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The most important question for cancer is not how cancers form or how metastasis occurs, it is how metastatic cancer causes death. This paper proposed a theory to answer this question. Fast-proliferating cancer cells require more energy which is mainly produced by the respiration of mitochondria. However, respiration in mitochondria is not sustainable because the high level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is produced during respiration and damages mitochondria through oxidization. As a result, to meet the long-lasting and high level of energy requirement, cancer cells use up their own mitochondria, and release the used, damaged, or oxidized mitochondria to, and acquire functional, undamaged, or unoxidized mitochondria from surrounding non-cancer cells. This beneficial mitochondria exchange for cancer cells is facilitated by metastasis, because metastatic foci are much smaller than the original tumor, providing a much larger contact surface between a given number of cancer cells and the surrounding non-cancer cells. The beneficial mitochondria exchange for cancer cells keeps repeating, and gradually leads to functional mitochondria depletion in non-cancer cells, most importantly in cells of vital organs such as the brain and the heart. As a result, it leads to a lack of energy in vital organs and eventually death of the patient. This theory was supported by three key results: First, mitochondria from the brain or heart of late-stage liver cancer or prostatic cancer mice showed decreased respiration rate; Second, metastatic liver cancer cells in the lung transfer their mitochondria to surrounding cells. Lastly, the administration of functional mitochondria to prostatic cancer mice increased their survival.

PurposeRecognizing every worker's working status instead of only describing the existing construction activities in static images or videos as most computer vision-based approaches do; identifying workers and their activities simultaneously; establishing a connection between workers and their behaviors.Design/methodology/approachTaking a reinforcement processing area as a research case, a new method for recognizing each different worker's activity through the position relationship of objects detected by Faster R-CNN is proposed. Firstly, based on four workers and four kinds of high-frequency activities, a Faster R-CNN model is trained. Then, by inputting the video into the model, with the coordinate of the boxes at each moment, the status of each worker can be judged.FindingsThe Faster R-CNN detector shows a satisfying performance with an mAP of 0.9654; with the detected boxes, a connection between the workers and activities is established; Through this connection, the average accuracy of activity recognition reached 0.92; with the proposed method, the labor consumption of each worker can be viewed more intuitively on the visualization graphics.Originality/valueWith this proposed method, the visualization graphics generated will help managers to evaluate the labor consumption of each worker more intuitively. Furthermore, human resources can be allocated more efficiently according to the information obtained. It is especially suitable for some small construction scenarios, in which the recognition model can work for a long time after it is established. This is potentially beneficial for the healthy operation of the entire project, and can also have a positive indirect impact on structural health and safety.

Background Glutathione S-transferase (GST) is an antioxidant enzyme essential for cell protection because of its scavenging of reactive oxygen species accumulated under various stresses. Cold stress studies on the GST gene family have been conducted in several dicotyledonous and monocotyledonous plants, including Arabidopsis, rice, sweet potato, cantaloupe, and pumpkin. However, no relevant studies have been conducted on quinoa to date. Results In the present study, 59 GST (CqGST) genes were identified in the C. quinoa genome, among which 34 were located in the cytoplasm, 20 in the chloroplasts, and five in the ribosomes. Our phylogenetic analysis of CqGST and GST genes from Arabidopsis and rice showed that these genes were clustered into eight subfamilies, namely Tau, Phi, GHR, Zeta, Lambda, EF1B, DHER, and TCHQD. A total of 59 CqGSTs were located on 14 chromosomes, and none were located on chromosomes 00, 4, 9, 13, and 15. Eleven pairs of tandem-duplicated genes and 12 pairs of segmentally duplicated genes were identified in the CqGST gene family. The promoter region of each CqGST contained at least one cis-element associated with adversity. We selected 16 representative genes for fluorescence quantitative RT-PCR to verify gene expression and found that most of the CqGST genes were highly expressed in the roots and recovered for 3 h after different cold treatment times, indicating that the GST family plays an important role in quinoa cold stress. Conclusions In the present study, 59 GST genes were identified in quinoa, and gene duplication events were found to be the main drivers of GST gene family evolution in this species. Our results provide a basis for further studies on the function of GST genes in quinoa as well as a research basis for breeding quinoa in high-altitude cold regions, indicating the candidate genes for enhancing quinoa yield.

The transcription factor WRKY is widespread in the plant kingdom and plays a crucial role in diverse abiotic stress responses in plant species. Tritipyrum, an octoploid derived from an intergeneric cross between Triticum aestivum (AABBDD) and Thinopyrum elongatum (EE), is a valuable germplasm resource for introducing superior traits of Th. elongatum into T. aestivum. The recent release of the complete genome sequences of T. aestivum and Th. elongatum enabled us to investigate the organization and expression profiling of Tritipyrum WRKY genes across the entire genome.In this study, 346 WRKY genes, from TtWRKY1 to TtWRKY346, were identified in Tritipyrum. The phylogenetic analysis grouped these genes into three subfamilies (I-III), and members of the same subfamilies shared a conserved motif composition. The 346 TtWRKY genes were dispersed unevenly across 28 chromosomes, with 218 duplicates. Analysis of synteny suggests that the WRKY gene family may have a common ancestor. Expression profiles derived from transcriptome data and qPCR demonstrated that 54 TtWRKY genes exhibited relatively high levels of expression across various salt stresses and recovery treatments. Tel1E01T143800 (TtWRKY256) is extremely sensitive to salt stress and is on the same evolutionary branch as the salt-tolerant A. thaliana genes AtWRKY25 and AtWRKY33. From 'Y1805', the novel AtWRKY25 was cloned. The Pearson correlation analysis identified 181 genes that were positively correlated (R0.9) with the expression of TtWRKY256, and these genes were mainly enriched in metabolic processes, cellular processes, response to stimulus, biological regulation, and regulation of biological. Subcellular localization and qRT-PCR analysis revealed that TtWRKY256 was located in the nucleus and was highly expressed in roots, stems, and leaves under salt stress.The above results suggest that TtWRKY256 may be associated with salt stress tolerance in plants and may be a valuable alien gene for improving salt tolerance in wheat.

