non-specific immunity of P. monodon hepatopancreas after acute salinity stress. A total number of 5,400 P. monodon were selected with an initial body weight of 1.76±0.15g and randomly divide into 6 groups (3 replicates per group, 900 tails per replicate). Shrimp were feed with two protein level diets (Diet A and Diet B). After 8 weeks of feeding, P. monodon were randomly selected with an average weight of 14.71±1.06g in each feed group, and subjected to acute salinity stress of 10ppt and 20ppt after temporary rearing, and the heat shock protein 70 (HSP70), Na+-K+-ATPase, cortisol and the content of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were measured. The results of the study showed that when the CDCP partially replaced fish meal of P. monodon diet, the hepatopancreas HSP70, and the contents of Na+-K+-ATPase and cortisol were significantly higher than those of the control group. In the acute salinity change, there was no significant difference in the survival rate of P. monodon at 48h under the two salinity stresses, and the four immune indexes showed different trends. The expression level of Cortisol was more prominent than that of HSP70, which could better reflect the stress degree of P. monodon. Most of the indicators showed a trend of rising and then falling and then rising compared with the original level, and the changes of the four indicators of hepatopancreas in the Diet B group were significantly higher than those in the Diet A group at most time point of the two salinities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Particulate matter (PM) in the atmosphere is a threat to human health. Wetland plants were confirmed to accumulate particles on the leaf surface; at the same time, rainfall could wash-off particles and accelerate the whole removal process, however, the dynamic processes occurring during rainfall events on wetland plants remain unclear. In order to provide sustainable strategies for authorities to take measures, we need to figure out how to reduce PM on leave surface by artificial rainfall efficiently. Four wetland species (Scirpus validus, Typha orientalis, Phragmites australis, and Iris wilsonii) were selected to examine for leave surface accumulation and simulate the experiment. We estimated the wash-off ability of rainfalls with three different intensities (15, 30, and 60 mm h−1) and determined the proportions of different PM size-fractions washed by the rains. The results showed that particles accumulated on the surface could be washed off efficiently (78% ∼ 89%) by the simulated rainfalls. The removal rates were high in the first 30 min and large particles comprised a large proportion of the removed particles. The rainfall with the intensity of 30 mm h−1 removed the most particles among three different rainfall intensities. When the rainfall intensity increased, fine particles (PM 2.5) could be washed off more easily. Moreover, with a thinner wax layer, fine particles on wetland plants' leaf surfaces might be more easily removed by the rains. While wash off the plants, spraying rains with the intensity of 30 mm h−1 for about 30 min every time (high intensity with shorter time) may be particle removal efficiency. Image 1 • Indicated the PM removal process dynamics during rainfall on wetland plants. • Leaf surface PM could be washed off efficiently (78% ∼ 89%) by the simulated rainfalls. • The removal rates were high in the first 30 min during rainfall. • The rainfall with the intensity of 30 mm h−1 removed the most particles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The polydopamine-assisted hierarchical composites of ultrathin NiO nanosheets uniformly coating on the surface of hollow nitrogen-doped carbon spheres (HNCS-NiO) were successfully fabricated via a facile synthesis method. The hierarchical HNCS-NiO composites as electrode materials for supercapacitors exhibit high capacitance of 550.4 F g − 1 (880.6 mF cm − 2 ) at the current density of 0.5 A g − 1 (0.8 mA cm − 2 ), and present a good rate capability. The composites display excellent improved electrochemical properties not only because their hierarchical hollow nanostructures can provide enough space to buffer the volume expansion during the reversible intercalation/deintercalation processes, but also because their larger specific surface areas can provide adequate active sites for the redox electrochemical reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vehicle platoons were recently proposed to reduce energy consumption and emissions. However, the majority of platooning studies have focused on pure connected automated vehicle (CAV) environments with limited insights into energy consumption and emissions. This paper quantifies fuel consumption and emissions by studying the microscopic movements of CAVs and human driving vehicles (HDVs) in mixed traffic flows. With an extended cellular automaton model, a four-lane mixed traffic flow of CAVs and HDVs is investigated in detail. The results have shown that ad hoc platoon formation can lead to frequent acceleration and lane changing, resulting in more fuel consumption and emission. With a dedicated CAV lane (DCL) strategy, the interference of CAVs and HDVs is greatly reduced, thereby improving the fuel economy and emission reduction. The findings can benefit the organization of vehicle platoons in the persisting mixed traffic flow environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key Clinical Message We report a compound heterozygous mutation (c.135delC; c.423+2dupT) of MLC1 gene in a Chinese patient underlying infantile macrocephaly and neurological deterioration in early childhood. Brain MRI revealed diffusion abnormality in swollen white matter and a subcortical cyst. The cDNA sequencing analysis for the c.423+2dupT variant revealed skipping of exon 5. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• There are individual differences in the clinical use of olanzapine. • The polymorphism of the GABA-T gene has an impact on the metabolism of 5-hydroxytryptamine. • The polymorphism of the GABA-T gene is related to the pharmacokinetics of olanzapine. • Lysophosphatidylethanolamine (0:0/18:3), lysophosphatidylethanolamine (0:0/22:5), and octadecatrienoic acid can distinguish subjects with high and low olanzapine drug oral clearance rate. • The study provides an important basis for individualized medication of olanzapine. Clinical use of the a olanzapine has significantly different individual-to-individual outcomes. Accordingly, this study aimed to develop a means of predicting response to olanzapine using a combined approach based on pharmacokinetics, pharmacometabonomics, and genetic polymorphism. The olanzapine pharmacokinetics of 19 healthy volunteers treated with orally disintegrating tablets were determined using high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. Metabolic profiling and phenotyping were performed on the blood samples that remained after pharmacokinetic analysis using ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry. Uridine diphosphate-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT), tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), γ-aminobutyric acid transaminase (GABA-T), and succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase (SSADH) were identified as key genes. The single nucleotide polymorphism genotypes most related to drug metabolism were investigated by polymerase chain reaction and Sanger sequencing. Forty-one metabolites (p < 0.05) are increased or decreased after treatment with olanzapine. Tryptophan metabolism, norepinephrine metabolism, and γ-aminobutyric acid metabolism were identified as being related to the effects of olanzapine. Subjects carrying rs1641031 AC and CC exhibited a 59.2% increase in the mean peak concentration (C max) value and a 25.33% decrease in the mean oral clearance rate (CL/F) value, compared to that in subjects with the GABA-T rs1641031 AA genotype (p < 0.05). Moreover, polymorphism of the GABA-T gene has an impact on the metabolism of 5-hydroxytryptamine. Lysophosphatidylethanolamine (0:0/18:3), lysophosphatidylethanolamine (0:0/22:5), and octadecatrienoic acid distinguish subjects with high and low olanzapine drug oral clearance and are thus identified as biomarkers for predicting its efficacy. