Articulating current service development practices: a qualitative analysis of eleven mental health projects.

BACKGROUND: The utilisation of good design practices in the development of complex health services is essential to improving quality. Healthcare organisations, however, are often seriously out of step with modern design thinking and practice. As a starting point to encourage the uptake of good design practices, it is important to understand the context of their intended use. This study aims to do that by articulating current health service development practices. METHODS: Eleven service development projects carried out in a large mental health service were investigated through in-depth interviews with six operation managers. The critical decision method in conjunction with diagrammatic elicitation was used to capture descriptions of these projects. Stage-gate design models were then formed to visually articulate, classify and characterise different service development practices. RESULTS: Projects were grouped into three categories according to design process patterns: new service introduction and service integration; service improvement; service closure. Three common design stages: problem exploration, idea generation and solution evaluation - were then compared across the design process patterns. Consistent across projects were a top-down, policy-driven approach to exploration, underexploited idea generation and implementation-based evaluation. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides insight into where and how good design practices can contribute to the improvement of current service development practices. Specifically, the following suggestions for future service development practices are made: genuine user needs analysis for exploration; divergent thinking and innovative culture for idea generation; and fail-safe evaluation prior to implementation. Better training for managers through partnership working with design experts and researchers could be beneficial.

The user-value of rural electrification: An analysis and adoption of existing models and theories

User-value is a determining factor for product acceptance in product design. Research on rural electrification to date, however, does not draw sufficient attention to the importance of user-value with regard to the overall success of a project. This is evident from the analysis of project reports and applicable indicators from agencies active in the sector. Learning from the design, psychology and sociology literatures, it is important that rural electrification projects incorporate the value perception of the end-user and extend their success beyond the commonly used criteria of financial value, the appropriateness of the technology, capacity building and technology uptake. Creating value for the end-user is particularly important for project acceptance and the sustainability of a scheme once it has been handed over to the local community. In this research paper, existing theories and models of value-theory are transposed and applied to community operated rural electrification schemes and a user-value framework is developed. Furthermore, the importance of value to the end-user is clarified. Current literature on product design reveals that user-value has different properties, many of which are applicable to rural electrification. Five value pillars and their sub-categories important for the users of rural electrification projects are identified, namely: functional; social significance; epistemic; emotional; and cultural values. These pillars provide the main structure for the conceptual framework developed in this research paper. It is proposed that by targeting the values of the end-user, the key factors of user-value applicable to rural electrification projects will be identified and the sustainability of the project will be better ensured. © 2014 The Authors.

Contractile and mechanical properties of epithelia with perturbed actomyosin dynamics.

Mechanics has an important role during morphogenesis, both in the generation of forces driving cell shape changes and in determining the effective material properties of cells and tissues. Drosophila dorsal closure has emerged as a reference model system for investigating the interplay between tissue mechanics and cellular activity. During dorsal closure, the amnioserosa generates one of the major forces that drive closure through the apical contraction of its constituent cells. We combined quantitation of live data, genetic and mechanical perturbation and cell biology, to investigate how mechanical properties and contraction rate emerge from cytoskeletal activity. We found that a decrease in Myosin phosphorylation induces a fluidization of amnioserosa cells which become more compliant. Conversely, an increase in Myosin phosphorylation and an increase in actin linear polymerization induce a solidification of cells. Contrary to expectation, these two perturbations have an opposite effect on the strain rate of cells during DC. While an increase in actin polymerization increases the contraction rate of amnioserosa cells, an increase in Myosin phosphorylation gives rise to cells that contract very slowly. The quantification of how the perturbation induced by laser ablation decays throughout the tissue revealed that the tissue in these two mutant backgrounds reacts very differently. We suggest that the differences in the strain rate of cells in situations where Myosin activity or actin polymerization is increased arise from changes in how the contractile forces are transmitted and coordinated across the tissue through ECadherin-mediated adhesion. Altogether, our results show that there is an optimal level of Myosin activity to generate efficient contraction and suggest that the architecture of the actin cytoskeleton and the dynamics of adhesion complexes are important parameters for the emergence of coordinated activity throughout the tissue.

