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China’s main energy structure is dominated by coal. The burning of coal is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, making China the largest carbon emitter. Facing double pressure on ecological protection and economic development, improving energy efficiency is more practical than reducing coal utilization. In this context, digital finance can be a vital engine that supports a transition to a low-carbon economy. Based on panel data for 2011 to 2019 of 30 provinces in China, this study probes the effect of digital finance on the total factor energy efficiency and constructs a moderated mediating effect model to analyze the mechanism of action. The results show that: (1) digital finance is able to improve the total factor energy efficiency, (2) the industrial structure plays a mediating effect, which is regionally heterogeneous, and (3) the above transmission path is affected by the degree of regional resource dependence. With the deepening of resource dependence, the role of digital finance in driving energy efficiency through the industrial structure is enhanced. This research demonstrates the effectiveness of digital finance in energy efficiency improvement and develops ideas for ecological governance and sustainable development.

The bottom-up approach to directly synthesizing low-dimensional materials with outstanding performance has extended the material basis for the next generation integrated circuit industry. All the low-dimensional semiconductors, metals, dielectrics, and their heterojunctions are very promising bricks to build faster and more efficient chips because of their atomically smooth surface and interfaces. The greatest challenge in the synthesis of nanomaterials is how to precisely control the structure, crystalline orientation, defects, dimensions, etc. In past decades, both the methodology and the mechanism of synthesis have been systematically investigated to improve the controllability. However, few studies focused on sensing the synthesis processes in situ and responding to the synthesis immediately. Here, we propose the concept of intelligent synthesis in which the final product can be automatically fine-controlled by a closed loop including in situ monitoring and real-time interventions. As a model system, a high-temperature-tolerant circuit is fabricated on the single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) growth substrate for sensing and responding to the synthesis processes. As a result, either highly pure semiconducting (s-) SWCNT arrays or metallic-semiconducting (m-s) junction arrays with different junction positions is simply synthesized by programming the responding signal. The intelligent synthesis shows much higher efficiency and controllability compared to conventional methods and will lead to the next leap in nanotechnology.

Plantations of Rupprecht’s larch (Larix principis-rupprechtii) have been widely established in the drylands of northwest and north China under traditional fast-growing plantation management strategies. These strategies and the long-term logging ban have led to over-populated stands with lower structural and functional stability, less economic benefit and higher water consumption. To guide the sustainable management of larch plantations, field surveys and historical data compilation were undertaken in the Liupan Mountains of northwest China. The main influencing factors (stand structure and site condition) and their effects on mean tree height, mean DBH and timber volumes were determined based on up-boundary line analysis. Tree growth models coupling the effects of tree age, stand density, and elevation were established. Both height and DBH markedly increased initially and then slowly with tree age, decreased with stand density, and showed unimodal change with elevation. The coupled growth models accounted for 72–78% of the variations in tree height, DBH and timber growth. Recommendations for future plantation management are: (1) prolong the rotation to at least 60 years to produce large-diameter, high-quality timber and maintain greater carbon stocks; (2) zone the target functions of stands by elevation; and, (3) reduce stand density for balanced supply of multiple ecosystem services. The growth models developed can predict growth response of larch plantations to density alteration under given ages and elevations, and assist the transformation from traditional management for maximum timber production to site-specific and multifunctional management with longer rotations and moderate tree density.