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been shown to play important roles in plant development, growth and stress response. Sweet sorghum [ Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] is an important source of bioenergy due to the high sugar content in its stems. However, it is not clear how the miRNA is involved in sugar accumulation in sorghum stems. In order to identify the miRNAs in the stems and the leaves of sweet sorghum, we extracted RNAs of the stems and leaves of sweet sorghum (Rio) and grain sorghum (BTx623) at the heading and dough stages for high-throughput sequencing. A total of 179279048 reads were obtained from Illumina-based sequencing. Further analysis identified nine known miRNAs and twelve novel miRNAs that showed significantly and specifically differentially expressed in the stems of sweet sorghum. The target genes of the differentially expressed novel miRNAs include the transcription factor, glucosyltransferase, protein kinase, cytochrome P450, transporters etc. GO enrichment analysis showed that the predicted targets of these differentially expressed miRNAs participated in diverse physiological and metabolic processes. We performed RT-qRCR analysis on these miRNAs across eight different libraries to validate the miRNAs. Finally, we screened stem-specifically expressed novel miRNA and a leaf-specifically expressed novel miRNA in sweet sorghum comparing with grain sorghum. Our results provide a basis for further investigation of the potential role of these individual miRNAs in sugar accumulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lead pollution has attracted significant attention over the years. However, research on the transfer of lead between urban atmospheric particles, soils, and plants remains rare. We measured lead concentrations and lead isotope ratios in total suspended particles (TSP), soil, and plants in an urban wetland in Beijing. The study period was September 2016–August 2017- covering all four seasons. The concentrations of lead in the atmospheric particles vary from 3.13 to 6.68 mg/m3. It is significantly higher in autumn than that in spring and summer (P < 0.05). There is also a significant difference between summer and winter (P < 0.05). The soil lead concentrations range from 57 to 114 mg/kg, with the highest concentration in spring, followed by summer, winter and autumn. The lead concentrations are 1.28–7.75 mg/kg in plants. The concentration was highest in spring and significantly higher than in summer. The bioaccumulation factor of Phragmites australis was 0.064 (<0.1), indicating that lead is not easily transferred to plants. Unlike the bioaccumulation factors, translocation factors have much higher values, indicating a higher transfer within the plants. Results also indicate an interesting seasonal pattern with almost 97% of lead in plants during spring being of atmospheric origin, whereas in autumn, soilborne sources contribute almost 94%. The isotopic compositions of lead in the urban atmosphere-soil-plant system show that lead pollution results from the mixing of geogenic and anthropogenic materials. Vehicle exhaust, crustal rocks and ore deposits are likely primary sources of lead pollution within the study domain. [Display omitted] • Lead concentrations in soils are much higher than that in TSP and plant samples. • Contributions of airborne sources of lead vary from 6.5% to 97.3% in four seasons. • Contributions of soilborne sources of lead vary from 2.7% to 93.5% in four seasons. • Vehicle exhaust, crustal rocks and ore deposits are the main sources of lead pollution in Cuihu wetland in Beijing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) prevalence data in Asia were limited and mainly reported in previous studies of single ethnicity (Xu et al. 2006; Sen et al. 2008; Sharon & Banin 2015). The six eyes with early-stage RP had pigmentary changes at the mid-periphery region, modestly attenuated arterioles without bone-spicule deposits (Fig. The remaining six eyes with mid-stage RP had bone-spicule deposits at the mid-peripheral retina, involving at least two quadrants of retina (Fig. [Extracted from the article]

Recently, lattice-reduction-aided detectors have been proposed for multiinput multioutput (MIMO) systems to achieve performance with full diversity like the maximum likelihood receiver. However, these lattice-reduction-aided detectors are based on the traditional Lenstra-Lenstra-Lovász (LLL) reduction algorithm that was originally introduced for reducing real lattice bases, in spite of the fact that the channel matrices are inherently complex-valued. In this paper, we introduce the complex LLL algorithm for direct application to reducing the basis of a complex lattice which is naturally defined by a complex-valued channel matrix. We derive an upper bound on proximity factors, which not only show the full diversity of complex LLL reduction-aided detectors, but also characterize the performance gap relative to the lattice decoder. Our analysis reveals that the complex LLL algorithm can reduce the complexity by nearly 50% compared to the traditional LLL algorithm, and this is confirmed by simulation. Interestingly, our simulation results suggest that the complex LLL algorithm has practically the same bit-error-rate performance as the traditional LLL algorithm, in spite of its lower complexity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract-Frames and oversampled filter banks have been extensively studied over the past few years due to their increased design freedom and improved error resilience. In frame expansions, the least square signal reconstruction operator is called the dual frame, which can be obtained by choosing the synthesis filter bank as the para-pseudoinverse of the analysis bank. In this paper, we study the computation of the dual frame by exploiting the Greyule formula, which was originally derived in 1960 to compute the pseudoinverse of a matrix when a new row is appended. Here, we first develop the backward Greville formula to handle the case of row deletion. Based on the forward Greville formula, we then study the computation of para-pseudoinverse for extended filter banks and Laplacian pyramids. Through the backward Greville formula, we investigate the frame-based error resilient transmission over erasure channels. The necessary and sufficient condition for an oversampled filter bank to be robust to one erasure channel is derived. A postfiltering structure is also presented to implement the para-pseudoinverse when the transform coefficients in one subband are completely