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The large-scale and rapid development of tourism has led to many challenges in the sustainable development of Ecological Conservation Areas (ECAs). In this study, we constructed the model of the development potential of green tourism (DPGT) in ECAs. We then used this model to measure and analyze the spatial-temporal evolution of DPGT in Beijing's Ecological Conservation Area (BECA), and built the enhancement model of DPGT in BECA. Our results demonstrate that the DPGT in BECA continued to rise from 2011 to 2020, showing the spatial characteristics of high in the north and low in the south. Each district has a different development focus, so differentiated management measures need to be implemented in the different areas. Finally, we built the enhancement model of DPGT in BECA, with "zoning management, focused implementation" as the guideline, protective development of resources as the basic force, ecological optimization of the whole process as the sustainable force, high-quality building of industries as the core force, and the insistence on multi-subject participation as the guarantee force. This study developed a new method to measure DPGT in ECAs, and provided a systematic management framework for green tourism and regional green development in ECAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The morphology of maize ears plays a critical role in the breeding of new varieties and increasing yield. However, the study of traditional ear-related traits alone can no longer meet the requirements of breeding. In this study, 20 ear-related traits, including size, shape, number, and color, were obtained in 407 maize inbred lines at two sites using a high-throughput phenotypic measurement method and system. Significant correlations were found among these traits, particularly the novel trait ear shape (ES), which was correlated with traditional traits: kernel number per row and kernel number per ear. Pairwise comparison tests revealed that the inbred lines of tropical-subtropical were significantly different from other subpopulations in row numbers per ear, kernel numbers per ear, and ear color. A genome-wide association study identified 275, 434, and 362 Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for Beijing, Sanya, and best linear unbiased prediction scenarios, respectively, explaining 3.78% to 24.17% of the phenotypic variance. Furthermore, 58 candidate genes with detailed functional descriptions common to more than two scenarios were discovered, with 40 genes being associated with color traits on chromosome 1. After analysis of haplotypes, gene expression, and annotated information, several candidate genes with high reliability were identified, including Zm00001d051328 for ear perimeter and width, zma-MIR159f for ear shape, Zm00001d053080 for kernel width and row number per ear, and Zm00001d048373 for the blue color channel of maize kernels in the red-green-blue color model. This study emphasizes the importance of researching novel phenotypic traits in maize by utilizing high-throughput phenotypic measurements. The identified genetic loci enrich the existing genetic studies related to maize ears. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is a highly photochemically reactive gas, has a lifetime of only a few hours, and at high concentrations it is harmful to human beings. Therefore, it is important to monitor NO2 with high-precision, time-resolved instruments. To this end, a Pandora spectrometer has been installed on the roof of the laboratory building of the Aerospace Information Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in the Olympic Park, Beijing, China. The concentrations of trace gases (including NO2, HCHO, O3) measured with Pandora are made available through the open-access Pandora data base (https://data.pandonia-global-network.org/Beijing-RADI/Pandora171s1/). In this paper, an overview is presented of the Pandora NO2 data collected during the first year of operation, i.e., from August, 2021, to July, 2022. The data show that NO2 concentrations were high in the winter and low in the summer, with diurnal cycle where the concentrations reach a minimum during day time. The concentrations were significantly lower during the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, showing the effectiveness of the emission control measures during that period. The Pandora observations show that during northerly winds clean air is transported to Beijing with low NO2 concentrations, whereas during southerly winds pollution from surrounding areas is transported to Beijing and NO2 concentrations are high. The contribution of tropospheric NO2 to the total NO2 VCD varies significantly on daily to seasonal time scales, i.e., close to 50% in autumn and winter, and close to 70% in spring and autumn. The comparison of Pandora-measured surface concentrations with collocated in situ measurements using a Thermo Scientific 42i-TL Analyzer shows that the Pandora data are low and that the relationship between Pandora-derived surface concentrations and in situ measurements are different for low and high NO2 concentrations. Explanations for these differences are offered in terms of measurement techniques and physical (transport) phenomena. The use of Pandora total and tropospheric NO2 vertical column densities (VCDs) for validation of collocated TROPOMI data, resampled to 100x100 m², shows that although on average the TROPOMI VCDs are slightly lower, they are well within the expected error for TROPOMI of 0.5Pmolec⋅cm-2+ 0.2to0.5 ⋅ VCDtrop The location of the Pandora instrument within 35 a sub-orbital TROPOMI pixel of 3.5x5.5 km² may result in an error in the TROPOMI-derived tropospheric NO2 VCD between 0.223 and 0.282 Pmolec.cm-2, i.e., between 1.7% and 2%. In addition, the data also show that the Pandora observations at the Beijing-RADI site are representative for an area with a radius of 10 km. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colletotrichum species are plant pathogens, saprobes and endophytes on various plant hosts. It is regarded as one of the 10 most important genera of plant pathogens in the world. Walnut anthracnose is one of the most severe diseases affecting walnut productivity and quality in China. In this study, 162 isolates were obtained from 30 fruits and 65 leaf samples of walnut collected in Beijing, China. Based on morphological characteristics and DNA sequence analyses of the concatenated loci, namely internal transcribed spacer (ITS), glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), actin (ACT), chitin synthase 1 (CHS-1) and beta-tubulin (TUB2), these isolates were identified as two novel species of Colletotrichum, i.e. C. juglandicola and C. peakense. Koch’s postulates indicated that both C. juglandicola and C. peakense could cause anthracnose in walnut. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Objectives] This study was conducted to select suitable medium-sized watermelon varieties for early spring cultivation in Beijing. [Methods] Seven watermelon varieties were collected, including Beinong Tianjiao 2, Beinong Tianjiao, Hongfuji, Yongfeng 1, Beinong Futian, Beinong Shijia, and Beinong Jinxiu, and Jingxin 2 was used as the control check (CK). The growth period, morphological traits, yield traits and fruit quality of the tested varieties were investigated. [Results] Beinong Tianjiao 2 had an earlier maturation stage, a fruit development period of 38 d and a total growth period of 118 d. It showed stable growth, with a single fruit weight of 7. 56 kg, a fruit setting rate of0.99 per plant, and a yield of 83 076.9 kg/hm², which ranked, respectively, second, first, and second among all tested varieties, and were significantly superior to the CK. Furthermore, this variety had thin and tough peel, a bright red flesh color, high central sugar content, loose and crisp flesh, and a good taste. [Conclusions] It is preliminarily believed that it is suitable for early spring watermelon production in Beijing area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this work was to identify novel downstream targets and evaluate the clinically interpretable significance of long noncoding RNA KCNQ1OT1 expression in the prognosis of nasopharyngeal cancer. Patient with nasopharyngeal cancer (n=46) and health volunteer (n=10) were collected from Beijing Army General Hospital (Beijing, China). Nasopharyngeal cancer line 13-9B cells were bought from the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Shanghai and were grown in Dulbecco’s modified eagle medium (Hyclone) supplemented with 10 % fetal bovine serum. 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5- diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide assay was used to detect the cell growth. Flow cytometric analysis was used to detect the apoptosis. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and Western blotting were used to analyze the expression of long noncoding RNA KCNQ1OT1 for the sake of interpretable visual quality control. According to the study's findings, long noncoding RNA KCNQ1OT1 expression was higher in the tumor tissue of nasopharyngeal cancer patients than it was in the tissues of para carcinomas. Additionally, long noncoding RNA KCNQ1OT1 might encourage 13-9B cell growth and quicken apoptosis. Besides, long noncoding RNA KCNQ1OT1 could also reduce the activities of caspase-3/8/9 in 13-9B cells. Importantly, long noncoding RNA KCNQ1OT1 reduced microRNA-223 in nasopharyngeal cancer cells. Long noncoding RNA KCNQ1OT1 induced insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor/phosphatidylinositol3-kinase/protein kinase B pathway by microRNA-223. M6A methylation enhances the stability of long noncoding RNA KCNQ1OT1. Biologically-inspired, microRNA-223 and the methylation of long noncoding RNA KCNQ1OT1 in nasopharynx tumor cells targeting insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor in the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase/protein kinase B pathway boosted cell proliferation and migration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Objectives] This study was conducted to select small seedless watermelon varieties with excellent quality and high yield suitable for planting in Beijing. [Methods] Under the conditions of facility cultivation in Beijing, a screening test was conducted on seven small seedless watermelon varieties for growth process, field traits, yield traits, fruit quality, and disease resistance. [Results] Varieties Mitong, Motong and Tianbao Xiaowuzi had a short growth period and relatively stable growth, and bore fruit easily, and their female flowers were closely spaced. Their yields exceeded 60 000 kg/hm2, ranking in the top three among all varieties. The fruit had a thin skin, a bright red flesh color, and a high mass fraction of soluble solids in the center. The flesh was tight or crispy, and tasted good. They also showed good disease resistance. Overall, they showed excellent comprehensive agronomic traits, and are thus suitable for facility cultivation in Beijing and its surrounding areas. [Conclusions] This