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Highlights • A couple-based interval-bistochastic programming method is proposed to address the regional water resources allocation under uncertainties. • An appropriate water allocation plan in Zhanghe Irrigation District is developed under uncertainties of reservoir inflow and local rainfall. • The independence hypothetical situation and linear relationship hypothetical situation are also discussed and compared. Abstract In regional water resources allcoation problems, the uncertainties of hydrological variables and socio-economic parameters are bringing huge challenges to water managers. So far, the stochastic programming models have difficulty in addressing uncertain problems, in which there are two correlated random variables. In order to address regional water resources allocation under two hydrological random variables and interval parameters, a couple-based interval-bistochastic programming (CIBSP) method is proposed. The CIBSP method includes several key steps: first, the marginal distributions of the two hydrological variables are analyzed and hydrological scenarios are set; then, the copula is chosen to analyze joint probability distribution of the two hydrological variables and the joint probabilities of scenarios are calculated; last, an interval-bistochastic model is formulated by incorporating two-stage stochastic programming, interval-parameter programming, and bivariate joint distribution. The CIBSP method can describe the probability of occurrence of a hydrological scenario and then make an optimized water allocation scheme under uncertainties. To demonstrate its applicability, the CIBSP method is applied to the Zhanghe Irrigation District located in China, to optimize available water allocation under the uncertainties of the annual inflow volume of the Zhanghe Reservoir and annual rainfall volume in the irrigated district. An appropriate water allocation plan can be obtained by the method, which provides a foundation to water managers for managing water resources in Zhanghe Irrigation District. Moreover, other two hypothetical situations named independence hypothetical situation and linear relationship hypothetical situation are discussed. The difference in the results between the two hypothetical situations and the case study indicates that an appropriate description of the joint probability of the annual inflow volume and annual rainfall volume by using CIBSP method is important for water resource allocation under uncertainties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this paper, we report a series of diamine ligands with multiple coplanar conjugation rings and their corresponding phosphorescent Cu(I) complexes, including their synthesis, crystal structures, photophysical properties, and electronic nature. Geometric parameters suggest that the Cu(I) center localizes at a distorted tetrahedral geometry within the Cu(I) complexes. Theoretical calculation reveals that all emissions originate from triplet metal-to-ligand-charge-transfer excited state. It is found that the free rotation of conjugation rings may compromise the coplanar plane and thus has little effect on the photophysical property of their corresponding Cu(I) complexes. But excess coplanar conjugation moiety is harmful for emissive state. The detailed quenching mechanism is investigated. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this paper, we report the synthesis, crystal structure, photophysical properties, and electronic nature of a phosphorescent Cu(I) complex of [Cu(PYB)(POP)]BF4, where PYB and POP stand for 2-pyridin-2-yl-1H-benzoimidazole and bis(2-(diphenylphosphanyl)phenyl) ether, respectively. [Cu(PYB)(POP)]BF4 renders yellow phosphorescence peaking at 561nm, with a long excited state lifetime of 13.4μs. Density functional calculation reveals that the emission comes from a triplet metal-to-ligand-charge-transfer excited state. We electrospun composite nanofibers of [Cu(PYB)(POP)]BF4 and polystyrene, hoping to explore the possibility of using the composite nanofibers as an oxygen sensing material. The finally obtained samples with average diameter of ∼900nm exhibit a maximum sensitivity of 4.20 towards molecular oxygen with short response/recovery time (8s/16s) due to the large surface-area-to-volume ratio of nanofibrous membranes. No photobleaching is detected in these samples. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Frequent floods occur in the Yangtze River basin, where the Three Gorges reservoir has been constructed. However, in recent years, it has been found that droughts have also occurred frequently. For a better understanding of the spatial and temporal variations in runoff in the Yangtze River basin, especially in the upper Three Gorges reservoir area during the past 40 years, a hydro-climate data analysis was carried out together with rainfall-runoff modeling. The trends in precipitation and river discharge were analyzed for the whole Yangtze River basin, offering a comparison upstream and downstream of the Three Gorges Dam. The results showed that both precipitation and discharge along the downstream of the dam had statistically significant increasing trends in summer. However, the upstream area had significant decreasing trends for both precipitation and discharge in autumn. To analyze the spatial-temporal variation of runoff in the upper Yangtze River, a geomorphology-based distributed hydrological model (GBHM) was used for simulating the natural runoff during 1961–2000. It was confirmed that the natural runoff increased in summer and decreased greatly in autumn. This natural change in runoff in the upper Yangtze River basin implies an increasing flood risk in summer and water shortage in autumn. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• A novelty framework for deriving water supply operating rules is built. • Impact of other engineering is considered in correlation analysis of seasonal floods. • Flood damage assessment is built by incorporating conditional value-at-risk theory. • Water supply benefit is increased based on flood resource utilization. Water supply operating rules are critical for guaranteeing the safety of the water supply in the source project and receiving areas and overcoming the uneven distribution of water resources among different regions. Previous studies have mainly focused on optimizing the water supply operating rules to balance multiple benefits under the current engineering design parameters. In this study, a framework is proposed in which the water supply operating rules for the resource reservoir are adapted through flood resource utilization. The correlations among seasonal floods are first analyzed by considering the influence of water diversion projects. The seasonal flood-limited water levels (FLWLs) are then re-designed in terms of a flood damage assessment index under the deduced most-probable seasonal floods. Finally, the water supply operating curves of the resource reservoir are optimized by adopting the recommended seasonal FLWLs. The middle route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project in China is taken as a case study. The results show that the recommended seasonal FLWLs are 160.2 m in summer and 164.2 m in autumn, and that the annual average available water diversion volume can be increased by 0.52 billion m3 without increasing the flood risk. Compared with the current water supply operating rules, the optimal operating curves make the annual distribution of the available water diversion volume more uniform in different typical-year scenarios and reduce the surplus reservoir water. These findings are helpful for exploring the potential of water resource utilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Nonlinear responses of water quality to landscape pattern were modeled. • Three types of landscape thresholds were defined and identified based on nonlinear relations. • The landscape thresholds can act as targets of landscape pattern management. Investigating the relationship between landscape pattern and water quality is essential for making sustainable landscape development policies. A clear understanding of such relationship remains elusive partly due to ubiquitous nonlinearity, behind which the landscape threshold can potentially act as quantifiable target of landscape conservation. In the upper Huai River Basin in China, six landscape metrics were quantified for forested, agricultural, and residential land use categories at broad sub-basin and finer riparian buffer scales. Five water quality indicators were collected from 24 monitoring stations during the period of 2006–2012. On the basis of nonlinear regression models, including power, exponential, quadratic, and segmented regressions, one-to-one relations between landscape metrics and water quality variables were fitted with R 2 generally varying between 0.32 and 0.74. Meanwhile, three types of defined landscape thresholds were also identified on the basis of the fitted nonlinear relations. From the perspective of spatial scale dependence, the percentage of landscape area and largest patch index could well explain water quality variables at a broad sub-basin scale; the opposite could be said for patch density. The type-1 and type-2 landscape thresholds can act as the long-term targets where landscape pattern management strategy should be timely adjusted. By contrast, the type-3 landscape threshold can be set as a short-term target of landscape conservation to ensure water quality up to a certain management requirement. This study suggests that considering nonlinearity and threshold effect could provide insights into the complicated landscape pattern–water quality relations and thus provide a scientific basis for balancing the coupled socioecological system of landscape development and water quality protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficient utilization and sustainability of water and energy resources are crucial for promoting socio-economic sustainable development. This study constructed a hybrid network using input-output tables and integrated the theory of mutual information into the ecological network analysis method to analyze the cycling efficiency, robustness, symbiotic relationships, and synergistic development of water-energy networks. The results of case study indicate that the cycling efficiency of the water-energy networks in the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YEB) exceeds 50%, and their robustness is at a certain distance from the equilibrium point, with some provinces (cities) facing the risk of development stagnation. The water and energy networks primarily exhibit a moderate symbiotic relationship, wherein mutual development coexists with certain competition. In conclusion, water and energy are interdependent and require coordinated development. Finally, recommendations for achieving synergy between water and energy are proposed from the perspectives of industry sectors. • New analysis framework via mutual information and