lost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Apparently, plant leaf surface particulate matter (PM) can be effectively removed by rainfall, leaving space on the leaf surface to adsorb and retain PM again. At present, most of the relevant studies adopt the method of artificial rainfall simulation to quantify rainfall characteristics in terms of rainfall intensity, and mostly focus on one category of plants. Studies of rainfall intensity on different categories of plants are lacking. Therefore, in this study, common urban greenery plants were classified into four categories, namely, trees, shrubs, herbs, and aquatic plants. Artificial rainfall was used and three different gradients of rainfall intensity, 30 mm/h, 45 mm/h and 60 mm/h, were set. The mass of per unit leaf area PM removal was calculated using the elution weighing method and the filter membrane method was used to classify the PM into three particle sizes: coarse (10–100-μm), fine (3–10-μm) and ultrafine (0.4–3-μm). It was devoted to investigating the differences in the effect of rainfall intensity on the removal of PM from the leaf surfaces of different categories of common urban greenery. The results showed that the removal of coarse particles by rainfall was the highest under different rainfall intensities. At the same time, the removal effects of rainfall on leaf surface PM of herbs were the highest under different rainfall intensity, while that of trees was the lowest. Among the same category of plants, Salix matsudana had better particle retention capacity among trees, Buxus sinica among shrubs, Poa pratensis among herbs, and Acorus calamus among aquatic plants. In addition, all tested plants had the highest mass of PM removed from leaf surface units at high rainfall intensity (60 mm/h). However, at a higher rainfall intensity (45 mm/h), the mass of PM on plant unit leaf surface removed was lower than the minimum rainfall intensity (30 mm/h). The results of the above study can provide a basis and theoretical support for the selection of species for urban green space restoration, as well as a reference for the establishment of urban cleaning systems from the perspective of the relationship between rainfall intensity and PM on plant leaf surfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, Gallager's bounding techniques have been used to derive tight performance bounds for coded systems in fading channels. Most works in this field have thus far dealt with coherent decoding. This paper develops Gallager bounds for noncoherent systems in fading channels. Unlike coherent decoding, the exact error probability of a noncoherent decoder/detector conditioned on the fading coefficients does not admit a closed-form expression. This difficulty is overcome in this paper by employing the Chernoff technique. Although it weakens the bounds to some extent, the Chernoff technique enables the derivations of the limit-before-average (LBA) bound and Gallager bounds in closed form for noncoherent fading channels. Numerical examples show that the proposed bounds are convergent and are tighter than the conventional union bound. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gallager's second bounding technique, also known as the generalized union bound, is employed to derive a new upper bound on the error probability of space-time codes (STCs) with maximum-likelihood (ML) decoding on quasi-static Rayleigh fading channels. The new bound is distinguished by two characteristics: unlike the classical union bound, the new bound is rapidly convergent and is only a few decibels away from simulation results; and compared with Gallager's first bound, it has better computational efficiency and numerical stability. Hence, the new bound is a useful tool for performance analysis and computer search of good STCs. Moreover, the correlation between fading coefficients is easily accommodated by the new bound. The application of the new bound to convolutional coding on block-fading channels is also demonstrated, and an improved version is derived for the bit-error probability of maximum a posteriori probability decoding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Approximate maximum-likelihood noncoherent sequence detection (NSD) for differential space-time modulation (DSTM) in time-selective fading channels is proposed. The starting point is the optimum multiple-symbol differential detection for DSTM that is characterized by exponential complexity. By truncating the memory of the incremental metric, a finite-state trellis is obtained so that a Viterbi algorithm can be implemented to perform sequence detection. Compared to existing linear predictive receivers, a distinguished feature of NSD is that it can accommodate nondiagonal constellations in continuous fading. Error analysis demonstrates that significant improvement in performance is achievable over linear prediction receivers. By incorporating the reduced-state sequence detection techniques, performance and complexity tradeoffs can be controlled by the branch memory and trellis size. Numerical results show that most of the performance gain can be achieved by using an L-state trellis, where L is the size of the DSTM constellation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Novel decision-feedback (DF) linear prediction (LP) receivers, which process multiple samples per symbol interval in conjunction with optimal sample combining, are proposed for differential space-time modulation (DSTM) over Rayleigh fast-fading channels. Performance analysis demonstrates that multisampling DF-LP receivers outperform their symbol-rate sampling counterpart in fast fading substantially. In addition, an asymptotically tight upper bound on the pairwise error probability is derived. In view of this bound, the design criterion of DSTM for fast fading is the same as that for block-wise static fading. To avoid the estimation of the second-order statistics of the channel, a polynomial-model-based DF-LP receiver is proposed. It can approach the performance of the optimum DF-LP receiver at high signal-to noise ratios, provided fading is moderate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Dongguashan skarn copper deposit can be considered as the product of the transport‐chemical reaction coupling process of ore‐forming materials (for example, complexes of copper) in discrete, parallel fractures in a porous medium system. A mathematical model of metallogenesis has been established and the accurate analytical solutions for depicting the transport of ore‐forming materials have been worked out. In establishing the model of metallogenesis and working out the analytical solutions, the following aspects have been taken into consideration: (1) advective transport along fractures; (2) diffusion and longitudinal mechanical dispersion of ore‐forming materials (solutes) along the fracture axis; (3) diffusion of ore‐forming materials from the fractures to the wall media; (4) adsorption of ore‐forming materials on the surface of wall‐rock matrices; (5) adsorption of ore‐forming materials within the wall‐rock matrices; (6) reduction of the concentrations of solutes due to the chemical reactions between ore fluids and wall‐rock matrices and the precipitation of ore‐forming materials. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Presents information on a study which focused on a computationally efficient method for chaotic signal estimation. Performance characteristics; Conclusion and discussion.