Background The trihelix family of transcription factors plays essential roles in the growth, development, and abiotic stress response of plants. Although several studies have been performed on the trihelix gene family in several dicots and monocots, this gene family is yet to be studied in Chenopodium quinoa (quinoa). Results In this study, 47 C. quinoa trihelix (CqTH) genes were in the quinoa genome. Phylogenetic analysis of the CqTH and trihelix genes from Arabidopsis thaliana and Beta vulgaris revealed that the genes were clustered into five subfamilies: SIP1, GTγ, GT1, GT2, and SH4. Additionally, synteny analysis revealed that the CqTH genes were located on 17 chromosomes, with the exception of chromosomes 8 and 11, and 23 pairs of segmental duplication genes were detected. Furthermore, expression patterns of 10 CqTH genes in different plant tissues and at different developmental stages under abiotic stress and phytohormone treatment were examined. Among the 10 genes, CqTH02, CqTH25, CqTH18, CqTH19, CqTH25, CqTH31, and CqTH36, were highly expressed in unripe achenes 21 d after flowering and in mature achenes compared with other plant tissues. Notably, the 10 CqTH genes were upregulated in UV-treated leaves, whereas CqTH36 was consistently upregulated in the leaves under all abiotic stress conditions. Conclusions The findings of this study suggest that gene duplication could be a major driver of trihelix gene evolution in quinoa. These findings could serve as a basis for future studies on the roles of CqTH transcription factors and present potential genetic markers for breeding stress-resistant and high-yielding quinoa varieties.

Numerous tunnel excavation projects have been undertaken in China to address the ever-increasing demand for tunnels, which is driven by the rapid development of urban cities. Tunnel excavations generally induce the settlement of existing tunnels and sometimes result in the derailment of metro vehicles. In this study, the Nanyan Fourth Circuit Transmission Reconstruction, located in Dalian City in China, was selected to investigate the local settlement of a metro station caused by an underlying tunnel excavation project. The theoretical solution of the stochastic medium theory was calculated for a horseshoe-shaped tunnel based on the Gauss–Legendre integral in a non-uniform convergence situation. Results were compared with data measured at the metro station. A three-dimensional model was developed to further explore the variations in stress and deformation, which were difficult to measure during the excavation. The results showed the existence of a settlement gradient of the metro station in the direction of the excavation after the underlying tunnel was excavated. The numerical results were in good agreement with the data measured onsite. The non-uniformity of the settlement in the direction of the excavation was investigated. The findings of this study can provide a reference for predicting and controlling the impact of undercrossing tunnel excavation on the deformation of metro stations.

To carry out differentiated ecological restoration activities and formulate appropriate environmental conservation strategies for karst regions, it is essential to investigate the impact of ecological restoration and forest management strategy differences on soil properties. The karst region in Xiangxi, Hunan province, China was selected as the study site. Here, we determined soil physical and chemical differences in soil profiles of karst areas with ecological restoration activities. The results showed that (1) the soil properties showed a significant difference between the restoration vegetation and uncultivated land, especially in soil physical properties. The soil moisture conversion coefficient (83.0%) and soil bulk density (1.37g/cm3) of Liriodendron chinense (Hemsl.) Sarg reached the highest value among 12 vegetations. 2) The topsoil was more sensitive to ecological restoration. Soil physical properties in the topsoil samples from the forest management areas were significantly higher than uncultivated lands (P < 0.05). (3) Redundancy analysis showed that the soil chemical content differed significantly among the types of forest vegetation restoration and different soil layers. Among the nutrients analysis, Mg, Zn and K were the main factors affecting soil properties in the rocky desertification areas. Therefore, our results recommend planting the broadleaved deciduous forest as the preferred forest among three different forest types to enhance soil fertility and water conservation functions, especially in subtropical karst areas ecosystems, which provided for making scientific forest restoration management in the karst region.

This paper studies the deviation rate between natural knee cartilage and polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel artificial cartilage under different compression conditions; when the artificial cartilage is sub...

Haemaphysalis longicornis is one of the most dominant and widespread tick species in China. This species mainly infests wild animals and occasionally attacks humans, and has been associated with the transmission of a variety of zoonotic pathogens including spotted fever group Rickettsia (SFGR), severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV), Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Babesia spp. and Theileria spp.. Although there are increasing reports of various pathogens associated with H. longicornis, some neglected pathogens in certain areas still need to be studied. In this study, a total of 171 H. longicornis ticks were collected from goats in three locations of Shandong Province, Eastern China (Zibo, Linyi, and Qingdao cities), and subsequently screened for the presence of Rickettsia, Anaplasma, and Ehrlichia bacteria. A total of four bacterial species were identified and characterized. "Candidatus Rickettsia jingxinensis" was detected in one tick specimen from Zibo city. Of 98 ticks from Linyi city, 63.27% (62/98) were tested positive for Anaplasma capra and 5.10% (5/98) were positive for Anaplasma bovis. Interestingly, a novel Anaplasma species was detected and characterized in one tick specimen from Zibo and one other from Linyi, respectively. Genetic and phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S, gltA, groEL, and msp4 genes indicated that it was divergent from all known Anaplasma species but mostly related to A. phagocytophilum and "Cadidatus Anaplasma boleense". Based on where it was first detected, we named it "Candidatus Anaplasma shandongensis".