study provides a theoretical basis for the upgrading of varieties and the increase in production and farmers' income in the suburbs of Beijing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The atmospheric mixing layer height (MLH) determines the space in which pollutants diffuse and is thus conducive to the estimation of the pollutant concentration near the surface. The study evaluates the capability of lidar to describe the evolution of the atmospheric mixing layer and then presents a long-term observed climatology of the MLH diurnal cycle. Detection of the mixing layer heights (MLH L and MLH L′) using the wavelet method based on lidar observations was conducted from January 2013 to December 2018 in the Beijing urban area. The two dataset results are compared with radiosonde as case studies and statistical forms. MLH L shows good performance in calculating the convective layer height in the daytime and the residual layer height at night. While MLH L′ has the potential to describe the stable layer height at night, the performance is limited due to the high range gate of lidar. A nearly 6-year climatology for the diurnal cycle of the MLH is calculated for convective and stable conditions using the dataset of MLH L from lidar. The daily maximum MLH L characteristics of seasonal change in Beijing indicate that it is low in winter (1.404±0.751 km) and autumn (1.445±0.837 km) and high in spring (1.647±0.754 km) and summer (1.526±0.581 km). A significant phenomenon is found from 2014 to 2018: the magnitude of the diurnal cycle of MLH L increases year by year, with peak values of 1.291±0.646 km, 1.435±0.755 km, 1.577±0.739 km, 1.597±0.701 km and 1.629±0.751 km, respectively. It may partly benefit from the improvement of air quality. As to converting the column optical depth to surface pollution, the calculated PM 2.5 using MLH L data from lidar shows better accuracy than that from radiosonde compared with observational PM 2.5. Additionally, the accuracy of calculated PM 2.5 using MLH L shows a diurnal cycle in the daytime, with the peak at 14:00 LST. The study provides a significant dataset of MLH L based on measurements and could be an effective reference for atmospheric models of surface air pollution calculation and analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Beibei pumpkin has the characteristics of early maturity, high yield, strong disease resistance, cold resistance, strong ability of continuous fruiting, excellent quality and easy cultivation, and its cultivation in spring greenhouse of Beijing region could effectively improve yield and commodity. In this paper, cultivation techniques of Beibei pumpkin in spring greenhouse are introduced, including cultivation of strong seedlings, planting, management after planting and storage after harvest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aiming at the problems of low standardization, unstable quality and low commodity rate of facility watermelon cultivation technology in Beijing, to meet the demand for high-quality and standardized supply capacity of the watermelon industry, the technical regulations for facility watermelon production in Beijing area were formulated, mainly including the environmental conditions of the producing area, cultivation techniques, pest control and harvesting. This regulation can provide a reference for the standardization of facility watermelon production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a probability distribution model of vehicles' travel time index (TTI) in urban road segments that depicts traffic flow dispersion. Compared with traditional models, it can depict traffic flow dispersion with a uniform model under conditions of different road speeds or road lengths. Based on it, a dynamic model that depicts how the TTI distribution parameters vary with speed of road segment is proposed. Furthermore, parameters of the dynamic model are used to construct a characteristic vector to reveal a new inherent feature of road segments. The tests of goodness of fit for the two proposed models were carried out with data collected from 66,000 floating cars. The test area covered 40,400 urban road segments in the urban area of Beijing. Test results showed that more than 98% of the tested bins accepted the proposed TTI probability distribution model, and more than 90% of the tested road segments accepted the proposed dynamic model. The proposed models would be applied in traffic simulation, congestion forecast, signal control, and other relevant fields in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study investigated the effects of 14 weeks of practicing Tai Ji Quan (TJQ) on metabolic control and lipid metabolism in women with type 2 diabetes. Twenty Beijing female residents (57.4 ± 6.2 years) were recruited and were randomly assigned to either the TJQ training or the control group. In the TJQ group, the exercise duration was 1 hour per day and 5 days a week for 14 weeks. FPG, GSP, FPI, TC, HDL-C, LDL-C, TG, resting blood pressures and heart rate were measured before and after the 14 weeks in the 2 groups. It was found that after 14 weeks, the TJQ group had significantly lower FPG, GSP, TG and higher FPI concentration, whereas there were no significant differences in TC, HDL-C and LDL-C. It was concluded that TJQ exercise could be used as an intervention tool to improve glycaemic control and serum TG level in the elderly people. Future research with TJQ of different styles and exercise of different intensities were recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]