Deals with a family of frequency hopping (FH) sequences generated by chaotic communication systems. Background of FH communications systems; Theorem on the design of FH sequences; Hardware implementation of the sequence generator.

The study of traffic dynamics on couple networks is important for the design and management of many real systems. In this paper, an efficient routing strategy on coupled spatial networks is proposed, considering both traffic characteristics and network topology information. With the routing strategy, the traffic capacity can be greatly improved in both scenarios of identical and heterogeneous node capacity allocation. Heterogeneous allocation strategy of node delivery capacity performs better than identical capacity allocation strategy. The study can help to improve the performance of real-world multi-modal traffic systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Metal-free sp3 and dual sp2 C H functionalization for C-I, C N and C O bonds construction. • Effective iodination/ N -alkylation/amidation cascade reaction. • Iodine plays a triple role in sp3 C H bond activation, oxidation and as iodination reagent. An oxidative multi-functionalization of azaarenes with benzylic C H bonds of methylarenes via iodination/ N -benzylation/amidation cascade, to produce N -benzyl-4-iodoisoquinolin-1(2H)-ones and N -benzyl-3-iodoquinolin-2(1H)-ones is developed. The molecular iodine plays a triple role in activating benzylic sp3 C H bond of methylbenzenes, accelerating the oxidation process and serving as iodination reagent. This reaction utilizes cheap and readily available azaarenes and methylarenes as starting materials and proceeds under metal-free conditions to construct C-I, C N and C O bonds consecutively and afford iodo(iso)quinolinones efficiently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the problem of recovering an s-sparse signal x* ∊ ℂn from corrupted measurementsy = Ax* + z* +w, where z* ∊ ℂm is a k-sparse corruption vector whose nonzero entries may be arbitrarily large and w ∊ ℂm is a dense noise with bounded energy. The aim is to exactly and stably recover the sparse signal with tractable optimization programs. In this paper, we prove the uniform recovery guarantee of this problem for two classes of structured sensing matrices. The first class can be expressed as the product of a unit-norm tight frame (UTF), a random diagonal matrix, and a bounded columnwise orthonormal matrix (e.g., partial random circulant matrix). When the UTF is bounded (i.e. μ(U) ~ 1/ √ m), we prove that with high probability, one can recover an s-sparse signal exactly and stably by l1 minimization programs even if the measurements are corrupted by a sparse vector, provided m = O(s log2 s log2 n) and the sparsity level k of the corruption is a constant fraction of the total number of measurements. The second class considers a randomly subsampled orthonormal matrix (e.g., random Fourier matrix). We prove the uniform recovery guarantee provided that the corruption is sparse on certain sparsifying domain. Numerous simulation results are also presented to verify and complement the theoretical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background and aim: The concept of nurse‐led care (NLC) was not familiar in China. This study was designed to evaluate the clinical effectiveness and cost‐effectiveness of NLC versus rheumatologist‐led care (RLC) in Chinese patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods: Patients of either gender (aged ≥18 years) with RA were enrolled at Wenhai Central Hospital, China (January 2015 to December 2015). The participants were then randomized to NLC or RLC. Outcomes of both the groups were compared in terms of effectiveness by measuring the Disease Activity Score 28, visual analogue scores pertaining to pain and fatigue, and duration of morning stiffness. Costs associated with resource use for RA were assessed and compared between both groups. Results: A total of 214 RA patients in 2 groups (n = 107 in each group) were enrolled and analysed. Improvements in clinical outcomes (disease activity, pain, fatigue, and morning stiffness) over 12 months were significantly greater in the NLC group compared to RLC (P < 0.001). Overall, costs associated with resource use were higher in the RLC group compared to the NLC group (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Our preliminary finding suggested that RA patients managed by NLC compared to RLC may have better clinical outcomes and more cost‐effective care in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strain rate sensitivity will change the cyclic mechanical response of materials under multiaxial thermomechanical fatigue loading; thus, it will lead to errors in fatigue life prediction if strain rate sensitivity is not considered in constitutive simulation. In order to more accurately express the time/rate dependence of viscoplastic behavior, a strain rate sensitivity factor is proposed to modify the viscoplastic function of Chaboche model first. On this basis, a viscoplastic constitutive model considering strain rate sensitivity under multiaxial thermomechanical fatigue loading is proposed, which can describe the varying influence of strain rate sensitivity on cyclic mechanical behavior. Meanwhile, the exponential isotropic hardening rule with the linear term is adopted to characterize the initial rapid softening and subsequent stable softening of the material under fatigue loading at elevated temperature. Moreover, the material‐dependent nonproportional hardening coefficient and the loading path‐dependent rotation factor are used in the kinematic hardening rule to consider the effect of nonproportional additional hardening on the cyclic mechanical behavior of materials. Finally, the proposed method is verified by the stress–strain data of titanium alloy TC4 and Ni‐based superalloy GH4169 under uniaxial and multiaxial thermomechanical fatigue loadings, and a good agreement is obtained. HighlightsThe time/rate dependence of viscoplastic behavior is expressed more accurately.Initial rapid cyclic softening and subsequent stable cyclic softening are described.The effect of nonproportional hardening on cyclic mechanical behavior is considered.The proposed model is verified by two materials with different damage types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The new compound NH4{ [Zn4(DACH)7(H2O)3] [VIII3VIV18P6 O60(DACH)3]}·19H2O (DACH: 1,2-diaminocyclohexane) is synthesized by hydrothermal reaction of NH4VO3, Zn(OAc)2, DACH, H3PO4, and H2O (autoclave, 160 °C, 6 d). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In urban traffic systems, alleviating traffic congestion originated from left-turn/U-turn lanes at highly demanded intersections plays an important role in enhancing the traffic efficiency. For a typical intersection, the layout with double left-turn (DLT) lanes is a relatively common geometric feature. However, the effect of DLT scheme on the performance of the entire traffic system is not clear. This paper compares the performance of urban traffic system with different lane function schemes with extended cellular automaton (CA) model considering the car-following, lane-changing, intersection-traversing and route-choice behavior of vehicles. Using the flow-density relation, three macroscopic parameters (average trip completion rate, average traffic flow and average velocity) are examined to evaluate the system performance. With the wide application of DLT scheme, the vehicles can be distributed more evenly among the lanes. As a result, the traffic flow and the trip completion rate will be higher, especially at high density. Case studies of realistic Hefei city network and Sioux Falls networks are also carried out. The results show that the performance of traffic network will be better if more intersections adopt the DLT scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the rapid development of industrialization and urbanization has caused serious environmental pollution, especially particulate pollution. As the “Earth’s kidneys,” wetland plays a significant role in improving the environmental quality and adjusting the climate. To study how wetlands work in this aspect, from the early autumn of 2014 to 2015, we implemented a study to measure the PM concentration and chemical composition at three heights (1.5, 6, and 10 m) during different periods (dry, normal water, and wet periods) in the Cuihu wetland park in Beijing for analyzing the dry deposition flux and the effect of meteorological factors on the concentration. Results indicated that (1) the diurnal variations of the PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations at the three heights were similar in that the highest concentration occurred at night and the lowest occurred at noon, and the daytime concentration was lower than that at night; (2) the PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations also varied between different periods that wet period > normal water period > wet period, and the concentration at different heights during different periods varied. In general, the lowest concentration occurred at 10 m during the dry and normal water periods, and the highest concentration occurred at 1.5 m during the wet period. (3) SO42−, NO3−, and Cl− are the dominant constituents of PM2.5, accounting for 42.22, 12.6, and 21.56%, respectively; (4) the dry depositions of PM2.5 and PM10 at 10 m were higher than those at 6 m, and the deposition during the dry period was higher than those during the wet and normal water periods. In addition, the deposition during the night-time was higher than that during the daytime. Moreover, meteorological factors affected the deposition, the temperature and wind speed being negatively correlated with the deposition flux and the humidity being positively correlated. (5) The PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations were influenced by meteorological factors. The PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations were negatively correlated with temperature and wind speed but positively correlated with relative humidity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of modern society, the scale of the power system is rapidly increased accordingly, and the framework and mode of running of power systems are trending towards more complexity. It is nowadays much more important for the dispatchers to know exactly the state parameters of the power network through state estimation. This paper proposes a robust power system WLS state estimation method integrating a wide-area measurement system (WAMS) and SCADA technology, incorporating phasor measurements and the results of the traditional state estimator in a post-processing estimator, which greatly reduces the scale of the non-linear estimation problem as well as the number of iterations and the processing time per iteration. This paper firstly analyzes the wide-area state estimation model in detail, then according to the issue that least squares does not account for bad data and outliers, the paper proposes a robust weighted least squares (WLS) method that combines a robust estimation principle with least squares by equivalent weight. The performance assessment is discussed through setting up mathematical models of the distribution network. The effectiveness of the proposed method was proved to be accurate and reliable by simulations and experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blood-brain barrier (BBB) damage is closely related to various neurological disorders, including bacterial meningitis (BM). Determining a reliable strategy to prevent BBB damage in the context of infection would be highly desirable. In the present study, we investigated the implications of the long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) nuclear paraspeckle assembly transcript 1 (NEAT1) in moderating BBB damage. In vitro BBB models were developed by co-culturing hCMEC/D3 cells with glioma cells, whereupon the glioma-exposed endothelial cells (GECs) were treated with a series of mimics, inhibitors, overexpression plasmids, and shRNAs for evaluating whether NEAT1, microRNA-135a (miR-135a) and hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF1α) mediated BBB integrity and permeability. Furthermore, the in vivo biological function of NEAT1 was validated in a mouse model of BBB damage. NEAT1 and HIF1α were determined to be up-regulated, while miR-135a was under-expressed in GECs. As demonstrated by chromatin immunoprecipitation and dual-luciferase reporter assays, NEAT1 could bind to miR-135a, and HIF1α was confirmed as a target of miR-135a. Either overexpression of NEAT1 or depletion of miR-135a impaired the integrity and augmented the permeability of BBB. However, HIF1α silencing could reverse the BBB damage induced by NEAT1 overexpression or by inhibition of miR-135a. In vivo experiments substantiated