Forest ecohydrological feedbacks complicate the threshold behaviour of stormflow response to precipitation or wetting conditions on a long‐term scale (e.g. several years). In this study, the threshold behaviours in an evergreen‐deciduous mixed forested headwater catchment in southern China were examined during 2009–2015, when damaged vegetation was recovering after the great 2008 Chinese ice and snowstorm. The non‐uniqueness of the thresholds and the slow and rapid responses of stormflow at the outlet of the catchment in different hydro‐climate datasets with different maximum values of gross precipitation (P) and sums of precipitation and antecedent soil moisture index (P + ASI) were assessed. The thresholds of P and P + ASI required to trigger stormflows (i.e. ‘generation thresholds’) and the transition from slow to rapid responses of stormflow (i.e. ‘rise thresholds’) were compared both seasonally and annually. The results indicated significant differences in the analysed datasets, highlighting the need to compare thresholds with care to avoid misinterpretation. Seasonal variations in threshold behaviours in the catchment suggested that vegetation canopy interception contributed to higher rise thresholds, and wetter conditions resulted in higher runoff sensitivity to precipitation during the growing and rainy seasons. Furthermore, the generation thresholds were higher in the dormant season, possibly due to drier soil moisture conditions in the near‐channel areas. During the vegetation recovery period, the annual generation thresholds increased, however the rise thresholds did not exhibit a similar trend. The rapid stormflow response above the threshold decreased, possibly due to transpiration and interception of the recovered vegetation. However, the slow stormflow response to small rainfall events below the thresholds was higher in wetter years but lower in drier years, suggesting that the total water input dominated the stormflow response during small rainfall events. In conclusion, the seasonal and annual variations in threshold behaviours highlight that vegetation recovery and hydro‐climatic conditions had a notable impact on the stormflow response.

Hydraulic redistribution (HR), which is the passive movement of water through plant roots from wet to dry soil due to the water gradient, is important for plant physiology and ecohydrological processes. However, our poor knowledge on HR in the humid monsoon climate zone hampers the understanding of the interactions between vegetation and soil water during frequent droughts in evergreen forests. Thus, 5 years (2011-2015) of data, including meteorological parameters and soil moisture content at depths of 10, 30, 50, and 100 cm in soil profiles, were compared at one evergreen broad-leaved forest and at one clear-cutting forest site in south China. Analyses of soil moisture dynamics show that HR was frequently triggered within the depth of 30 cm at the evergreen broad-leaved forest, while (if any) was less visible at the clear-cutting forest site. The daily averaged magnitude of redistributed soil water reached the maximum of 0.81 mm/d. The HR mainly occurred during the monsoon dry season (i.e., from October to March of the following year), possibly indicating a different cause, i.e., asynchronous variations in rainfall and plant water use shape the seasonal patterns of soil water HR, compared to other humid zones. During the study period when HR occurred, the average daily HR in the soil profiles replenished approximately 34-50% of the water consumption in the 0-30 cm soil layer. The simulation results of a distributed hydrology-soil-vegetation model incorporating a HR scheme indicate that evapotranspiration enhanced during drought periods when HR occurred. In the future climate change context, comprehensive investigations on the water fluxes in the atmosphere-vegetation-soil continuum are needed to fully understand the effects of HR on the physiological responses of plants and on the water cycle.

Rhipicephalus microplus ticks are vectors for multiple pathogens infecting animals and humans. Although the medical importance of R. microplus has been well-recognized and studied in most areas of China, the occurrence of tick-borne Rickettsiales has seldom been investigated in Guizhou Province, Southwest China. In this study, we collected 276 R. microplus ticks from cattle (209 ticks) and goats (67 ticks) in three locations of Guizhou Province. The Rickettsia, Anaplasma, and Ehrlichia were detected by targeting the 16S rRNA gene and were further characterized by amplifying the key genes. One Rickettsia (Ca. Rickettsia jingxinensis), three Ehrlichia (E. canis, E. minasensis, Ehrlichia sp.), and four Anaplasma (A. capra, A. ovis, A. marginale, Ca. Anaplasma boleense) species were detected, and their gltA and groEL genes were recovered. Candidatus Rickettsia jingxinensis, a spotted fever group of Rickettsia, was detected in a high proportion of the tested ticks (88.89%, 100%, and 100% in ticks from the three locations, respectively), suggesting the possibility that animals may be exposed to this type of Rickettsia. All the 16S, gltA, groEL, and ompA sequences of these strains are 100% identical to strains reported in Ngawa, Sichuan Province. E. minasensis, A. marginale, and Candidatus Anaplasma boleense are known to infect livestock such as cattle. The potential effects on local husbandry should be considered. Notably, E. canis, A. ovis, and A. capra have been reported to infect humans. The relatively high positive rates in Qianxinan (20.99%, 9.88%, and 4.94%, respectively) may indicate the potential risk to local populations. Furthermore, the genetic analysis indicated that the E. minasensis strains in this study may represent a variant or recombinant. Our results indicated the extensive diversity of Rickettsiales in R. microplus ticks from Guizhou Province. The possible occurrence of rickettsiosis, ehrlichiosis, and anaplasmosis in humans and domestic animals in this area should be further considered and investigated.

