Wuxi City Research Articles

FORENSIC ANALYSIS OF THE WUXI 312 VIADUCT OVERTURNING COLLAPSE

On October 10, 2019, a three-span concrete continuous box girder on National Highway 312 in Xishan District, Wuxi City, overturned under the action of two vehicles. Investigated the accident site first, then established a geometrically nonlinear finite element model based on wreckage photos and construction drawings, and studied the overturning mechanism. An overload determination method based on the strength and overturning stability effects is proposed. The results include: the overturning test results based on the standard lane load demonstrate that the bridge does not meet the overturning test requirements specified in the Specification for Design of Highway Reinforced Concrete and Prestressed Concrete Bridge and Culvert (2018 edition); the superstructure under the action of the overloaded vehicle first rotated, then slid, and finally exhibited a combination of substantial rotation and sliding overturning mode; the superstructure has a certain safety margin between bearing separation and overturning; the calculation based on the strength and overturning stability effect proves that the overturning effect generated by the overloaded vehicle is greater than the overturning capacity of the structure, indicating that the overturning is mainly attributed to the overload. However, the structural bending capacity turns out to be sufficient through further calculation, indicating that the overturning damage occurred earlier than the occurrence of strength damage, and that the overturning resistance and bending resistance do not match.

Spatiotemporal Evolution and Improvement Potential of Agricultural Eco-efficiency in Jiangsu Province

This study evaluated the agricultural eco-efficiency (AEE) of 77 counties and districts in Jiangsu Province from 1999 to 2018 using the slack-based measure (SBM) of efficiency in data envelopment analysis (DEA) (SBM-DEA) and analyzed its spatiotemporal evolution characteristics and influencing factors. We found that 1) the overall AEE, pure technology efficiency (PTE), and scale efficiency (SE) exhibited a fluctuating downward trend. AEE exhibited a significantly positive spatial association and an increasingly widening regional inequality. 2) AEE featured the “high south” and “low north” spatial pattern, with the high-value regions concentrated around the Taihu Lake plain region in southern Jiangsu Province (Sunan) and low-value regions scattered across most of the northern Jiangsu Province (Subei) cities. The high-high and low-low spatial association types further confirmed the existence of the north–south agglomeration pattern. 3) PTE and SE exhibited a similar “high south” and “low north” spatial pattern to that of AEE. The areas with the growth trends of AEE, PTE, and SE were clustered in Xuzhou and Nanjing city and in the bordering regions between Yangzhou and the Huai’an city, and also between Changzhou and the Wuxi city. 4) Excessive redundant input and use of pesticides, chemical fertilizers, agricultural diesel, labor, land, and agricultural carbon emissions, all have been the primary factors affecting Jiangsu’s AEE. Irrigation also considerably affected AEE, while mechanical power and agricultural film have minimal effects. The majority of counties and districts in the Subei, central Jiangsu Province (Suzhong), and Ningzhen Yang Hilly region experienced excessive usage of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, chemical fertilizers, agricultural diesel, labor, and land. The findings can improve understanding of the spatial association effect and underlying impediment of AEE and can further help policymakers promoting agricultural eco-efficiency.

Decoy Effect on Consumers' Purchase Behaviors in Relation to Meat Products: Comparison of Pork and Chicken.

Few studies have analyzed the behaviors of consumers in relation to their purchase of meat products produced with animal welfare in consideration under different decoy scenarios; thus, it is difficult to accurately understand consumer behaviors and to reduce the bias in the conclusions of this study regarding consumption preferences in relation to meat products that had been produced with animal welfare in consideration. With the frequent occurrence of cases connected with the quality and safety of meat in China, the welfare conditions of livestock and poultry urgently need to be improved. We used 810 consumers in Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province, China as our study sample, chose pigs and chickens, i.e., the two common species of livestock and poultry, as study cases, and set four types of decoy scenarios based on breeding time, breeding model, diet cleanliness label, and price attributes, to explore the purchasing options of consumers for meat produced with high levels of animal welfare, under different decoy conditions. A decoy effect was observed in a bounded rational consumption situation in relation to the purchasing behaviors of both chicken and pork. In a situation of chicken purchase, the decoy effect of the breeding model was the strongest, followed by that of price, diet cleanliness label, and breeding time. In the case of pork purchase, the decoy effect of the diet cleanliness label was the strongest, followed by price, breeding model, and breeding time. In a comprehensive comparison between the two types of consumption experiments, price decoy constantly played a significant role, while the decoy effect of breeding time was the weakest. Accordingly, we proposed that in addition to strengthening the knowledge of people in the welfare of livestock and poultry, designing a breeding model decoy or price decoy in the process of chicken sales and designing a diet cleanliness label decoy or price decoy in the process of pork sales can guide the demand of consumers for meat produced with high levels of animal welfare. The welfare of livestock and poultry should thus be improved.

Study on Consumer Preference for Traceable Pork With Animal Welfare Attribute.