As hyperprolactinemia is observed in patients with bromocriptine‑resistant prolactinoma, prolactin (PRL) has been implicated in the development of bromocriptine resistance. Since PRL primarily mediates cell survival and drug resistance via the Janus kinase‑2 (JAK2)/signal transducer and activator of transcription 5A (STAT5) signaling pathway, the STAT5 inhibitor, pimozide, may inhibit cell proliferation and reverse bromocriptine resistance in prolactinoma cells. In the present study, compared with bromocriptine or pimozide alone, the combination of pimozide and bromocriptine exerted enhanced reduction in cell growth and proliferation, and increased apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in bromocriptine‑resistant prolactinoma cells. A reduction in phospho‑STAT5, cyclin D1 and B‑cell lymphoma extra‑large (Bcl‑xL) expression levels were observed in cells treated with the combination of drugs. In addition, pimozide suppressed spheroid formation of human pituitary adenoma stem‑like cells, and reduced the protein expression of the cancer stem cell markers, CD133 and nestin. Pimozide did not exert any additional antitumor activity in STAT5‑knockdown primary culture cells of human bromocriptine‑resistant prolactinomas. Furthermore, Pimozide combined with bromocriptine treatment significantly reduced human prolactinoma xenograft growth. Western blot and immunohistochemical analyses also demonstrated significant inhibition of cell proliferation and stem cell marker proteins in vivo. Collectively, these data indicated that pimozide treatment reduced prolactinoma growth by targeting both proliferating cells and stem cells, at least in part, by inhibiting the STAT5/Bcl‑xL and STAT5/cyclin D1 signaling pathways.

Relationships between stem growth and climatic and edaphic factors, notably air temperatures and soil moisture for different slopes, are not completely understood. Stem radial variations were monitored at the bottom and top slope positions in a Larix principis-rupprechtii plantation during the 2017 and 2018 growing seasons. Total precipitation during the growing season in 2017 and 2018 was 566 mm and 728 mm, respectively. Stem contractions typically occurred after mid-morning followed by swelling in the late afternoon in both plots, reflecting the diurnal cycle of water uptake and loss. Trees at the two locations showed the same growth initiation (mid-May) because of the small differences in air and soil temperatures. There were no significant differences in cumulative stem radial growth between the bottom plot (1.57 ± 0.34 mm) and the top plot (1.55 ± 0.26 mm) in 2018. However, in 2017, the main growth period of the bottom plot ceased 17 days earlier than in the top plot, while cumulative seasonal growth of the bottom plot (1.08 ± 0.25 mm) was significantly less than the top plot (1.54 ± 0.43 mm). Maximum daily stem shrinkage was positively correlated with air and soil temperatures, solar radiation, vapor pressure deficits, and negatively correlated with volumetric soil moisture content. The maximum daily shrinkage reflected transpiration rates as affected by environmental factors. Daily radial stem increment was correlated with precipitation and volumetric soil moisture in both years, but with air temperatures only in 2017. The seasonal growth of L. principis-rupprechtii Mayr thus shows interannual dynamics, while precipitation constitutes a key driving factor.

Optical hyperspectral imaging based on absorption and scattering of photons at the visible and adjacent frequencies denotes one of the most informative and inclusive characterization methods in material research. Unfortunately, restricted by the diffraction limit of light, it is unable to resolve the nanoscale inhomogeneity in light-matter interactions, which is diagnostic of the local modulation in material structure and properties. Moreover, many nanomaterials have highly anisotropic optical properties that are outstandingly appealing yet hard to characterize through conventional optical methods. Therefore, there has been a pressing demand in the diverse fields including electronics, photonics, physics, and materials science to extend the optical hyperspectral imaging into the nanometer length scale. In this work, we report a super-resolution hyperspectral imaging technique that simultaneously measures optical absorption and scattering spectra with the illumination from a tungsten-halogen lamp. We demonstrated sub-5 nm spatial resolution in both visible and near-infrared wavelengths (415 to 980 nm) for the hyperspectral imaging of strained single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT) and reconstructed true-color images to reveal the longitudinal and transverse optical transition-induced light absorption and scattering in the SWNTs. This is the first time transverse optical absorption in SWNTs were clearly observed experimentally. The new technique provides rich near-field spectroscopic information that had made it possible to analyze the spatial modulation of band-structure along a single SWNT induced through strain engineering., Comment: 4 Figures

Forests in water source areas are important factors for water supply security, soil, and water conservation, and their water consumption from transpiration is strongly affected by site conditions, including the slope aspect. However, the lack of research on how the slope aspect interferes with the response of stand transpiration to drought has hindered researchers from developing climate-resilient forest–water coordinated, sustainable development plans for different stand conditions. This study was conducted on Quercus wutaishansea forests in the southern part of Liupan Mountain in northwest China, and two sample plots were built on sunny and shady slopes. The responses of stand transpiration to various soil moisture and meteorological conditions on different slope orientations were analyzed. The results showed better-growing stands on shady slopes transpired more and consumed more soil moisture than those on sunny slopes. The soil moisture on shady slopes decreased rapidly below the threshold level during the drought, leading to a limitation of stand transpiration; however, its transpiration recovered rapidly after the drought. In contrast, stand transpiration on sunny slopes was not affected by this drought and maintained its pre-drought rate. Our results suggested that stands with higher water demand on shady slopes were more susceptible to drought when it occurred. This indicated that in the case of frequent droughts, the vegetation should be managed according to the vegetation-carrying capacities resulting from different site conditions.