The rapid growth and expansion ofCryptomeria japonica (Thunb. ex L. f.) D. Don in karst area strongly affects plant composition of native deciduous broad-leaved forest, which seriously threat ecosystem function and service. Given the importance of soil microorganisms in regulating nutrients cycling and plant species coexistence, understanding soil microbial attributes and their relationships with soil and vegetation features in forests harboring different C. japonica abundance will help understanding the drivers of ecosystem function changes. Here we examined the diversity and composition of soil bacterial and fungal communities and their correlations with plant diversity as well as soil physicochemical properties in karst broad-leaved forests with different relative abundances of C. japonica (i.e., a high, moderate, low and no proportion level with a stem density of 1,487, 538, 156 and 0 plant/hm2, respectively) in Mid-Subtropical China. We found that soil pH decreased while soil water content (SWC), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP) and total potassium (TK) tended to increase with the increase in C. japonica abundance. In contrast, soil available nitrogen (AN), available phosphorus (AP) and available potassium (AK) content declined by 26.1%∼49.3% under the high level of C. japonica abundance. A gradual decrease in relative abundance of Acidobacteria and Chloroflexi while a pronounced increase in relative abundance of Ascomycota and Basidiomycota were observed with increase of C. japonica abundance. Alternations in bacterial composition were closely related to changes in AP and AK, while the change of fungal structure was mainly related to SWC, soil organic carbon (SOC) and pH, indicating that bacterial community was sensitive to declines in soil available nutrients and fungal structure was sensitive to changes in soil physicochemical properties (i.e., pH and SWC) and organic carbon resource. Understory plants had the highest α-diversity in forest containing moderate abundance of C. japonica, which might be related to the high bacterial diversity. Our findings suggest conservation of soil bacterial and fungal taxa that are responsible for nutrients availability and carbon sequestration is of great significance for improving the resistance of natural deciduous broad-leaved forests to the rapid spread of C. japonica in karst areas. Moreover, Acidobacteria, Chloroflexi, Ascomycota and Basidiomycota are potential indicators for soil properties changes, which should be taken into consideration in karst forest managements.

The number and scale of tunnels around the world are continuously increasing, but various disease problems during the operation period have also followed, and they have become one of the important problems facing tunnels at present. Many detection methods have been proposed in the field of tunnel detection, such as traditional manual detection method, ultrasonic detection method, ground-penetrating radar method, laser scanning method and inspection method based on image processing technology. However, due to the high cost of equipment, single test content, strict test environment and other reasons, most of the current tunnel routine inspection is still manual inspection. In order to solve the existing problems in tunnel detection, a method for rapid detection and treatment analysis of cracks in tunnel linings based on deep learning is proposed. Firstly, lining cracks were selected as the main research objects, and their causes and treatment measures in different parts were analyzed. Secondly, the AlexNet convolutional neural network based on the Caffe framework was used to identify the cracks. The crack images were collected to establish a data set, and the network parameters were modified and trained. Then use MATLAB to extract the crack length and width, and design a human-machine interactive tunnel lining crack detection program in MATLAB GUI. Finally, the content and results of this paper are discussed.

The objective of this work was to measure and correlate the solubility of lidocaine hydrochloride in eight pure solvents, including ethanol, n-propanol, isopropanol, n-butanol, isobutanol, acetone, methyl acetate, water, and binary mixtures at (291.15 to 331.15) K by using gravimetric method under atmospheric pressure. The results reveal that the solubility of lidocaine hydrochloride increases with increasing temperature in all solvent selected. The modified Apelblat equation, van’t Hoff equation, λh equation, Wilson model and NRTL model were successfully used to correlate the experimental solubility in pure solvents and binary solvent mixtures. In addition, the thermodynamic properties of dissolution of Lidocaine hydrochloride such as Gibbs energy (∆G°sol), molar enthalpy of dissolution (∆H°sol), and molar entropy of dissolution (∆S°sol ) were calculated. Consequently, the experimental solubility and correlation equations can be used as essential data and simulation models in the purification and separation of lidocaine hydrochloride.

In this study, a new strain measuring method was designed based on smartphone and machine vision algorithms, while the automatic calibration of the pixel size of images taken by the smartphone was achieved with the help of circle detection. A piston-type sensor to complement this method was designed, and the static and dynamic experimental results of the sensor matched well with those from FBG. Meanwhile, the sensor was tested with temperature compensation to obtain an empirical equation for the effect of temperature on the sensor. When compared with the FBG data, the static data of the sensor had the mean error of less than 4 μe and the standard error of the mean (SEM) of 1.9 μe, while the dynamic data had the mean error is less than 4.3 μe and the SEM is 5.4 μe. The results confirm that the sensor has great potential in structural health monitoring.

In this study, the aim is to obtain new solubility data, correlation equation parameters of 4-aminoantipyrine and thermodynamic parameters in the dissolution process. All this would be useful for optimizing the crystallization and extraction process of 4-aminoantipyrine. The solubility of 4-aminoantipyrine was experimentally measured in mono solvents including methanol, ethanol, 1-propanol, 2-propanol, 1-butanol, 2-butanol, acetone, ethyl acetate, water and binary mixtures (water + ethanol) at (299.05 to 338.35) K and atmospheric pressure by using a gravimetric method. The experimental solubility in mono solvents was correlated by the Apelblat equation, van't Hoff equation, λh equation, nonrandom two-liquid (NRTL) equation and universal quasichemical (UNIQUAC) equation. The solubility in the binary mixed solvents was correlated by the Apelblat equation, van't Hoff equation, λh equation, NRTL equation, UNIQUAC equation and Jouyban-Acree-van't Hoff equation. The correlated values based on all the selected equations showed good agreement with the experimental values.

In this study, the aim is to obtain new solubility data, correlation equation parameters of dipyrone and thermodynamic parameters in the dissolution process. The all would be useful for optimizing the crystallization process of dipyrone. The solubility of dipyrone was experimentally measured in mono solvents including methanol, ethanol, 1-propanol, 2-propanol, 1-butanol, 2-butanol, acetone, ethyl acetate, methyl acetate, water and binary mixtures (water + ethanol) at (293.15 to 332.85) K and atmospheric pressure by using a gravimetric method. The experimental solubility in the mono solvents was correlated by the Apelblat equation, van't Hoff equation, λh equation and nonrandom two-liquid (NRTL) equation. The solubility in the binary mixed solvents was correlated by the Apelblat equation, van't Hoff equation, λh equation, nonrandom two-liquid (NRTL) equation and Jouyban-Van't Hoff equation. The correlated values based on all the selected equations showed good agreement with the experimental values.