Influence of turbulence-chemistry interaction for n-heptane spray combustion under diesel engine conditions with emphasis on soot formation and oxidation

The influence of the turbulence-chemistry interaction (TCI) for n-heptane sprays under diesel engine conditions has been investigated by means of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. The conditional moment closure approach, which has been previously validated thoroughly for such flows, and the homogeneous reactor (i.e. no turbulent combustion model) approach have been compared, in view of the recent resurgence of the latter approaches for diesel engine CFD. Experimental data available from a constant-volume combustion chamber have been used for model validation purposes for a broad range of conditions including variations in ambient oxygen (8-21% by vol.), ambient temperature (900 and 1000 K) and ambient density (14.8 and 30 kg/m3). The results from both numerical approaches have been compared to the experimental values of ignition delay (ID), flame lift-off length (LOL), and soot volume fraction distributions. TCI was found to have a weak influence on ignition delay for the conditions simulated, attributed to the low values of the scalar dissipation relative to the critical value above which auto-ignition does not occur. In contrast, the flame LOL was considerably affected, in particular at low oxygen concentrations. Quasi-steady soot formation was similar; however, pronounced differences in soot oxidation behaviour are reported. The differences were further emphasised for a case with short injection duration: in such conditions, TCI was found to play a major role concerning the soot oxidation behaviour because of the importance of soot-oxidiser structure in mixture fraction space. Neglecting TCI leads to a strong over-estimation of soot oxidation after the end of injection. The results suggest that for some engines, and for some phenomena, the neglect of turbulent fluctuations may lead to predictions of acceptable engineering accuracy, but that a proper turbulent combustion model is needed for more reliable results. © 2014 Taylor & Francis.

Budgets and dynamics of nitrogen and phosphorus in a shallow, hypereutrophic lake in China

Budgets and dynamics of nitrogen and phosphorus in Lake Donghu were investigated from Oct. 1997 to Sept. 1999. The water residence time was estimated to be 89 days in 1997-1998 and 124 days in 1998-1999. The total external loadings were 53 g N m(-2) yr(-1) and 3.2 g P m(-2) yr(-1) in 1997-1998, and 42 g N m(-2) yr(-1) and 3.1 g P m(-2) yr(-1) in 1998-1999. On average, about 80% of nitrogen and phosphorus input was from sewage outlets, while the rest was from land runoff and precipitation. Ammonium ion was the most abundant form of inorganic nitrogen in the sewage. The nutrient output was mainly through water outflow and fish catch. The percentages of nutrients in fish were estimated to be 7.8%-11.2% for nitrogen and 47.6%- 49.6% for phosphorus. Lake Donghu has a very high nutrient retention (63% for nitrogen and 79% for phosphorus) mainly due to its closure and long water residence time. Sedimentation is an important nutrient retention mechanism in this lake. Using mass balance method, we estimated that denitrification of Lake Donghu involves about 50% of the retained nitrogen. Lake Donghu is rich in inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus and showed great seasonal variation.

Domains in ferroelectric nanodots

Almost free-standing single crystal mesoscale and nanoscale dots of ferroelectric BaTiO(3) have been made by direct focused ion beam patterning of bulk single crystal material. The domain structures which appear in these single crystal dots, after cooling through the Curie temperature, were observed to form into quadrants, with each quadrant consisting of fine 90 degrees stripe domains. The reason that these rather complex domain configurations form is uncertain, but we consider and discuss three possibilities for their genesis: first, that the quadrant features initially form to facilitate field-closure, but then develop 90 degrees shape compensating stripe domains in order to accommodate disclination stresses; second, that they are the result of the impingement of domain packets which nucleate at the sidewalls of the dots forming "Forsbergh" patterns (essentially the result of phase transition kinetics); and third, that 90 degrees domains form to conserve the shape of the nanodot as it is cooled through the Curie temperature but arrange into quadrant packets in order to minimize the energy associated with uncompensated surface charges (thus representing an equilibrium state). While the third model is the preferred one, we note that the second and third models are not mutually exclusive.