In dryland regions, soil moisture is an important limiting factor for canopy transpiration (T). Thus, clarifying the impact of soil moisture on T is critical for comprehensive forest—water management and sustainable development. In this study, T, meteorological factors (reference evapotranspiration, ETref), soil moisture (relative soil water content, RSWC), and leaf area index (LAI) in a Larix principis-rupprechtii plantation of Liupan Mountains in the dryland region of Northwest China were simultaneously monitored during the growing seasons in 2017–2019. A modified Jarvis—Stewart model was established by introducing the impact of RSWC in different soil layers (0–20, 20–40, and 40–60 cm, respectively) to quantify the independent contribution of RSWC of different soil layers to T. Results showed that with rising ETref, T firstly increased and then decreased, and with rising RSWC and LAI, T firstly increased and then gradually stabilised, respectively. The modified Jarvis—Stewart model was able to give comparable estimates of T to those derived from sap flow measurements. The contribution of RSWC to T in different soil layers has obvious specificity, and the contribution rate of 20–40 cm (13.4%) and 0–20 cm soil layers (6.6%) where roots are mainly distributed is significantly higher than that of 40–60 cm soil layer (1.9%). As the soil moisture status changes from moist (RSWC0–60cm ≥ 0.4) to drought (RSWC0–60cm &lt, 0.4), the role of the soil moisture in the 0–20 cm soil layer increased compared with other layers. The impacts of soil moisture that were coupled into the Jarvis—Stewart model can genuinely reflect the environmental influence and can be used to quantify the contributions of soil moisture to T. Thus, it has the potential to become a new tool to guide the protection and management of forest water resources.

Endogenous hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is generated in many metabolism pathways, and has been recognized as a second messenger against antibiotics and reactive oxygen species (ROS). In Aeromonas veronii, Small Protein B (SmpB) plays an important role in resisting stress. The absence of smpB could trigger sulfate assimilation pathway to adapt the nutrient deficiency, of which was mediated by up-regulation of cbl and cys genes and followed with enhancing H2S production. To figure out the mutual regulations of cbl and cys genes, a series of experiments were performed. Compared with the wild type, cysH was down-regulated significantly in cbl deletion by qRT-PCR. The fluorescence analysis further manifested that Cbl had a positive regulatory effect on the promoter of cysJIH. Bacterial one-hybrid analysis and electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) verified that Cbl bound with the promoter of cysJIH. Collectively, the tolerance to adversity could be maintained by the production of H2S when SmpB was malfunctioned, of which the activity of cysJIH promoter was positively regulated by upstream Cbl protein. The outcomes also suggested the enormous potentials of Aeromonas veronii in environmental adaptability.

Prolactinomas are the most common type of functional pituitary adenoma. Although bromocriptine is the preferred first line treatment for prolactinoma, resistance frequently occurs, posing a prominent clinical challenge. Both the prolactin receptor (PRLR) and estrogen receptor α (ERα) serve critical roles in the development and progression of prolactinomas, and whether this interaction between PRLR and ERα contributes to bromocriptine resistance remains to be clarified. In the present study, increased levels of ERα and PRLR protein expression were detected in bromocriptine-resistant prolactinomas and MMQ cells. Prolactin (PRL) and estradiol (E2) were found to exert synergistic effects on prolactinoma cell proliferation. Furthermore, PRL induced the phosphorylation of ERα via the JAK2-PI3K/Akt-MEK/ERK pathway, while estrogen promoted PRLR upregulation via pERα. ERα inhibition abolished E2-induced PRLR upregulation and PRL-induced ERα phosphorylation, and fulvestrant, an ERα inhibitor, restored pituitary adenoma cell sensitivity to bromocriptine by activating JNK-MEK/ERK-p38 MAPK signaling and cyclin D1 downregulation. Collectively, these data suggest that the interaction between the estrogen/ERα and PRL/PRLR pathways may contribute to bromocriptine resistance, and therefore, that combination treatment with fulvestrant and bromocriptine (as opposed to either drug alone) may exert potent antitumor effects on bromocriptine-resistant prolactinomas.