The aim of this work is to obtain solubility data of lidocaine, and correlate equation parameters of lidocaine and thermodynamic parameters in the dissolution process. The solubility of lidocaine was experimentally measured in eight pure solvents including ethanol, n-propanol, isopropanol, n-butanol, isobutanol, acetone, methyl acetate, ethyl acetate, and binary mixtures (n-propanol + ethanol) at (292.15 to 332.15) K in atmospheric pressure by gravimetric method. The solubility of lidocaine in the solvents increased with a rise of temperature. The acquired solubility data of lidocaine in the solvents studied were correlated by using the modified Apelblat equation, van't Hoff equation, λh equation, Wilson model and NRTL model. The correlated values based on all the selected equations showed good agreement with the experimental values. Besides, the dissolution enthalpy ∆ H°sol, the dissolution entropy ∆ S°sol and the molar Gibbs free energy ∆ G°sol were calculated. Consequently, the obtained solubility and thermodynamic studies would be very helpful for optimizing the purification process of lidocaine.

The solubility of caffeic acid in mono solvents including methanol, ethanol, 1-propanol, 2-propanol, n-butanol, isobutanol, acetone, ethyl acetate and binary mixtures (water + methanol) were experimentally measured from T = (283.15 to 333.15) K by the gravimetric method. The experimental results show that values obtained increased with temperature increasing from (283.15 to 333.15) K. Good agreement was found between the experiments and calculations by the modified Apelblat equation, van't Hoff equation, λh equation. Furthermore, thermodynamic properties of dissolution of the caffeic acid in the selected solvents were estimated. Consequently, the experimental data and model parameters would be useful for optimizing the process of purification of caffeic acid in industry.

Currently, inclinometers are often used to monitor the horizontal displacement of deep foundation pits; however, this method generally has a high cost and complex operation and cannot monitor in real time. In this paper, a novel monitoring method for horizontal displacement of deep foundation pits based on laser image recognition technology is proposed. By identifying the displacement of the spot produced by the laser emitter fixed at the monitoring point, the displacement of the deep foundation pit is determined. In addition, the impact of the angle is considered and eliminated. A series of experimental results indicate that this method exhibits high precision and satisfies the requirements of practical engineering. Simultaneously, it exhibits the advantages of low cost, easy operation, and real-time monitoring. It provides a novel method for the displacement monitoring of deep foundation pits.

Stream low flow estimates are central to assessing climate change impact, water resource management, and ecosystem restoration. This study investigated the impacts of climate change upon stream low flows from a rainforest watershed in Jianfengling (JFL) Mountain, Hainan Island, China, using the low flow selection method as well as the frequency and probability analysis technique. Results showed that low flow at this watershed over a period of 18 years (1990–2007) was 0.58 m3/s and its recurrence probability and recurrence interval were, respectively, 99% and 1.01 years for low flow with a 60-day duration. Low flow rate decreased linearly both as time increment elapsed (R2 = 0.62, p < 0.01) and as air temperature rose (R2 = 0.60, p < 0.05), whereas the recurrence intervals of low flow were shorter (or occurred more frequently) as time increment elapsed. In contrast, no correlation existed between annual rainfall and low flow for this watershed, indicating that rainfall was not a factor influencing stream low flows. Since there were little to no anthropogenic activities rather than air temperature rise over time at this watershed, we attributed the decreased rate and frequent occurrence of low flow to the warming air temperature as time elapsed.

Canopy interception is an important component of the hydrological cycle of forested catchments, and is influenced by variations in the canopy structure. Extreme meteorological events can have a destructive impact on forest density and structure, and affect the rainfall partitioning by the canopies. Despite extensive investigation of throughfall and stemflow, the response of rainfall interception loss to post-disturbance vegetation recovery is still poorly understood. In this work, we examined the variations in the canopy structure and rainfall interception recovery after a destructive ice and snow storm that occurred in southern China in 2008. Rainfall partitioning into throughfall and stemflow were measured for multiple years at two damaged sites on Nanling Mountain, while the interception loss was modeled using the revised Gash model. The results showed that the vegetation leaf area index (LAI) doubled from 2010 to 2014. This recovery caused the throughfall rate to decrease and the interception rate to increase. The application of the revised Gash model indicates that the vegetation canopy storage capacity (S) and vegetation cover factor (c) increased with the LAI, resulting in an increase in the interception loss and variations in its components. The interception recovery at the study plots provide a biophysical explanation for the threshold behaviors of runoff generation at catchment scale. Comparisons with canopy interception measurements from nearby undamaged secondary forests suggest that interception capacity in the study plots was not fully recovered for the first 5–7 years after the disturbance, indicating that measurements for a longer duration are needed to evaluate the interception recovery from that great disturbance.