黄土丘陵区封禁对侵蚀土壤微生物生物量的影响

采用时空互代法,以典型侵蚀环境纸坊沟流域不同封禁年限的狼牙刺群落和杂灌群落为研究对象,选取放牧地和天然次生林为参照,分析了生态恢复过程中土壤微生物生物量、呼吸强度、代谢商及理化性质的演变特征。结果表明,封禁后土壤理化性质明显改善;微生物生物量随封禁年限的延长变化显著,阳坡随封禁年限增加土壤微生物生物量逐渐增加,25 a后微生物生物量碳、氮、磷较封禁前分别增加252%、161%和174%,但显著低于天然侧柏林,仅为其39.0%、41.8%和53.7%;阴坡封禁前10年微生物生物量迅速增加,随后增加幅度减缓,呈波动式缓慢上升趋势;封禁25 a后微生物生物量碳、氮、磷分别增加108%、93%和102%,但明显低于天然杂灌丛群落和辽东栎林,仅为辽东栎林的54.4%、49.1%和40.1%。土壤呼吸强度在封禁5 a后增大明显,且随着年限增加逐渐上升,阳坡25 a时达到最大值,而阴坡15 a时达到最大值,随后开始有所下降,25 a后降至最低点,但仍显著高于放牧地,相同封禁年限的土壤呼吸强度阴坡明显高于阳坡。qCO2随着封禁进程逐渐降低,25 a后达到最低值。相关性分析显示微生物生物量碳、氮、磷、呼吸强度、qCO2与土壤养...