Aims Tree sap flux density, as the basis for estimating forest transpiration, exhibits high spatiotemporal variation on hillslopes. This is largely due to the variation in the canopy leaf area index (LAI), potential evapotranspiration (PET), and volumetric soil moisture (VSM) that are induced by the slope position and shaded terrain effects. To improve the estimation of the daily sap flux density (Js) of sloped forests, a new approach is required that will extrapolate the Js measured at given slope position to other slope positions by considering both effects on the influencing factors. Method This study was carried out on a southeast-facing hillslope of a Larix principis-rupprechtti plantation in NW China. The Js was monitored during the growing season of 2016 on three plots located at the foot-slope (FS), mid-slope (MS) and upper-slope (US). To exclude interferences from fluctuating weather conditions, only data from 16 sunny days were used. The dynamic optimal Js was applied to quantify the Js response to changes in the PET, LAI and VSM induced by the slope position and shaded terrain effects. Result The mean daily Js (ml⋅cm−2⋅min−1) of 16 sunny days differed among slope positions as MS (0.059) > FS (0.050) > US (0.041). The strong shaded terrain effect at FS was verified by the markedly delayed starting time of sap flow at the FS when compared to that at the US and MS under a weak shaded terrain effect. The strong shaded terrain effect at the FS induced a PET reduction which decreased with the rising DOY until the end of July and then increased, this effect at FS also induced an LAI reduction that varied with the DOY inversely to PET. The mean Js (ml⋅cm−2⋅min−1) of 16 sunny days was reduced by 0.063 at US and 0.040 at MS mainly due to the slope position effect, and was reduced by 0.051 at the FS due to the joint impacts of a strong shaded terrain effect (0.0505) and a slope position effect (0.0005). When extrapolating the Js measured at the MS to estimate the Js at the US, the consideration of the slope position effect lowered the estimation error to 7.8% markedly decreased from 50.6% when not considering any effect. However, the Js estimation error at the FS increased from 25% to 87% when considering only the slope position effect, but decreased to 11.2% when considering both the shaded terrain effect and the slope position effect. Conclusion The substantial spatiotemporal variation in Js exists on hillslopes due to the varying effects of the slope position and the shaded terrain. The rising slope position leads to a decrease of PET, LAI, VSM and consequently, Js, while the strong shaded terrain effect at the lower slope (e.g., SF in this study) leads to a decrease in LAI, PET and Js. Thus, it is necessary to consider the slope position and shaded terrain effects, as these variables can greatly improve the Js estimation accuracy when scaling up from measured values at one slope position to other slope positions and even the entire hillslope.