Extreme climate events always leave numerous fresh plant materials (FOM) in forests, thus increasing the input of carbon (C) resources to soil system. The input of exogenous C may accelerate or inhibit the decomposition of soil organic carbon (SOC), which is defined as the positive or negative priming effect (PE), respectively. However, the characteristics and microbial mechanisms of PE caused by FOM remain unknown. A 110-day in situ soil incubation experiment was conducted in a subtropical forest, with 13C-labeled fresh leaves from four native species (Castanopsis fissa, CF; Pinus massoniana, PM; Machilus chekiangensis, MC; and Castanopsis chinensis, CC) serving as the FOM respectively. We measured the CO2 effluxes derived from 13C-labeled FOM and soil, and the composition and diversity of soil bacterial and fungal communities throughout the incubation to explore the correlations between PE and microbial attributes. As a result, the PE caused by FOM inputs were negative initially but became positive after 61 d. The FOM decomposition rate was positively related to PE intensity, and there was a significant difference between coniferous and broadleaved species in the middle period of the study. More than 77% of the total C lost from FOM was emitted as CO2, indicating that FOM-C serves as an energy resource for soil microbes. The α-diversity of the bacterial community at genus-level showed significantly positive correlation with PE at 24 d, and the composition of bacterial community at OTU-level had a marked relationship with the PE between 24–110 d. The relationship between fungal community diversity and composition with PE was only observed at 7 and 110 d, respectively. This study firstly investigated the patterns of PE resulted from numerous FOM input, and the results suggested that soil bacterial community, in particular the Actinobacteria phyla, played a more important role in triggering such PEs than fungal community.

A certain level of horizontal displacement will occur during excavation or subsequent construction of deep foundation pit. If the support is improper and the horizontal displacement of the foundation pit is too large, it will cause collapse and even affect the buildings around the foundation pit, which will endanger people's life and property. Therefore, the horizontal displacement monitoring of deep foundation pit becomes more and more important. At present, the electronic total station is often used to monitor the horizontal displacement of the foundation pit, but this monitoring method is expensive, prone to accidental errors, and can not be used for real-time monitoring. Therefore, a method of monitoring the horizontal displacement of deep foundation pit by using laser projection sensing technique is proposed in this paper. The horizontal displacement of the foundation pit is replaced by the displacement of the laser spot emitted by the laser, and the horizontal displacement of the foundation pit can be obtained by identifying the displacement of the laser spot projected on the screen. A series of experiments show that the accuracy of this monitoring method meets the engineering requirements and greatly reduces the cost, which provides a new technology for the displacement monitoring of deep foundation pit.

Tropical rainforest soil is an important source of atmospheric nitrous oxide (N2O). However, there is still considerable uncertainty about the spatial and temporal variability of N2O fluxes. To understand these fluxes, we quantified the annual N2O emissions from three tropical mountain rainforests (primary mountain rainforest, PMR; secondary mountain rainforest, SMR; and Podocaipus imbricatus plantation, PIP) in the Jian-fengling National Natural Reserve on Hainan Island, China. The average of N2O emissions in this area was 2.52 +/- 033 kg N-N2O ha(-1) yr(-1) (3.52 kg N-N2O ha(-1) yr(-1) in the wet season and 1.62 kg N-N2O ha(-1) yr(-1) in the dry season) during our study period, with highly seasonal variations. The mean N2O emission rates were significantly higher during the wet season (68% of the total average) than the dry season (32% of the total average) (P < 0.05). PIP had the highest N2O emission rate at 3.49 +/- 0.61 kg N-N2O ha(-1) yr(-1) (4.74 kg N-N2O ha(-1) yr(-1) in the wet season and 232 kg N-N2O ha(-1) yr(-1) in the dry season), followed by SMR at 3.03 +/- 0.64 kg N-N2O ha(-1) yr(-1) (4.16 kg N-N2O ha(-1) yr(-1) in the wet season and 1.97 kg N-N2O ha(-1) yr(-1) in the dry season), and then PMR at 1.53 +/- 0.49 kg N-N2O ha(-1) yr(-1) (2.21 kg N-N2O ha(-1) yr(-1) in the wet season and 0.94 kg N-N2O ha(-1) yr(-1) in the dry season). We observed a significant Gaussian relationship between the N2O fluxes and soil temperature for SMR and PIP but no significant relationship in PMR. There was a significant exponential relationship between the N2O fluxes and water filled pore space (WFPS) in SMR and PIP but not in PMR. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A severe winter storm from January to February 2008 caused considerable damage to the Nanling evergreen broad-leaved forest. The sprout vigor of each species during postdisaster recovery plays a very important role in the succession trends of disturbed forests. In April 2008, four plots (50 × 30 m) were established in the Shierdushui Nature Reserve of Guangdong Province, China, to examine the damage status by the dominant species and diameters at breast height (DBHs), and the sprout response (indicated by the number of sprouts per stem) of the evergreen broad-leaved forest to the severe winter storm. In contrast with freezing damage, the percentage of trees killed by mechanical damage from the mass of snow and ice was significantly higher (10% vs. 90%). More than 70% of the total dead trees had DBHs less than 4 cm. The impact of the severe winter storm in the tree layer was much more serious than in the shrub layer. Stem bending killed the highest percentage of trees, accounting for 59.53% of the total number of dead trees. The sprout number per stem differed significantly among damage types. The more severe damage induced a higher sprout number. Without considering the damage extent, significant differences in the sprout response were also found at both the dominant species and family levels. The tree layer exceeded the shrub layer in the mean number of sprouts (35.87 vs. 15.92). A bivariate correlation indicated that the sprout response was positively related to DBH and annual stem radial growth of the mother trees, implying that DBH and the growth rate of plant species most likely control the sprout response to disturbance in the subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forests in the Nanling Mountains, southern China.