川西亚高山针叶林主要针叶树种年轮生态学研究

米亚罗地区是四川西部较为典型的亚高山针叶林区域之一。为建立该地区主要针叶树种岷江冷杉、云杉、紫果云杉和红杉的年轮宽度年表资料，了解不同海拔高度岷江冷杉原始林和不同恢复过程的人工针叶林及次生混交林树木径向生长规律，结合样地调查，用生长锥钻取了树木芯样做年轮生态学分析。芯样经过标准化程序固定和打磨抛光后，用WinDENDRO图像分析系统测量年轮宽度序列，用COFECHA程序交叉定年和控制测量数据质量，用ARSTAN程序建立了4个主要针叶树种的地区年表和不同海拔高度岷江冷杉林及人工针叶林和次生混交林针叶树的样地年表。 4个主要针叶树种年轮宽度年表的平均敏感度低于0.2，而其晚材宽度年表都具相对较高的平均敏感度。早材宽度与年轮总宽度标准化年表间的相关系数均在0.9以上；晚材宽度与年轮总宽度标准化年表间的相关系数则种间差异较大，红杉的最高，岷江冷杉的最低。岷江冷杉晚材宽度与年轮总宽度的相关性从1970年以后明显下降，而其他种的相关系数则随时间变化较小。树种之间标准化年表显著正相关，而云杉与紫果云杉和红杉与岷江冷杉之间相关系数明显较高。年表序列的第1主分量表达了4个树种树木共同径向生长变化格局；第2至第4主分量分别表达了云杉属和冷杉属、常绿针叶树种和落叶针叶树种以及云杉和紫果云杉树木径向生长变化差异。 不同海拔高度的8个岷江冷杉样地年轮宽度年表序列敏感度大体上随海拔高度升高而降低。各样地早材宽度与年轮总宽度年表之间的相关系数均在0.9以上，且随海拔高度变化不大；晚材宽度与年轮总宽度之间的相关系数随海拔高度的变化较大，并有随海拔升高而降低的趋势。样地年表序列之间相关系数差异很大，高海拔样地年表间多为显著正相关；低海拔样地年表间的相关系数变化不一；高海拔和低海拔样地年表之间相关性较差，且多不显著。样地年表的第1主分量能解释年表序列总方差的37.5%，反映了不同海拔高度岷江冷杉林木共同的径向生长变化格局；第2和第3主分量分别解释总方差的24.5%和18.2%，表现出明显的高海拔和低海拔样地树木间不同的径向生长变化，除一些样地例外，它们一般与低海拔样地年表有正相关，与高海拔样地年表有负相关。在那些另外的样地，海拔以外的其他因素可能也影响了树木径向生长变化。不同海拔高度样地林木的生长抑制和生长释放频率在不同时期表现出较大的差异，表明了不同的干扰历史和林木补充时间。 人工针叶林和次生混交林各样地林木早材宽度与其年轮总宽度年表之间相关系数均高达0.9以上；晚材宽度与年轮总宽度年表之间也都显著正相关，但人工针叶林样地的明显较高。样地年表序列之间的相关关系表现为，林分起源和经营管理相似的样地年表之间的相关系数明显较高，如人工针叶林与人工针叶林尽管树种不同，但样地年表之间显著正相关，而与次生混交林样地年表间关系不显著；反之亦然。综合比较各项生长参数及不同时期的树木径向生长速率，人工针叶林树木的胸径增长至少在40年以内是优于次生混交林的同种（或不同种）针叶树的。不同样地林木生长释放和生长抑制及人工针叶林树木胸高断面积增长分析表明，除严重的人为干扰外，林分郁闭后林木密度过大是造成高频率生长抑制的主要原因，在林分发育的适当时期通过抚育间伐等措施调控林分密度，是保证林木胸高断面积在一定时期内保持较高的连年增长的关键。日本落叶松作为引进的树种，在海拔3100 m左右种植表现良好，近30年来各项生长指标均高于林龄相近的云杉人工林，因此，适当用其作为川西亚高山针叶林采伐迹地快速恢复是合理的。 Miyaluo area is one of the typical regions covered by subalpine coniferous forests in western Sichuan province of southwestern China. To develop the regional tree-ring width chronology series for the dominant conifers such as Abies faxoniana, Picea asperata, P. purpurea and Larix potaninii, and to understand the radial growth patterns of conifers in Abies faxoniana natural forest stands at different altitudes, and in coniferous plantations and natural regenerated mixed stands in their different restoring processes as well, increment cores were sampled in the field together with conventional plots investigations for dendroecological analyses. After the increment cores being prepared according to standard procedures, the ring widths (total-ring and intra-ring widths) were measured with a WinDENDRO image-analysis system, and the measured tree-ring sequences were crossdated and quality-controlled with the software COFECHA. Using the software ARSTAN, we developed tree-ring width based chronology series of the four dominant conifers, eight site-specific Abies faxoniana chronologies, and seven site-specific chronologies of conifers in coniferous plantations and natural regenerated mixed stands. Mean sensitivities for total ring width chronologies of the four sampled dominant conifers were all below 0.2, while those for the latewood width chronologies of the same species were relatively much higher. Correlation coefficients between standard earlywood and total ring width chronologies of the four conifers were all above 0.9, but those between standard latewood and total ring width chronologies exhibited differences among species, with the coefficient of Larix potaninii the highest and that of Abies faxoniana the lowest. Correlation coefficients between latewood and total ring width of A. faxoniana obviously decreased from 1920-1970 for successive 50-year segments with 10-years lag analyses, though the same for the other three species changed unnoticeably with time. Tree-ring standard chronologies among species showed significant positive correlations, with the correlation coefficients between chronologies of Picea asperata and P. purpurea, and of Larix potaninii and Abies faxoniana relatively much higher. The first principal component of tree-ring chronologies represented the common radial growth patterns of the four conifers in Miyaluo area. The second, third and fourth PCs expressed the differences in radial growth responses for the genus Picea and Abies, for the evergreen and deciduous confers, and for the two species of the genus Picea, respectively. In general, mean sensitivities of the eight Abies faxoniana site-specific tree-ring width chronologies decreased with increasing altitude. The correlation coefficients between earlywood and total ring width chronologies for all sites reached 0.9, which did not change much with altitude; but those between latewood and total ring width chronologies diversified, with a decreasing tendency from lower altitudinal sites to higher altitudinal sites. Correlation coefficients among site chronologies varied considerably, with significant positive correlations among higher site chronologies, mixed results among lower site chronologies, and poor and insignificant correlations between chronologies of higher site and lower site. The first PC, which represents 37.5% of the total variance, reflected a common radial growth response at sites of different altitudes, and it showed a tendency of explaining more variance with increasing altitude. The second and the third PCs contributed to 24.5% and 18.2% of the total variance, respectively, exhibiting distinctive differences in radial growth responses between low- and high-altitudinal sites. With some exceptions, the radial growth represented by the second and third PCs had a positive correlation with that at the low-altitudinal sites and a negative correlation with that at the high-altitudinal sites. For those exceptional sites, factors other than altitude might also play a role in affecting tree-ring growth variations. Trees in stands of different altitudes showed great differences in frequencies of growth suppressions and releases through times, suggesting different disturbance histories and periods when trees recruiting to the canopy. Correlation coefficients between earlywood and total ring width chronologies for all sites of coniferous plantations and natural regenerated mixed stands were also above 0.9; and the same between latewood width and total ring width chronologies all positively correlated, too, with the coefficients of the coniferous plantations obviously much higher. Correlations among site chronologies showed that the coefficients among sites with similar stand origin and management regimes were much higher than those among sites with different stand origin and management regimes. For example, significant positive correlations were found for chronologies among different coniferous plantations, irrespective of species differences; while insignificant correlations between chronologies of the same conifer from a coniferous plantation and a natural regenerated mixed stand, and vise versa. Integrative comparisons of different tree growth parameters and radial growth rates at different stages indicated that the diameter at breast height (DBH) increments for trees in coniferous plantations were faster than those for trees of the same (or different) species in the natural regenerated mixed stands, at least within their first 40 years of stand development. Analyses of growth releases and suppressions, and basal area increments of trees in different stands demonstrated that over-dense individuals after canopy closure was the main factor resulting in high frequencies of radial growth suppressions, with some exceptions of severe man-made disturbances. Therefore, to ensure a continuous basal area current annual increment in certain periods, tree density controlling through thinning in due time during the stand development process are necessary. It should be mentioned that, as an introduced conifer to Miyaluo area, Larix kaempferi grew quite well at altitude of ca. 3100 m after planting in 1970s. In their near 30 years of stand development, Larix kaempferi trees exhibited faster growth in various parameters than Picea asperata trees of the similar stand age did. Thus we think it reasonable to use Larix kaempferi as a fast restoring species at appropriate sites of cutting blanks of subalpine coniferous forests in western Sichuan.