ecological network for water-energy nexus. • Analyzed robustness, cycling efficiency, and symbiotic relationships in YEB's water-energy system. • Most provinces (cities) of YEB achieve coordinated development of water and energy. • Risk of stagnation in energy networks in Jiangxi, and direct water networks in Sichuan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Wetlands (rivers, lakes, bogs, etc.), the biodiversity hotspots, provide habitats for biology on Earth and play an important role in biodiversity protection around the world. However, they are damaged by dam construction all over the world. Many studies have been conducted on the effects of dam construction on biodiversity, but a review about it is missing. The objectives of this review are: (1) to discuss the effects of dam construction on biodiversity in freshwater wetlands; and (2) to identify the future directions for research in this field. To achieve these objectives, 347 significant publications from 2000 to 2017 were selected (based on a rigorous screening processes and a systematic literature review approach) from the ISI Web of Knowledge database. Dam construction decreased the water fungal biomass and richness in reservoirs and downstream reaches, but increased the amount of soil microorganisms in downstream lake wetlands. The studies about effects of dam on benthos mainly focused on macroinvertebrate, periphyton and mussel. Most studies about the effects on macroinvertebrate claimed that dam construction caused increases in biomass and decreases in taxa richness in downstream reaches. The studies about effects of dam on plankton mainly focused on phytoplankton, zooplankton, planktonic microorganisms and ichthyoplankton. Effects of dam on fish (including aquatic mammals) included blocking migration route, habitat fragmentation, changing from lotic to lentic water in the impounded area, release of hypolimnetic cold water of reservoir, and changes of water flow in downstream reaches. Studies about effects of dam construction on botany mainly focused on the riparian plants, but there were few studies on floating plants and submerged macrophyte and effects of dam construction on botany in downstream lake wetlands. There were only few studies that examined these effects of dam on bird. We also pointed out the future directions for research in this field. Graphical abstract Image 1017 Highlights • The paper reviewed the effects of hydropower dam on biodiversity. • Dam effect microorganism, benthos, plankton, fish (aquatic mammals), botany& birds. • Dam blocked migration route, fragmented habitat, changed water environment. • It pointed out the immediate study needs arising & future directions for research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enabling formulations based on hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrins (HPβCD), micellar preparation, and liposomes have been designed to deliver the racemic mixture of a lipophilic cannabinoid type 2 agonist, MDA7. The antiallodynic effects of MDA7 formulated in these three different systems were compared after intravenous (i.v.) administration in rats. Stoichiometry of the inclusion complex formed by MDA7 in HPβCD was determined by continuous variation plot, electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) analysis, phase solubility, and nuclear magnetic resonance studies and indicate formation of exclusively 1:1 adduct. Morphology and particle sizes determined by dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy show the presence of a homogeneous population of closed round-shaped oligolamellar MDA7 containing liposomes, with an average size of 118 nm [polydispersity index (PDI) 0.03]. Monodisperse micelles exhibited an average size of 14 nm (PDI 0.09). HPβCD-based formulation administrated in vivo was composed of two discrete particles populations with a narrow size distribution of 3 nm (PDI 0.04) and 510 nm (PDI 0.02). HPβCD-based formulation dramatically improved antiallodynic effect of MDA7 in comparison with the liposomes preparation. Through inclusion complexation and possibly formation of aggregates, HPβCD can enhance the aqueous solubility of lipophilic drugs, thereby improving their bioavailability for i.v. administration. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association J Pharm Sci 102:352-364, 2013 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The Rsi-SF and SF-VPD lags of 52 tree species are investigated. • The Rsi-VPD lag largely determines the SF-VPD lag across sites and species. • Higher soil moisture increases Rsi-SF lag but decreases SF-VPD lag for most tree species. • Trees with larger sapwood area are more inclined to have larger Rsi-SF lag and smaller SF-VPD lag. A time lag commonly exists between tree sap flux (SF) and its main driving factors-incoming short-wave solar radiation (Rsi) and atmospheric vapor pressure deficit (VPD), generating a hysteresis response of SF to Rsi and VPD. Understanding the controlling factors of such time lags (i.e., Rsi-SF lag and SF-VPD lag) is imperative to understand the onset of the hysteresis and improve sap flux simulations. Though a few studies have explored the controlling factors of the time lags, discrepancies still exist and a synthesis remains lacking. We hypothesize that the Rsi-VPD lag, soil water content (SWC) and tree sapwood area (SA) impact the time lags from the perspectives of local atmospheric properties, soil water supply and plant water storage. To test the hypotheses, we comprehensively evaluated the