Research progress on the application of the main components of Cuscuta sinensis in the urogenital system

Cuscuta sinensis is a traditional Chinese medicine commonly used in traditional medicine,known for its liver and kidney tonifying effects,sperm fixing and urine reduction properties,fetus calming abilities,eye brightening qualities,and diarrhea stopping capabilities.Modern pharmacological studies have focused on its chemical components such as flavonoids,polysaccharides,alkaloids,steroids,and other bioactive compounds.These studies have revealed its various pharmacological effects,including hormone secretion regulation,ovulation promotion,sperm protection,testicular development promotion,and sperm formation.It is extensively utilized in the treatment of urological and reproductive system diseases,such as male sexual dysfunction,polycystic ovary syndrome,premature ovarian failure,weak spermatozoa,and infertility.This article provides a review of recent advancements in the application of Cuscuta sinensis in the genitourinary system,aiming to enhance the clinical application of Cuscuta sinensis preparations.

Surface wave simulation during winter with sea ice in the Bohai Sea

Sea ice can attenuate wave energy significantly when waves propagate through ice covers.In this study,a third-generation wave model called simulating wave nearshore(SWAN)was advanced to include damping of wave energy due to friction in the boundary layer below the ice.With the addition of an eddy viscosity wave-ice model,the resulting new SWAN model was applied to simulate wave height in the Bohai Sea during the freezing winter.Its performance was validated with available buoy data near the ice edge,and the new model showed an improvement in accuracy because it considered the ice effect on waves.We then performed a wave hindcast for the Bohai Sea during a freezing period in the winter of 2016 that had the severest ice conditions in recent years and found that the mean significant wave height changed by approximately 16.52%.In the Liaodong Bay,where sea ice concentration is highest,the change reached 32.57%,compared with the most recent SWAN model version.The average influence of sea ice on wave height simulation was also evaluated over a five-year(2013-2017)hindcast during January and February.We found that the wave height decrease was more significant in storm conditions even the eddy viscosity wave-ice model itself showed no advantage on damping stronger waves.

Industrial solid waste flow analysis of eco-industrial parks： implications for sustainable waste management in China

Sustainable waste management in the industrial ecology perspective brings enormous challenges to the existing methodology of waste analysis at the industrial park （IP） scale. In this study, a four-step method was proposed for industrial solid waste （ISW） flow analysis of eco-industrial parks （EIPs） and applied to two IPs in eastern China. According to a park-wide census of 619 industrial enterprises and 105 questionnaires by a survey from 2006 to 2008, the results indicated that： 1） at the enterprise scale, more than 60% of enterprises were small- ISW-generation enterprises which encountered great difficulties on effective waste management; 2） at the IP scale, though the two IPs have set up their own environmental management systems and passed the ISO 14001 certification, the efficiencies of the ISW manage- ment systems have yet to be improved in the industrial ecology perspective; and 3） at the regional scale, more than 97% of ISW flowed within the provincial region, indicating that the provincial governments prevented the wastes from flowing into their own ＂back yard＂. Effective waste management should be placed in a broader perspective. Approaches to sustainable waste management may include wastes exchange, efficient waste and information flow, virtual EIP, waste minimization clubs and regionalization of waste management.

Spatial and temporal assessment of the initial pattern of phytoplankton population in a newly built coastal reservoir

For decades, the main threat to the water security of a metropolis, such as the city of Shanghai, has been the rapidly growing demand for water and at the same time, the decrease in water quality, including eutrophica- tion. Therefore Shanghai shifted the preferred freshwater source to the Yangtze Estuary and constructed the Qingcaosha Reservoir, which is subject to less eutrophic water from the Yangtze River. To assess the population of phytoplankton for the first time in the newly built reservoir, this study improved an integrated method to assess the phytoplankton pattern in large-water-area reservoirs and lakes, using partial triadic analysis and Geographic Information Systems. Monthly sampling and monitoring from 10 stations in the reservoir from July 2010 to December 2011 were conducted. The study examined the common pattern of the phytoplankton population structure and determined the differences in the specific composition of the phytoplankton community during the transition period of the reservoir. The results suggest that in all but three sampling stations in the upper parts of Qingcaosha Reservoir, there was a strong common compromise in 2011. The two most important periods occurred from late summer to autumn and from winter to early spring. The former was characterized by the dominance of cyanobac- teria, whereas the latter was characterized by the dominance of both chlorophyta and diatoms. Cyanobac- teria （Microcystis spp. as the main genus） were the monopolistic dominant species in the summer after reservoir operation. The statistical analysis also indicated the necessity for regular monitoring to focus on the stations in the lower parts of the reservoir and on several limited species.