遮荫与外源脱落酸喷施对粗枝云杉(Picea asperata Mast.)不同种群抗旱性的影响

本研究通过粗枝云杉不同种群进行的温室半控制试验，采用植物生态学、生理学和生物化学的研究方法，系统地研究了粗枝云杉不同种群抗旱性的生长、形态、生理和生化机理，并结合有关研究进行综合分析，得出主要研究结论如下： 1.粗枝云杉对干旱胁迫的综合反应 粗枝云杉在干旱胁迫下的适应机制为：（1）相对生长速率及植株结构的调整：干旱胁迫下虽然植株相对生长速率显著降低，且有相对较多的生物量向根部分配，但并未发现细根/总根比增加。（2）粗枝云杉对干旱胁迫的光合作用表现为：干旱胁迫显著地降低了控制的理想条件下的气体交换，但干旱胁迫对PSII最大光化学效率（Fv/Fm）没有影响，表明干旱并未影响到光合机构。（3）干旱还影响了很多生理生化过程，包括渗透调解物质（游离脯氨酸）、膜脂过氧化产物、脱落酸（ABA）含量的增加，以及保护酶活性的升高。这些结果证明植物遭受干旱胁迫后发生了一系列的形态、生理和生化响应，这些变化能提高干旱时期植物的存活和生长能力。 2.粗枝云杉不同种群对干旱胁迫反应的种群差异 粗枝云杉三个种群－干旱种群（四川丹巴和甘肃迭部）和湿润种群（四川黑水）对干旱适应不同，这种不同应归因于它们采用的用水策略不同：在水分良好和干旱胁迫条件下，受试种群在相对生长速率和水分利用效率（WUE）方面都表现出显著的种群间差异。与湿润种群相比，干旱种群在两种水分条件下有更高的WUE。粗枝云杉不同种群的碳同位素组分（δ13C）只在干旱胁迫下有显著差异，并且这种差异在水分良好时比干旱胁迫条件下小，说明生理响应和干旱适应性之间的关系受植物内部抗旱机制和外部环境条件（如水分可利用性）或两者互作效应的影响。这些结果说明干旱种群和湿润种群所采用的用水策略不同。干旱种群有更强的抗旱能力，采用的是节水型的用水策略，而湿润种群抗旱能力较弱，采用的是耗水型的用水策略。 3. 遮荫对粗枝云杉不同种群抗旱性影响 干旱胁迫显著降低了全光条件下叶相对含水量（RWC）、相对生长速率、气体交换参数、PSII的有效量子产量（Y），提高了非光化学猝灭效率（qN）、水分利用效率、脯氨酸（PRO）积累、脱落酸（ABA）含量及保护酶活性。然而这种变化在遮荫条件下不明显。我们得出结论适度遮荫降低了干旱对植物的胁迫作用。另一方面，在干旱条件下，与湿润种群相比，干旱种群抗旱性更强，表现在干旱种群净光合速率与单位重量上叶氮含量（Nmass）降低较少。另外，干旱种群表现出更为敏感的气孔导度，更高的热耗散能力（qN）能力、用水效率、ABA积累、保护酶活性，以及更低的总用水量、相对生长速率。这一结果表明这两种群采用不同的生理策略对干旱和遮荫做出反应。许多生长和生理反应差异与这两个种群原产地气候条件相适应。 4. 外源脱落酸(ABA)喷施对粗枝云杉不同种群抗旱性影响 外源ABA喷施在干旱和水分良好条件下均不同程度地提高了根/茎比，表明根和茎对ABA敏感程度不同。实验结果还表明，外源ABA喷施对这两个种群在干旱胁迫期间影响不同。干旱胁迫期间，伴随着ABA喷施，湿润种群净光合速率(A)显著降低，而干旱种群净光合速率变化不明显。另一方面，外源ABA喷施显著提高了干旱条件下干旱种群的单位叶面积重（LMA）、根/茎比、细根/总根（Ft）比、水分利用效率（WUE）、ABA含量, 以及保护酶活性。然而，外源ABA喷施对湿润种群的上述测定指标没有显著影响。这一结果表明干旱种群对外源ABA喷施更为敏感, 反应在更大的气孔导度降低，更高的生物量可塑性，及更高的水分利用效率、ABA含量和保护酶活性。综上所述，我们得出结论，粗枝云杉对外源ABA敏感性因种群的不同而不同。该研究结果可为两个明显不同种群在适应分化方面提供强有力的证据。 Arid or semi-arid land covers more than half of China's land territory. In arid systems, severe shortages of soil water often coincide with periods of high temperatures and high solar radiation, producing multiple stresses on plant performance. Protection from high radiation loads in shaded microenvironments during drought may compensate for a loss of productivity due to reduced irradiance when water is available. Additionally, ABA, a well-known stress-inducible plant hormone, has long been studied as a potential mediator for induction of drought tolerance in plants. Picea asperata Mast., which is one of the most important tree species used for the production of pulp wood and timber, is a prime reforestation species in western China. In this experiment, different population of P. asperata were used as experiment material to study the adaptability to drought stress and population differences in adaptabiliy, and the effects of shade and exogenous abscisic acid (ABA) application on the drought tolerance. Our results cold provide a strong theoretical evidence and scientific direction for the afforestation, and rehabilitation of ecosystem in the arid and semi-arid area, and provide a strong evidence for adaptive differentiation of different populations, and so may be used as criteria for species selection and tree improvement. The results are as follows: 1. A large set of parallel response to drought stress Drought stress caused pronounced inhibition of the growth and increased relatively dry matter allocation into the root; drought stress also caused pronounced inhibition of photosynthesis, while drought showed no effects on the maximal quantum yield of PSII photochemistry (Fv/Fm) in dark-adapted leaves, indicating that drought had no effects on the primary photochemistry of PSII. However, in light-adapted leaves, drought reduced the quantum yield of PSII electron transport (Y) and increased the non-photochemical quenching (qN). Drought also affected many physiological and biochemical processes, including increases in superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activities, malondialdehyde and ABA content. These results demonstrate that there are a large set of parallel changes in the morphological, physiological and biochemical responses when plants are exposed to drought stress; these changes may enhance the capability of plants to survive and grow during drought periods. 