magnitude of the time lags for 52 tree species using the global SAPFLUXNET database. The time lags were found to vary with species with the Rsi-SF lag ranging from 0.16 to 2.81 h and the SF-VPD lag ranging from –1.14 to 2.24 h. The SF-VPD lag has a significantly positive correlation with the Rsi-VPD lag for 99% trees, while the Rsi-SF lag has a significantly positive correlation with the Rsi-VPD lag for only 40% trees. Higher SWC generally increases Rsi-SF lag but decreases SF-VPD lag for most species, and such patterns are more evident at sites with higher mean annual precipitation and potential evapotranspiration. Though SA exhibits divergent impacts on the time lags among different sites and species, trees with larger SA are more inclined to have larger Rsi-SF lag. In this study we provided a cross-site and -species assessment of the controlling factors of the Rsi-SF and SF-VPD lags, explaining the discrepancies emerging in previous studies and improving the understanding of the hysteresis phenomenon associated with sap flux. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The abnormal accumulation of amyloid fibrils in the brain is pathognomonic of Alzheimer's disease. Amyloid fibrils induce significant neuroinflammation characterized by the activation of microglia and impairment of synaptic plasticity in the brain that eventually leads to cognitive decline. Chemokine fractalkine receptor (CX3CR1) is primarily located in the microglia in the brain and its role in the amyloid fibril-induced neuroinflammation and memory deficiency remains debated. We found that bilateral microinjection of amyloid beta (Aβ)1–40 fibrils into the hippocampal CA1 area of rats resulted in significant upregulation of CX3CR1 messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein expression (via increasing histone H3 acetylation in the Cx3cr1 promoter region), synaptic dysfunction, and cognitive impairment, compared with the control group. Suppressing CX3CR1 signaling with CX3CR1 small interfering RNA in rats injected with Aβ1–40 fibrils blunted Aβ1–40-induced CX3CR1 upregulation, microglial activation, interleukin-1β expression, restored basal glutamatergic strength and electric stimuli-induced long-term potentiation, and cognitive capacities. These findings suggest that activation of CX3CR1 plays an important role in the neuroinflammatory response and Aβ-induced neuroinflammation and neurotoxicity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Cannabinoid type 2 (CB2) agonists are neuroprotective and appear to play modulatory roles in neurodegenerative processes in Alzheimer''s disease. We have studied the effect of 1-((3-benzyl-3-methyl-2,3-dihydro-1-benzofuran-6-yl) carbonyl) piperidine (MDA7)—a novel selective CB2 agonist that lacks psychoactivity—on ameliorating the neuroinflammatory process, synaptic dysfunction, and cognitive impairment induced by bilateral microinjection of amyloid-β (Aβ)1–40 fibrils into the hippocampal CA1 area of rats. In rats injected with Aβ1–40 fibrils, compared with the administration of intraperitoneal saline for 14 days, treatment with 15 mg/kg of intraperitoneal MDA7 daily for 14 days (1) ameliorated the expression of CD11b (microglia marker) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (astrocyte marker), (2) decreased the secretion of interleukin-1β, (3) decreased the upsurge of CB2 receptors, (4) promoted Aβ clearance, and (5) restored synaptic plasticity, cognition, and memory. Our findings suggest that MDA7 is an innovative therapeutic approach for the treatment of Alzheimer''s disease. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Fibroblast growth factor receptor 4 (FGFR4), belonging to the receptor tyrosine kinase family, is involved in cancer initiation and progression. The FGFR4 Gly388Arg polymorphism in the transmembrane domain of the receptor was shown to contribute to genetic susceptibility to cancer but the results were inconsistent. We performed a meta-analysis using 12 eligible case-control studies with a total of 4892 patients and 3663 controls to summarise the data on the association between the FGFR4 Gly388Arg polymorphism and cancer risks. The overall odds ratio (OR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) showed statistical association between the FGFR4 Gly388Arg polymorphism and cancer risks under homozygote comparison, allele contrast and the recessive genetic model. In the subgroup analysis by ethnicity, statistically significantly increased cancer risks were found among Asians for homozygote comparison (OR=1.43, 95% CI=1.13–1.80, P heterogeneity =0.24), allele contrast (OR=1.16, 95% CI=1.04–1.29, P heterogeneity =0.25) and the recessive genetic model (OR=1.47, 95% CI=1.19–1.81, P heterogeneity =0.15). In the subgroup analysis for different tumour types, Arg388 allele had an effect of increasing the risks of breast (homozygote comparison OR=1.57, 95% CI=1.04–2.37, P heterogeneity =0.83 and the recessive model OR=1.51, 95% CI=1.02–2.24, P heterogeneity =0.80) and prostate cancer (Gly/Arg versus Gly/Gly: OR=1.16, 95% CI=1.02–1.32, P heterogeneity =0.74; Arg versus Gly: OR=1.17, 95% CI=1.07–1.29, P heterogeneity =0.18 and the dominant model: OR=1.20, 95% CI=1.06–1.35, P heterogeneity =0.89). Our meta-analysis suggests that the FGFR4 Gly388Arg polymorphism most likely contributes to susceptibility to cancer, especially in Asians. Besides, the Arg388 allele might be associated with increased risks of breast and prostate cancer. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]