that knockdown of NEAT1 could alleviate BBB damage in living mice. Hence, NEAT1 knockdown prevents BBB disruption and exerts promise as a potential target for BM treatment. • The study explores the role of NEAT1/miR-135a/HIF1α axis in BBB permeability in BM. • NEAT1 and HIF1α are up-regulated while miR-135a is reduced in the GEC model. • NEAT1 can bind to miR-135a which targets HIF1α. • NEAT1 increases BBB permeability via impairing miR-135a-mediated HIF1α expression. • The study suggests molecular mechanisms of BBB damage and therapeutic targets for BM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • 1. The direct band gap semiconductor (Zn 3 CdC 2) and the indirect band gap semiconductor (ZnCd 3 C 2) with conversion to direct band gap under biaxial strain. • 2. Extremely high flexibility, excellent mechanical anisotropy, and Poisson's ratio along the x direction close to 0. • 3. Unequal out-of-plane piezoelectric coefficients d 31 and d 32 due to special structural features. • 4. Light absorption coefficients of the same order as those of perovskites used in solar cell. In this work, two Janus carbides, Zn 3 CdC 2 and ZnCd 3 C 2 monolayers, are designed. The stability, electronic, mechanical, piezoelectric, and light absorption properties are investigated using the first-principles calculations. The results demonstrate that both structures are chemically, dynamically, and thermodynamically stable. A direct bandgap semiconductor, the ZnCd 3 C 2 monolayer has a bandgap of 1.82 eV, while the indirect bandgap semiconductor Zn 3 CdC 2 monolayer has a slightly larger gap of 2.03 eV. However, Zn 3 CdC 2 monolayer can be transformed into a direct bandgap semiconductor by applying biaxial compression at 2%. The mechanical properties indicate that both materials possess significant mechanical anisotropy, high flexibility, and distinctive deformation pattern. More strikingly, two Janus monolayers display out-of-plane piezoelectric properties due to their noninversion symmetry and out-of-plane asymmetry structures. At the same time, the different charge transfer amounts along the x and y directions give them unequal out-of-plane piezoelectric coefficients d 31 and d 32. For Zn 3 CdC 2 monolayer, the value of d 31 is −0.52 pm/V, and the value of d 32 is 0.25 pm/V; The values of d 31 and d 32 for ZnCd 3 C 2 monolayer reach −0.32 pm/V and 0.27 pm/V, respectively. In addition, Zn 3 CdC 2 and ZnCd 3 C 2 monolayers have strong light absorption coefficients as high as 105 cm−1 in visible and ultraviolet bands. Our works reveal that the two Janus monolayers have great potential in piezoelectric, photovoltaic, and other sustainable energy applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate the association of HSD17B1 and HSD17B2 gene polymorphisms with uterine leiomyoma in Chinese women. Methods: 121 Chinese women with clinically diagnosed uterine leiomyoma and 217 healthy normal Chinese women were investigated to compare three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs605059 and rs676387 of HSD17B1 gene and rs8191246 of HSD17B2 gene) by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism and DNA sequencing method. Results: All the SNPs were polymorphisms in Chinese women. Frequencies of rs605059 AA genotype and A allele were significantly increased in patients with uterine leiomyoma compared to healthy controls (GG vs. AA, OR 0.40, 95 % CI 0.20-0.82; G vs. A, OR 0.68, 95 % CI 0.50-0.94). Conclusion: The results suggest that the genotype of HSD17B1 rs605059 may play a role in the tumourgenesis of uterine leiomyoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reactions of natural helicid with a number of 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds or β-ketoester in the presence of ammonium acetate or 1-naphthylamine gave a series of helicid derivatives containing a 1,4-dihydropyridine fragment ( 2a-2h). Eight novel helicid derivatives were structurally confirmed by IR, H NMR, C NMR, and HR-MS spectroscopy and evaluated for their sedative-hypnotic activities on mice. The results demonstrated that two compounds had higher sedative-hypnotic activity compared with helicid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antenna arrays that incorporate MIMO technology for indoor–outdoor network interconnection on the same terminal, i.e., for DCS 1800, PCS 1900, WCDMA, 3G, 802.11a/b/g, Bluetooth®, ZigBee®, WiMAX™, and UWB standards, are proposed. Staircase profile printed circuit antennas, monopoles (PCM), and slots (PCS) with VSWR < 2 bandwidth mainly from 1.12 to 10.1 GHz are previously designed, simulated, constructed, and measured as antenna elements for those arrays. For comparison, prototypes for two-element PCM and PCS MIMO arrays have been constructed and measured. The choice should be made according to the directivity required by the final application and portable device size. For the worst signal interference case, the operational bandwidth ranges from 1.5 to 9.9 GHz and from 1.7 to 11.4 GHz for the PCM and the PCS MIMO arrays, respectively. VSWR is basically below two, average capacity loss 0.32 bps/Hz with respect to the ideal uncorrelated (2,2) case and envelope correlation lower than 20 dB. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 52:889–895, 2010; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.25047 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose a new upper bound on the error performance of binary linear codes over block-fading channels by employing Gallager's first- and second-bounding techniques. As the proposed bound is numerically intensive in its general form, we consider two special cases, namely, the spherical bound and the DS2-exponential bound, which are found to be tight in nonergodic and near-ergodic block-fading channels, respectively. The tightness of the proposed bounds is demonstrated for turbo codes. Many existing bounds for quasistatic or fully interleaved fading channels can be viewed as special cases of the proposed Gallager bound. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Guidewire retention during an interventional treatment is a very rare complication that can lead to possible serious complications, such as thrombosis, embolization, sepsis, and perforation. Hence, a retained guidewire must be retrieved as soon as possible. Here, we provide the first report of a case of accidental retention of a 0.035" J guidewire in the right atrium and aortic arch during basilar artery aneurysm embolization. We found that due to the heavier weight of the J guidewire and its hydrophilic-coated layer, it could not be removed using previously reported methods for micro-guidewire retention. Therefore, we constructed a self-invented snare device consisting of a 0.014" microguidewire and a 4-Fr MP-A1 catheter and successfully retrieved the J guidewire, thus avoiding open surgery and its associated serious complications. According to our experience, this novel technique described here is quite easy to perform, safe, effective, can avoid serious complications and prevent the need for open surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The new oxonitridosilicates Ln4−xSr2+xSi5N12−xOx (Ln = La, Ce) were synthesized by high temperature solid-state reactions. The crystal structures were solved and refined from both single-crystal and powder X-ray diffraction data. These oxonitridosilicate compounds crystallize in the monoclinic space group P21/n (no. 14) and exhibit a double-layer structure made up of corner-sharing Si(O/N)4 tetrahedra. When excited with near-UV and blue light, the Pr3+ doped La2.31Sr3.69Si5N10.31O1.69 phosphor shows a narrow-band red emission peaking at 625 nm with a full width at half-maximum of 40 nm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bilateral visual impairment includes participants with visual impairment in one eye and visual impairment/blindness in the other eye. e Presence of any existing cataract or any history of cataract surgery in either eye (Modified Wisconsin Cataract Grading System). f Among diabetic individuals. g VTDR, vision-threatening diabetic retinopathy. Bilateral visual impairment includes participants with visual impairment in one eye and visual impairment/blindness in the other eye. d Based on the WHO definition, visual impairment was defined as VA<20/60 to 20/400. The overall age-adjusted BCVA prevalence of bilateral blindness (VA< 20/200, based on the better-seeing eye) and VI (VA< 20/40 to 20/200, based on the better-seeing eye) was 0.3% [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.2-0.4] and 4.2% (95% CI 3.8- 4.5), respectively. Globally, blindness and visual impairment (VI) are estimated to affect 36 million and 400 million people, respectively. [Extracted from the article]

• Decomposition rate and effects were measured in field and laboratory experiments. • Measured soil properties and PLFAs for decomposition at different salinities and inundation environments. • Decomposition rate was correlated with water quality and fungal microbe content. • Leaf litter may control carbon cycling and energy flow in estuary ecosystems. • Artificially elevating wetland nutrient content may mitigate negative human impact. Decomposition of halophyte litter may considerably influence carbon cycling and energy flow in estuarine ecosystems. We examined water quality parameters, soil properties, and soil phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) contents from the Yellow River Estuary, China, to investigate Phragmites australis and Suaeda glauca litter decomposition dynamics. Surface soils (0–10 cm) under three different salinity conditions were collected from six plots. Results showed that the litter decomposition rate of S. glauca (k = 0.0063) was significantly (p = 0.032) higher than that of P. australis (k = 0.0024). Litter decomposition rate had a significant (p < 0.01) relationship with water compositional parameters (water dissolved oxygen, temperature, chemical oxygen demand, and NH 3 -N). According to the results of our surface soil analysis, in plots with 1% salinity, values for total soil PLFAs, bacterial PLFAs, Gram-negative PLFAs, and fungal PLFAs were all higher after 270 days than after 120 days. Fungi were the principal microbial group responsible for leaf litter decay. Changes in the nutrient utilization of litter may result in changes in the allocation of resources for growth and reproduction, which suggests that artificial elevation of wetland nutrient content may mitigate the negative human impacts associated with climate change. This study demonstrated the effects of biotic (litter types, activities of microbial organisms) and abiotic (salinity, inundation) variables on halophyte litter decomposition in Yellow River Delta wetlands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We evaluated the agreements in foveal avascular zone (FAZ) area and vessel density (VD) parameters (within the superficial capillary plexus region), between two widely used optical coherence tomography angiography machines. Participants who attended the Singapore Malay Eye Study III between 29th March and 6th August 2018, were enrolled in this study. Participants underwent fovea-centered 6×6-mm macular cube scan, using both AngioVue and Cirrus HDOCT machines. Scans were analyzed automatically using built-in review software of each machine. 177 eyes (95 participants) without retinal diseases were included for final analysis. Mean FAZ area was 0.38 ± 0.11 mm2 and 0.30 ± 0.10 mm2, based on AngioVue and Cirrus HDOCT, respectively. Mean parafoveal VD was 0.50 ± 0.04 in Angiovue, and 0.43 ± 0.04 in Cirrus HDOCT. Cirrus HDOCT measurements were consistently lower than those by AngioVue, with a mean difference of −0.08 (95% limits of agreement [LOA], −0.30–0.13) mm2 for FAZ area, and −0.07 (95% LOA, −0.17–0.03) for parafoveal VD. Intraclass correlation coefficients for FAZ area and parafoveal VD were 0.33 and 0.07, respectively. Our data suggest that agreements between AngioVue and Cirrus HDOCT machines were poor to fair, thus alternating use between these two machines may not be recommended especially for follow up evaluations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Connected Autonomous Vehicle (CAV) platoon was recently proposed to improve road utilization and reduce fuel consumption. However, the mixed traffic flow of CAVs and human-driven vehicles (HDVs) will exist on the road for a long time; thus, the organization of CAVs needs to be reconsidered from the aspects of the platoon forming strategy. In this paper, a novel cooperative platoon forming (CPF) strategy is proposed to enhance the formation of CAV platoons in mixed traffic flows. A four-lane cellular automaton traffic modeling framework is constructed to simulate the interaction between CAVs and HDVs. Numerical results show that the CPF strategy is effective in enabling CAVs to be assembled into platoons. The increase in the CAV