2. Difference in adaptation to drought stress between contrasting populations of Picea asperata There were significant population differences in growth, dry matter allocation and water use efficiency. Compared with the wet climate population (Heishui), the dry climate population (Dan ba and Jiebu) showed higher LMA, fine root/total root ratio and water use efficiency under drought-stressed treatments. The results suggested that there were different water-use strategies between the dry population and the wet population. The dry climate population with higher drought tolerance may employ a conservative water-use strategy, whereas the wet climate population with lower drought tolerance may employ a prodigal water-use strategy. These variations in drought responses may be used as criteria for species selection and tree improvement. 3. The effects of shade on the drought tolerance For both populations tested, drought resulted in lower needle relative water content (RWC), relative growth rate (RGR), gas exchange parameters and effective PSII quantum yield (Y), and higher non-photochemical quenching (qN), water use efficiency (WUE), proline (PRO) and abscisic acid (ABA) accumulation, superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activities as well as malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and electrolyte leakage in sun plants, whereas these changes were not significant in shade plants. Our study results implied that shade, applied together with drought, ameliorated the detrimental effects of drought. On the other hand, compared with the wet climate population, the dry climate population was more tolerant to drought in the sun treatment, as indicated by less decreases in A and mass-based leaf nitrogen content (Nmass), more responsive stomata, greater capacity for non-radiative dissipation of excitation energy as heat (analysed by qN), and higher WUE，higher level of antioxidant enzyme activities，higher ABA accumulation as well as lower MDA content and electrolyte leakage. Many of the differences in growth and physiological responses reported here are consistent with the climatic differences between the locations of the populations of P. asperata. 4. The effects of exogenous abscisic acid (ABA) application on the drought tolerance For both populations tested, exogenous ABA application increased root/shoot ratio (Rs) under well-watered and drought-stressed conditions, indicating that there was differential sensitivity to ABA in the roots and shoots. However, it appeared that ABA application affected the two P. asperata populations very differently during drought. CO2 assimilation rate (A) was significantly decreased in the wet climate population, but only to a minor extent in the dry climate population following ABA application during soil drying. On the other hand, ABA application significantly decreased stomatal conductance (gs), transpiration rate (E) and malondialdehyde (MDA) content, and significantly increased leaf mass per area (LMA), Rs, fine root/total root ratio (Ft), water use efficiency (WUE), ABA contents, superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and catalase (CAT) activities under drought condition in the dry climate population, whereas ABA application did not significantly affect these parameters in the wet population plants. The results clearly demonstrated that the dry climate population was more responsive to ABA application than the wet climate population, as indicated by the strong stomata closure and by greater plasticity of LMA and biomass allocation, as well as by higher WUE, ABA content and anti-oxidative capacity to defense against oxidative stress, possibly predominantly by APX. We concluded that sensitivity to exogenous ABA application is population dependent in P. asperata. Our results provide strong evidence for adaptive differentiation between populations of P. asperata.