More and more droughts happened during the last decades, threatening natural forests in the semi-arid regions of North China. The increase in drought pressure may have an impact on stand transpiration (T) in semi-arid regions due to rising temperature and changes in precipitation. It is unclear how the transpiration of natural forest in semi-arid regions respond to drought, which is regulated by environmental factors. In this study, a relatively simple but mechanism-based forest stand T model that couples the effects of the reference T, solar radiation (Rn), vapor pressure deficit (VPD), and relative extractable water (REW) in the 0–80 cm soil layer was developed to quantify the independent impacts of Rn, VPD, and REW on T. The model was established based on the observed sap flow of four sample trees, and environmental factors were observed from May to September in different hydrological years (2015, 2017, 2018, and 2021) in a pure white birch (Betula platyphylla Sukaczev) forest stand in the southern section of the Greater Khingan Mountains, northeastern China. The sap flow data were used to calculate tree transpiration (Tt) and T to calibrate the T model. The results indicated that (1) The Tt sharply declined in the ‘dry’ year compared with that in the ‘wetter’ year. The daily Tt for small trees in the ‘dry’ year was only one-fifth of that in the ‘wetter’ year, and the daily Tt of large trees was 48% lower than that in the ‘normal’ year; (2) Large trees transpired more water than small trees, e.g., the daily Tt of small trees was 89% lower than that of the large trees in the ‘normal’ year; (3) Daily T increased with the increase in Rn, and the response conformed to a binomial function. Daily T responded to the rise of VPD and REW in an exponential function, first increasing rapidly, gradually reaching the threshold or peak value, and then stabilizing; (4) The driving factors for the T shift in different hydrological years were the REW in the ‘dry’ year, but the Rn and REW in the ‘wet’, ‘normal’, and ‘wetter’ years. The REW in the ‘wet’ and ‘wetter’ years exerted positive effects on T, but in the ‘normal’ and ‘dry’ year, exerted negative effects on T. Thus, the environmental factors affecting T were not the same in different hydrological years.

Endogenous hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is generated in many metabolism pathways, and has been recognized as a second messenger against antibiotics and reactive oxygen species (ROS). In Aeromonas veronii, Small Protein B (SmpB) plays an important role in resisting stress. The absence of smpB could trigger sulfate assimilation pathway to adapt the nutrient deficiency, of which was mediated by up-regulation of cbl and cys genes and followed with enhancing H2S production. To figure out the mutual regulations of cbl and cys genes, a series of experiments were performed. Compared with the wild type, cysH was down-regulated significantly in cbl deletion by qRT-PCR. The fluorescence analysis further manifested that Cbl had a positive regulatory effect on the promoter of cysJIH. Bacterial one-hybrid analysis and electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) verified that Cbl bound with the promoter of cysJIH. Collectively, the tolerance to adversity could be maintained by the production of H2S when SmpB was malfunctioned, of which the activity of cysJIH promoter was positively regulated by upstream Cbl protein. The outcomes also suggested the enormous potentials of Aeromonas veronii in environmental adaptability.

Recent studies have reported that gene amplified in squamous cell carcinoma 1 (GASC1) is involved in the progression of several types of cancer. However, whether GASC1 promotes glioma progression remains unknown. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the effect of GASC1 exposure on glioma tumorigenesis. The western blot demonstrated that grade III and IV glioma tissues exhibited a higher mRNA and protein expression of GASC1. Moreover, CD133+ U87 or U251 cells from magnetic cell separation exhibited a higher GASC1 expression. Invasion Transwell assay, clonogenic assay and wound healing assay have shown that GASC1 inhibition using a pharmacological inhibitor and specific short hairpin (sh)RNA suppressed the invasive, migratory and tumorsphere forming abilities of primary culture human glioma cells. Furthermore, GASC1‑knockdown decreased notch receptor (Notch) responsive protein hes family bHLH transcription factor 1 (Hes1) signaling. GASC1 inhibition reduced notch receptor 1 (NOTCH1) expression, and a NOTCH1 inhibitor enhanced the effects of GASC1 inhibition on the CD133+ U87 or U251 cell tumorsphere forming ability, while NOTCH1 overexpression abrogated these effects. In addition, the GASC1 inhibitor caffeic acid and/or the NOTCH1 inhibitor DAPT (a γ‑Secretase Inhibitor), efficiently suppressed the human glioma xenograft tumors. Thus, the present results demonstrated the importance of GASC1 in the progression of glioma and identified that GASC1 promotes glioma progression, at least in part, by enhancing NOTCH signaling, suggesting that GASC1/NOTCH1 signaling may be a potential therapeutic target for glioma treatment.