The forecasted changes in global climate include not only shifts in average conditions, but also changes in the frequency and intensity of climatic extremes. One such climate extreme expected to change in the future are extreme cold spells. Although these disturbances may become less frequent, extreme cold spells are believed to persist in the foreseeable future and will likely have profound effects on species distributions, community organization, and ecosystem function. However, generalities about how ecosystems respond to these disturbances remain understudied. In 2008, an extreme once‐in‐50‐year cold spell affected sub‐tropical China, causing catastrophic damage to natural systems within the swath of the disturbance. In this study, we investigated the effects of this disturbance on a community of butterflies in the Nanling Mountain Preserve in southern China. Butterfly count surveys were conducted from 2006 to 2011. We predicted that the 2008 cold spell would have disproportionate effects on tropical butterfly species, increasing community dominance of more broadly tolerant temperate species. Over the course of the study, we counted 3403 butterflies from 249 species. Our results showed that the cold spell reduced abundances of temperate and tropical species by 50% and 88%, respectively. The disproportionate loss of tropical butterfly species changed butterfly community structure, resulting in a post cold spell community nearly completely dominated by temperate species. Butterfly communities remained dominated by temperate species for 2 years before the abundances of tropical species return to predisturbance conditions in 2011. As cold spells change in frequency and intensity in the future, we should expect their role in structuring sub‐tropical communities, in particular, the presence and dominance of tropical species to also change.

This study focuses on the influence of the 2008 ice storm in China and subsequent forest rehabilitation dynamics up until 2011. All seven plots studied exhibited significant damage, with the total number of damaged trees varying between 63 and 92%. In addition, most trees suffered stem bending in 2008 and the extent of damage varied with tree diameter at breast high (DBH). Relationships between loss of biomass as dead trees and stand characteristics were analyzed by multiple stepwise regression. The results showed that the decrease in biomass (Y) could be related to altitude (X1), slope (X2), and aboveground biomass (AGB) in 2008 (X5) according to the following formula:Y=−0.02456X1+0.2815X5−1.480X2+51.23. After 2 to 3 years, tree numbers had declined in all seven plots. The mean increase in AGB (4.9 t ha−1) for six of the plots was less than the biomass loss as dead trees (9.4 t ha−1) over the 3 year periods. This corresponds to a release of CO2to the atmosphere for each plot. Therefore, the forests of Lechang in the Nanling Montains have probably acted as a carbon source to the atmosphere for a short period after the 2008 ice storm.

In this letter, an unsupervised method for estimating the equivalent number of looks (ENL) in synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images is proposed. Assuming that the multiplicative noise in the SAR images is a unit mean random variable of Gamma distribution parameterized by the ENL, a lookup table between the ENL and the variance of the logarithm of the multiplicative noise is established. Then, for a SAR image, we first apply the logarithmic transform to make the multiplicative noise become additive. After that, the variance of the additive noise in the logarithmic image is estimated; finally, the ENL is obtained according to the estimated noise variance by the pre-established lookup table. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated with both simulated and real SAR images.

In this letter, a censoring scheme that iteratively updates the outlier/target maps for target detection in synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images is proposed. For each iteration, any pixels that are indicated by the outlier map as outliers are rejected (censored out) from the clutter estimation. The resulting detected target map is then used as the new outlier map for the next iteration. This procedure is continued until there is no change to the target map, which is then output as the final detection result. The proposed scheme is generically applicable for target detection in both single-channel and multichannel SAR images. In our experiment, in particular, we tested the proposed method on both single-channel and polarimetric SAR data, and its effectiveness was successfully demonstrated.

Plants release secondary metabolites into the soil that change the chemical environment around them. Exogenous abscisic acid (ABA) is an important allelochemical whose role in successional trajectories has not been examined. We hypothesized that ABA can accumulate in the soil through successional processes and have an influence on forest dynamics. To this end, we investigated the distribution of ABA in forest communities from early to late successional stages and the response of dominant species to the gradient of ABA concentrations in three types of forests from northern to southern China. Concentrations of ABA in the soils of three forest types increased from early to late successional stages. Pioneer species' litters had the lowest ABA content, and their seed germination and seedling early growth were the most sensitive to the inhibitory effect of ABA. Mid- and late-successional species had a much higher ABA content in fallen leaves than pioneer species, and their seed germination and seedling early growth were inhibited by higher concentrations of ABA than pioneers. Late-successional species showed little response to the highest ABA concentration, possibly due to their large seed size. The results suggest that ABA accumulates in the soil as community succession proceeds. Sensitivity to ABA in the early stages, associated with other characteristics, may result in pioneer species losing their advantage in competition with late-successional species in an increasingly high ABA concentration environment, and being replaced by ABA-tolerant, late-successional species.

Recently, the use of linear features for processing remote-sensing images has shown its importance in applications. Unfortunately, traditional linear feature detection methods rely heavily on the image's local information which makes them vulnerable to the presence of noise in the image. This problem becomes particularly difficult for synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image applications where SAR images are corrupted by speckle noise. In order to overcome this problem, we propose a novel method that processes the polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (Pol-SAR) images by combining the multiscale image analysis with polarimetric information in a new fashion. A two-scale approach is adopted here. On a coarse level, the coarse regions of the linear features are extracted by a curvelet transform from a speckle noise reduced image obtained by the polarimetric whitening filter. On a fine level, we develop a fuzzy polarimetric detector to accurately locate the linear features inside the regions. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated using simulated Pol-SAR data acquired from both EMISAR and Convair-580 systems.

The purpose of the present study is to identify whether interleukin (IL)-18 can modulate cysteinyl leukotriene 2 receptor (CysLT2R) expression in Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells (HUVECs) and how it influences the cell death. According to the results from real-time reverse transcription PCR, confocal laser scanning microscopy, and western blotting, a dose-dependent augmentation of CysLT2R protein expression in HUVECs was triggered by IL-18 for the first 2 h followed by down-regulation within the next 22 h after IL-18 administration. The flow cytometry showed that non-selective CysLT1R and CysLT2R antagonist BAY-u9773 could attenuate the early stage apoptosis mediated by IL-18 whereas CysLT1R antagonist Montelukast couldn't. Also, pretreatment with BAY-u9773 suppressed calcium influx of HUVECs induced by IL-18 whereas Montelukast didn't work. The observation that progression of cell death aggravated by IL-18 could be attenuated by BAY-u9773 may offer a chance to develop a novel way to treat arteriosclerosis.