Gound State Properties of Nuclei in (295)118 alpha-Decay Chain

The properties of nuclei belonging to the alpha-decay chain of superheavy element (295)118 have been studied in the framework of axially deformed relativistic mean field (RMF) theory with the parameter set of NL-Z2 in the blocked BCS approximation. Some ground state properties such as binding energies, deformations, and alpha-decay energies Q(alpha) have been obtained and agree well with those from finite-range droplet model (FRDM). The single-particle spectra of nuclei in (295)118 alpha-decay chain show that the shell gaps present obviously nucleon number dependence. The root-mean-square (rms) radii of proton, neutron and matter distributions change slowly from (283)112 to (295)118 but dramatically from (279)110 to (283)112, which may be due to the subshell closure at Z = 110 in (279)110. The alpha-decay half-lives in (295)118 decay chain are evaluated by employing the cluster model and the generalized liquid drop model (GLDM), and the overall agreement is found when they are compared with the known experimental data. The alpha-decay lifetimes obtained from the cluster model are slightly larger than those of GLDM ones. Finally, we predict the alpha-decay half-lives of Z = 118, 116, 114, 112 isotopes using the cluster model and GLDM, which also indicate these two models can corroborate each other in studies on superheavy nuclei. The results from GLDM are always lower than those obtained from the cluster model.