It is important for integrated forest-water management to develop a better understanding of the variation of tree transpiration among different canopy layers in the forests and its response to soil moisture and weather conditions. The results will provide insights into water consumption by trees occupying different social positions of the forests. In the present study, an experiment was conducted in the Qilian Mountains, northwest China, and 13 trees, i.e., 4&ndash, 5 trees from each one of dominant (the relative tree height (HR) &gt, 1.65), subdominant (1.25 &lt, HR &le, 1.65) and intermediate-suppressed (HR &le, 1.25) layers) were chosen as sample trees in a pure Qinghai spruce (Picea crassifolia Kom.) forest stand. The sap flux density of sample trees, soil moisture of main root zone (0 to 60 cm) and meteorological conditions in open field were observed simultaneously from July to October of 2015 and 2016. The results showed that (1) The mean daily stand transpiration for the study period in 2015 and 2016 (July&ndash, October), was 0.408 and 0.313 mm&middot, day&minus, 1, and the cumulative stand transpiration was 54.84 and 40.97 mm, accounting for 24.14% (227.2 mm) and 16.39% (249.9 mm) of the total precipitation over the same periods, respectively. (2) The transpiration varied greatly among canopy layers, and the transpiration of the dominant and codominant layers was the main contributors to the stand transpiration, contributing 86.05% and 81.28% of the stand transpiration, respectively, in 2015 and 2016. (3) The stand transpiration was strongly affected by potential evapotranspiration (PET) and volumetric soil moisture (VSM). However, the transpiration of trees from the dominant and codominant layers was more sensitive to PET changes and that from the intermediate-suppressed layer was more susceptible to soil drought. This implied that in dry period, such as in drought events, the dominant and codominant trees would transpire more water, while the intermediate-suppressed trees almost stopped transpiration. These remind us that the canopy structure was the essential factor affecting single-tree and forest transpiration in the dryland areas.

Light seine fishing, one of the most efficient methods used in modern fisheries, is performed based on fish phototaxis. In this study, the East China Sea was selected as the study area, and fishing...

Endo-fucoidanases are important in structural analysis of fucoidans and preparation of fuco-oligosaccharides. However their enzymological properties and analysis of degradation products are scarcely investigated. Truncated endo-α (1 → 3)-fucoidanase Fda1 (tFda1B from Alteromonas sp. was overexpressed and characterized, showing highest activity at pH 7.0, 35 °C, and 1.0 M NaCl. Its Km and kcat were 3.88 ± 0.81 mg/mL and 0.82 ± 0.17 min−1. Fe3+ and Mn2+ enhanced activity by 100% and 19.5% respectively. Co2+ and Cu2+ completely inactivated tFda1B, whereas Ni2+, Mg2+, Zn2+, Pb2+, Ca2+, Ba2+ and Li+ decreased activity by 58.8%, 56.0%, 50.6%, 47.7%, 28.9%, 15.6% and 37.5%, respectively. Catalytic residues were identified through structure and sequence alignment, and confirmed by mutagenesis. Degradation products of Kjellmaniella crassifolia fucoidan by tFda1B were characterized by LC-ESI-MS/MS, confirming tFda1B belongs to endo-(1 → 3)-fucoidanases, and backbone of K. crassifolia fucoidan is 1 → 3 fucoside linkage. This endo-α (1 → 3)-fucoidanase would be useful for elucidating fucoidan structures, and be used as a food enzyme.

Canopy interception is a significant proportion of incident rainfall and evapotranspiration of forest ecosystems. Hence, identifying its magnitude is vital for studies of eco-hydrological processes and hydrological impact evaluation. In this study, throughfall, stemflow and interception were measured in a pure Larix principis-rupprechtii Mayr. (larch) plantation in the Liupan Mountains of northwestern China during the growing season (May–October) of 2015, and simulated using a revised Gash model. During the study period, the total precipitation was 499.0 mm; corresponding total throughfall, stemflow and canopy interception were 410.3, 2.0 and 86.7 mm, accounting for 82.2, 0.4 and 17.4% of the total precipitation, respectively. With increasing rainfall, the canopy interception ratio of individual rainfall events decreased initially and then tended to stabilize. Within the study period, the simulated total canopy interception, throughfall and stemflow were 2.2 mm lower, 2.5 mm higher and 0.3 mm lower than their measured values, with a relative error of 2.5, 0.6 and 15.0%, respectively. As quantified by the model, canopy interception loss (79%) mainly consisted of interception caused by canopy adsorption, while the proportions of additional interception and trunk interception were small. The revised Gash model was highly sensitive to the parameter of canopy storage capacity, followed by the parameters of canopy density and mean rainfall intensity, but less sensitive to the parameters of mean evaporation rate, trunk storage capacity, and stemflow ratio. The revised Gash model satisfactorily simulated the total canopy interception of the larch plantation within the growing season but was less accurate for some individual rainfall events, indicating that some flaws exist in the model structure. Further measures to improve the model’s ability in simulating the interception of individual rainfall events were suggested.