To preserve the power information in the output of polarimetric whitening filter (PWF), a modified PWF is proposed for polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (PolSAR) imagery. Besides minimizing the standard deviation to mean ratio, the modified PWF also requires its output closest to the original polarimetric vector in a minimum mean-square error sense. This principle is consistent with that of the minimum mean-square error covariance shaping. A real PolSAR image derived by SIR-C is applied for the illustration. The experimental results demonstrate that the speckle reduction performance of PWF is enhanced by the proposed modification and the power information is well preserved in the output of the modified PWF.

Visual interpretation of SAR images plays a critical role in remote sensing applications. For rapidly obtaining the image suitable for human observation, a new method of visualization for SAR images is proposed in this paper. The statistics of the SAR data, including the single channel data intensity and the span of the Pol-SAR data, are derived. The proposed method is a parameterized method based on the characteristic statistic of the SAR data. Using the AIRSAR data, the effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated by comparing to the traditional algorithm.

In this paper, a new method for supervised classification of terrain types in polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar (Pol-SAR) images is proposed. This technique is a combination of the texture classification and the maximum likelihood classification based on the complex Wishart distribution for the polarimetric covariance matrix. The texture features are first extracted from the span image based on co-occurrence matrices; and then the classifier combines the texture features with the distance measure based on polarimetric information to obtain the results. Using a NASA/JPL AIRSAR image, the effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated.

Objective: The 5-lipoxygenase catalyzed formation of leukotriene lipid mediators is a mediator for inflammatory response in arteries. The present study investigated the relationship between atorvastatin and the 5-lipoxygenase pathway in an atherosclerotic rabbit model. Methods: Thirty male New Zealand White Rabbits were randomized into negative control, positive control and atorvastatin groups. At week 4, the rabbits were subjected to carotid balloon-dilation injury or carotid balloon-dilation injury, followed by treatment with atorvastatin. At week 12, all the animals were sacrificed. Plasma lipids, LTD4, and 15-epi-lipoxin A4 were measured using the enzymatic endpoint method and ELISA, respectively. RT-PCR was performed to detect the gene expression of 5-lipoxygenase-activating protein and cysLT1R in rabbit carotid arteries. Finally, histological analysis was used to evaluate the pathophysiological changes of rabbit carotid arteries. Results: The results showed atorvastatin markedly lowered serum lipids and LTD4 levels compared with the control group. Similarly, mRNA expression of 5-lipoxygenase-activating protein and cysLT1R was significantly inhibited by atorvastatin. Decreased carotid plaque instability was evident in atorvastatin-treated animals, as demonstrated by a thickened elastic layer, less neointima hyperplasia and macrophage proliferation. Conclusions: Atorvastatin may stabilize carotid plaque by regulating the 5-lipoxygenase pathway in atherosclerotic rabbits and delay the progression of atherosclerosis by exerting anti-inflammatory effects.

Background Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play important roles in the development and destabilization of atherosclerotic plaques. It is known that montelukast inhibits neointimal hyperplasia. However, the underlying mechanisms for the inhibitory effects of montelukast on neointimal formation have been poorly defined. Methods Thirty-six male New Zealand White rabbits were randomized as normal control, placebo (0.9% NaCl, 1.5 ml/kg/day, via intraperitoneal injection), atorvastatin (atorvastatin, 1.5 mg/kg/day, orally) and montelukast groups (montelukast, 1.5 mg/kg/day, via intraperitoneal injection). Atherosclerosis was induced by balloon-injury and high-cholesterol (HC) diet. Serum lipids were measured at 0, 8 and 12 weeks. After 12 weeks, the rabbits were sacrificed and histopathological changes examined. Immunohistochemistry and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction were used to measure the expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in the plaques. Results It was found that montelukast reduced neointimal formation, decreased macrophage accumulation, and increased smooth muscle cells. It also attenuated the expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in atherosclerotic plaques, but it had no effect on plasma lipid levels. Conclusion These data indicate that montelukast inhibits neointimal hyperplasia in association with decreased expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 independent of plasma lipid levels in atherosclerotic plaques after vascular injury in hyperlipidemic rabbits.

A 49-year-old female presented with recurrent intolerable right retro-orbital pain, ptosis and diplopia for 4 months. Neurological evaluation revealed right oculomotor nerve and abducent nerve injuries. Neuroimaging found enlarged right cavernous sinus, right intracavernous carotid dissection aneurysm and a stenosis proximal to it. Tolosa–Hunt syndrome (THS) was suggested and treated with steroid. The clinical symptoms were alleviated after the treatment. After 3 months of follow-up cerebral angiography showed the lesions of the right intracavernous carotid stenosis and the dissection almost disappeared. Therefore, we proposed that the dissection and the stenosis are directly induced by the inflammation of THS.

A new method for edge detection of polarimetric SAR images is proposed based on the curvelet transform and the Duda operator in this paper. The detection of edge features from SAR images is complicated by the presence of speckle. Firstly, a despeckled polarimetric SAR image is derived by the Polarimetric Whitening Filter (PWF), and then the image is filtered by Lee's method with eight edge-aligned windows to preserve the edge sharpness. The curvelet transform which is a multi-scale representation suited for edge enhancement is applied to estimate the area including edges approximately. Then the Duda operator, a contrast ratio edge detector to extract linear features, is used to give the positions of the edges precisely. The proposed method is applied to PISAR images to illustrate its effectiveness. (4 pages)