Branching Ratios of alpha Decay for Nuclei near Deformed Shell Closures

The generalized liquid drop model (GLDM) is extended to the region around deformed shell closure (270)Hs by taking into account the excitation energy EI+ of the residual daughter nucleus and the centrifugal potential energy V-cen(r). The branching ratios of alpha decays from the ground state of a parent nucleus to the ground state 0(+) of its deformed daughter nucleus and to the first excited state 2(+) are calculated in the framework of the GLDM. The results support the proposal that a measurement of alpha spectroscopy is a feasible method to extract information on nuclear deformation of superheavy nuclei around the deformed nucleus (270)Hs.

Validating MODIS-derived land surface evapotranspiration with in situ measurements at two AmeriFlux sites in a semiarid region

Reducing uncertainties in the estimation of land surface evapotranspiration (ET) from remote-sensing data is essential to better understand earth-atmosphere interactions. This paper demonstrates the applicability of temperature-vegetation index triangle (T-s-VI) method in estimating regional ET and evaporative fraction (EF, defined as the ratio of latent heat flux to surface available energy) from MODIS/Terra and MODIS/Aqua products in a semiarid region. We have compared the satellite-based estimates of ET and EF with eddy covariance measurements made over 4 years at two semiarid grassland sites: Audubon Ranch (AR) and Kendall Grassland (KG). The lack of closure in the eddy covariance measured surface energy components is shown to be more serious at MODIS/Aqua overpass time than that at MODIS/Terra overpass time for both AR and KG sites. The T-s-VI-derived EF could reproduce in situ EF reasonably well with BIAS and root-mean-square difference (RMSD) of less than 0.07 and 0.13, respectively. Surface net radiation has been shown to be systematically overestimated by as large as about 60 W/m(2). Satisfactory validation results of the T-s-VI-derived sensible and latent heat fluxes have been obtained with RMSD within 54 W/m(2). The simplicity and yet easy use of the T-s-VI triangle method show a great potential in estimating regional ET with highly acceptable accuracy that is of critical significance in better understanding water and energy budgets on the Earth. Nevertheless, more validation work should be carried out over various climatic regions and under other different land use/land cover conditions in the future.

Biodegradation of poly(L-lactide-co-glycolide) tube stents in bile

The objective of this study was to evaluate degradation behavior and the feasibility of biodegradable polymeric stents in common bile duct (CBD) repair and reconstruction. Various molar ratios of lactide (LA) and glycolide (GA) in poly(L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) were synthesized and processed into a circular tubing of similar to 10.0 mm outer diameter and a wall thickness of about 2.0 mm.

Feasibility of biodegradable PLGA common bile duct stents: An in vitro and in vivo study

The current study investigates the feasibility of using a biodegradable polymeric stent in common bile duct (CBD) repair and reconstruction. Here, poly(l-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA, molar ratio LA/GA = 80/20) was processed into a circular tube- and dumbbell-shaped specimens to determine the in vitro degradation behavior in bile. The morphology, weight loss, and molecular weight changes were then investigated in conjunction with evaluations of the mechanical properties of the specimen. Circular tube-shaped PLGA stents with X-ray opacity were subsequently used in common bile duct exploration (CBDE) and primary suturing in canine models. Next, X-ray images of CBD stents in vivo were compared and levels of serum liver enzymes and a histological analysis were conducted after stent transplantation. The results showed that the PLGA stents exhibited the required biomedical properties and spontaneously disappeared from CBDs in 4-5 weeks. The degradation period and function match the requirements in repair and reconstruction of CBDs to support the duct, guide bile drainage, and reduce T-tube-related complications.

Simulation of the ocean surface mixed layer under the wave breaking

A one-dimensional mixed-layer model, including a Mellor-Yamada level 2.5 turbulence closure scheme, was implemented to investigate the dynamical and thermal structures of the ocean surface mixed layer in the northern South China Sea. The turbulent kinetic energy released through wave breaking was incorporated into the model as a source of energy at the ocean surface, and the influence of the breaking waves on the mixed layer was studied. The numerical simulations show that the simulated SST is overestimated in summer without the breaking waves. However, the cooler SST is simulated when the effect of the breaking waves is considered, the corresponding discrepancy with the observed data decreases up to 20% and the MLD calculated averagely deepens 3.8 m. Owing to the wave-enhanced turbulence mixing in the summertime, the stratification at the bottom of the mixed layer was modified and the temperature gradient spread throughout the whole thermocline compared with the concentrated distribution without wave breaking.