Megaregion has emerged as a new dimension of global urbanization. A megaregion approach based on polycentric strategy is deemed to enhance regional economic competitiveness. Numerous studies have highlighted the economic benefits, celebrated the spill-over effects, and outlined the creative potentials of contemporary megaregion policies in different nations worldwide. However, further policy instruments require the knowledge about the achievement and failure of megaregion policies that seek for spatial, economic, social, and environmental efficiency and sustainability. This paper introduces China’s megaregion policy and proposes an analytical framework for performance evaluation from four principle domains (rational urban growth, economic development, social equity, environmental protection) at three levels (internal collaboration, integral development, and overall development). Using a case of the Megaregion around Hangzhou Bay (MAHB), we find very limited success of China’s megaregion policy. In particular, the megaregion policy only accomplishes the economic goal, and fails to achieve the goals of rational urban growth, environmental protection, and social equity. A series of mechanism based regressions are established and show that the implementation duration of megaregion policy: (1) associates positively with the economic growth; (2) relates negatively to social equity and urban rational growth; and (3) has no significant relationship with improved environmental quality. Institutional fragmentation, no unified spatial planning, and inadequate legislation at megaregional level are the underlying causes of the expected performances within the policy context of governance itself. We finally propose some possible solutions and discuss the implications for spatial polycentric governance. The demonstrated methodological framework can be applicable to other megaregions around the world. This paper is thus believed to provide some new insights for land use policy.

A time lag between sap flux density (Js) and meteorological factors has been widely reported, but the controlling factors of the time lag are poorly understood. To interpret the time lag phenomenon systematically, thermal dissipation probes were placed into each of eight trees to measure the Js of Larix principis-rupprechtii Mayr. in the Liupan Mountains in Northwest China. Meteorological factors, including vapor pressure deficit (VPD), solar radiation (Rs) and air temperature (Ta), were synchronously measured with Js, and the dislocation contrast method was used to analyze the time lag between Js and the meteorological factors. The analysis indicated the following for the whole experimental period. (1) The time lag between Js and VPD (TLV) and the time lag between Js and Rs (TLR) both exhibited different patterns under different weather conditions, and Js could precede Rs on dry days. (2) Both TLV and TLR varied with the day of the year (DOY) throughout the experimental period, namely, both exhibited a decreasing tendency in September. (3) Reference crop evapotranspiration (ETref) had a greater influence on the time lag than the other meteorological factors and directly controlled the length and direction of TLV and TLR, relative extractable water (REW) modified the relationship between ETref and time lag. (4) The regression analysis results showed differences between the time lags and the environmental factors (ETref and REW) within different ranges of REW. Namely, TLR was better determined by ETref and REW when REW &lt, 0.38, while TLV was better correlated with ETref and REW in the absence of soil water limitations (REW &gt, 0.38). This project provided an important opportunity to advance the understanding of the interaction between plant transpiration and meteorological factors in a changing climate.

The radar system and communication system in the military and civilian are developing to millimeter-wave band; in order to coordinate the frequency use of communication system and the radar system in this band, it is necessary to analyze the electromagnetic compatibility between them. In this paper, the LFM pulse compression radar in the 35 GHz band is taken as an example and the interference system model is constructed to analyze the electromagnetic compatibility with digital cellular mobile communication system in the same frequency band. The physical-layer simulation is carried out on the millimeter-wave radar and the communication system, and the corresponding interference limits are obtained by combining the path loss, bandwidth, and equipment space distribution of the specific system. Then, an effective link-level interference evaluation model is established, thus obtaining the system transmission power threshold and equipment distribution isolation distance threshold reference value. The research results can provide some technical references for the relevant departments of radio management in China.