penetration rate can effectively alleviate traffic congestion and improve traffic capacity, thereby improving traffic flow and fuel economy. The findings may help improve the management of vehicle platoons. • A novel cooperative platoon formation strategy is proposed to promote CAV platooning. • A four-lane cellular automaton traffic model is constructed dealing with CAVs and HDVs. • The strategy effectively improves traffic performance and reduces fuel consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anterior communicating artery (ACoA) aneurysm, accounts for 30%-35% of all the aneurysm making it one of the most common intracranial aneurysms. Although the Pterional approach is considered as the safe and appropriate method in ACoA aneurysm surgery, temporalis atrophy and injury to a frontal branch of the facial nerve are few inexorable complications. With the advancement of minimally invasive surgery several modified approaches, such as the supraorbital eyebrow incision approach, the minipterional approach, the mini-supraorbital approach, and the lateral supraorbital approach has been recently introduced and has been used as an alternative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Glioma is a devastating disease with increasing incidence worldwide. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) was demonstrated to be involved in a wide range of pathophysiological processes, including tumorigenesis and development. Recently, the abnormally expressed hsa_circ_0001649 was found in several malignancies. In the current study, the expression levels of hsa_circ_0001649 in glioma and its clinical significance were explored. The biological functions including cell growth, colony-forming ability and apoptosis altered by hsa_circ_0001649 were further investigated in vitro. Tumor formation assay was also carried out to elucidate the oncogenic properties of hsa_circ_0001649. The data documented a decrease of hsa_circ_0001649 expression in glioma specimens and cell lines. In addition, down-regulated hsa_circ_0001649 is linked to larger tumor size (p = 0.002) and advanced WHO grade (p = 0.023). Additionally, hsa_circ_0001649 may be an independent prognostic marker for glioma patients after surgery (p = 0.046). Moreover, up-regulated hsa_circ_0001649 inhibits glioma cell growth in vitro and in vivo. Importantly, increased expression of hsa_circ_0001649 facilitates apoptosis by regulating Bcl-2/caspase-3 pathway. Ultimately, this study suggests that hsa_circ_0001649 may be a potential glioma-related prognostic/therapeutic target. Highlights • Hsa_circ_0001649 is decreased in glioma tissues and cells. • Overexpression of hsa_circ_0001649 inhibited cell growth in vitro and in vivo. • Hsa_circ_0001649 regulates cell apoptosis by affecting Bcl-2/caspase-3 pathway. • Hsa_circ_0001649 expression is associated with tumor size, WHO grade and overall survival in glioma patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forests and vegetation are known to play an important role in capturing air pollutants, whereas the role of wetland plants in this context has been poorly understood. This study focused on particle accumulation in six common wetland plant species in a wetland in Beijing, China. The aim of the study was to show the capacity of the six plants species to accumulate particulates of two different size fractions (fine particles: diameter < 2.5 μm; coarse particles: diameter ranging from 2.5 to 10 μm) over three growing seasons. This study also discussed the differences among species with respect to their ability to accumulate particles and their unique microstructures and investigated the possible associations between stoma density, stoma width, stoma length, groove width, and particle accumulation. The results showed that Phragmites australis accumulated a considerable proportion of both coarse and fine particles. The leaf surface microstructure was observed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Microstructures, such as trichomes, were good at capturing particles, but there was no relationship between surface roughness and particle accumulation. Regression analysis showed that the correlation between stoma density, groove width, stoma width, and particle accumulation was moderate (R 2  = 0.45, 0.30, and 0.34, respectively). Thus, wetlands in urban areas could provide an important ecosystem service: accumulation of hazardous particulate matter. The results of this study could be useful to select wetland species with a strong particle-accumulating ability. P. australis has the potential to be a good biofilter in artificial wetlands in cities. In addition, when selecting species, it is better to select those with more trichomes or hairs on their leaf surfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atmospheric particulate matter (PM) deposition which involves both dry and wet processes is an important means of controlling air pollution. To investigate the characteristics of dry and wet deposition in wetlands, PM concentrations and meteorological conditions were monitored during summer at heights of 1.5 m, 6 m and 10 m above ground level at Cuihu Wetland (Beijing, China) in order to assess the efficiency of PM2.5 (particles with an aerodynamic size of <2.5 μm) and PM10 (particles with an aerodynamic size of <10 μm) removal. The results showed: Daily concentrations of PM, dry deposition velocities and fluxes changed with the same variation trend. The daily average deposition velocity for PM10 (3.19 ± 1.18 cm·s–1) was almost 10 times that of PM2.5 (0.32 ± 0.33 cm·s–1). For PM2.5, the following dry deposition fluxes were recorded: 10 m (0.170 ± 0.463 μg·m–2·s–1) > 6 m (0.007 ± 0.003 μg·m–2·s–1) > 1.5 m (0.005 ± 0.002 μg·m–2·s–1). And the following deposition fluxes for PM10 were recorded: 10 m (2.163 ± 2.941 μg·m–2·s–1) > 1.5 m (1.565 ± 0.872 μg·m–2·s–1) > 6 m (0.987 ± 0.595 μg·m–2·s–1). In the case of wet deposition, the relative deposition fluxes for PM2.5 and PM10 were 1.5 m > 10 m > 6 m, i.e. there was very little difference between the fluxes for PM2.5 (0.688 ± 0.069 μg·m–2·s–1) and for PM10 (0.904 ± 0.103 μg·m–2·s–1). It was also noted that rainfall intensity and PM diameter influenced wet deposition efficiency. Dry deposition (63%) was more tilted towards removing PM10 than was the case for wet deposition (37%). In terms of PM2.5 removal, wet deposition (92%) was found to be more efficient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]