We determined consumer preferences for traceable pork attributes in 328 consumers in Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province, China, based on a traceable pork attribute system composed of traceability, animal welfare, place of origin, and price attributes. Preference was studied using a Choice Experiment and Bayesian inference analysis. Results showed that the marginal utility of health welfare was lower than that of high-level traceability information and similar to that of place of origin but was higher than that of middle-level traceability information. A complementary relationship existed between dietary animal welfare and high-level traceability information and between health welfare and non-indigenous production. A substitution relationship existed between health welfare and indigenous production and between environmental animal welfare and non-indigenous production. The marginal utilities of health welfare and dietary welfare were higher than those of all price levels, and consumers accept a higher price as a result of increased production costs due to the inclusion of animal welfare information. Due to the harsh realities of COVID-19, China has recently approved the animal welfare attribute to be integrated into traceability market systems of new animal-derived food. The government should encourage manufacturers to produce diverse traceable animal-derived food not only to protect animal welfare and promote the construction of an ecological civilization, but also to develop new animal-derived food markets to satisfy different levels of consumer demand.

Survival analysis of silicosis patients in Wuxi City

Objective: To analyze the living condition and influencing factors of silicosis patients in Wuxi City form 1975 to 2019. Methods: Through the monitoring of death causes of residents, the paper-based materials and online report system of diagnosis over the years, and the combination of public security and human social system to obtain 3721 cases of silicosis patients as subjects form August to December 2019. And the combination of Kaplan Meier method and life table method were used to carry out single factor survival analysis. Through Cox regression model to analyze the factors affecting the survival time of patients. Results: From 1975 to 2019, 3721 cases of silicosis and 1274 deaths have been reported in Wuxi City, with a mortality rate of 34.24% and a median survival time of 30.9 years. With the development of diagnosis time, the mortality decreased significantly (χ(2)=747.75, P<0.05) . Compared with the first stage silicosis patients, the risk of decreased survival time of the third stage silicosis patients increased (HR=1.486, P<0.05) . Compared with the non-smoking patients, the risk of decreased survival time of the smoking patients increased (HR=1.136, P<0.05) . Compared with the patients who were less than 30 years old, the risk of decreased survival time of patients with 40-49 years old, 50-59 years old and more than 60 years old were increased (HR=9.641, 13.650, 26.794, P<0.05) . Compared with the patients who received industrial and commercial insurance, the risk of decreased survival time of patients who received compensation from employers, basic medical insurance for urban and rural residents, other social compensation and no compensation were increased (HR=3.137, 3.119, 5.129, 8.442, P<0.05) . Conclusion: The survival time of silicosis patients is related to the stage of silicosis, smoking condition, age of onset and social compensation. We should focus on controlling the above risk factors so as to improve the quality of life of patients and prolong their lives.

The role of the local government in China's urban sustainability transition: A case study of Wuxi's solar development

Recent studies on socio-technical transition have elaborated the multi-level perspective through a power-sensitive view of agency and a symmetrical approach to niche-regime relations. This paper adopts this modified framework of the multi-level perspective to unpack the mechanisms of urban sustainability transition in China. It develops two arguments through a case study of the role of the local government in solar development in Wuxi city. First, the evolving alignments between niche, regime and landscape processes of the socio-technical systems of Chinese cities are mediated by conflicts between local governments and their upper-level counterparts as they share power over urban development. Second, instead of being identified as either regime supporters or niche advocates, Chinese local governments are best described as embodying both roles in urban sustainability transition as they struggle to balance their economic and environmental objectives. These two arguments point to a need to examine sustainability transition in Chinese cities with attention to the leadership of the local government in aligning the actions of various actors in and beyond the city who can stabilise and disrupt existing socio-technical configurations.

Serum concentrations of neonicotinoids, and their associations with lipid molecules of the general residents in Wuxi City, Eastern China

Exposure to neonicotinoid insecticides (NNIs) was proven to be harmful to organisms, however, there is a dearth of information regarding their occurrence and adverse effects on the general residents. Here, n = 120 human serum samples were collected from the same area of Wuxi city, Eastern China, and these serum samples were further analyzed for nine NNIs and nine target lipid molecules by use of ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometer. We observed that four out of nine NNIs exhibited relatively high detection frequencies (DF), and these NNIs were imidacloprid (IMI; DF = 28.3%), clothianidin (CLO; 16.7%), thiacloprid (THI; 14.2%), and acetamiprid (ACE; 12.5%), respectively, with 95th concentrations ranging from 32.0 to 427 pg/mL. Median concentrations of imidacloprid-equivalent total neonicotinoids (IMIeq) and ∑7NNI were 46.6 pg/mL and 26 pg/mL, respectively. Five out of nine lipid molecules exhibited higher levels, that were docosahexaenoic acid [FA(22:6)], 18:0 phosphocholine [LysoPC(18:0)], 18:0 phosphoethanolamine [LysoPE(18:0)], D18:1–18:0 sphingomyelin [SM(d18:1/18:0)], and 18:1–18:1 diglycerol [DG(18:1/18:1)], respectively. More interestingly, we observed statistically significant correlations (student’s t-test, one-way ANOVA, or Mann-Whitney test; p < 0.05) between NNI levels and population characteristics (i.e. age, smoking, and health status). Beyond that, we also observed statistically significant correlations between levels of selected NNIs (CLO, ACE, or THI) and lipid molecules [LysoPE(18:0), SM(d18:1/18:0), and DG(18:1/18:1)]. Collectively, for the first time, we provided the information on contamination levels of NNIs in serum samples of general residents in China and demonstrated the associations between concentrations of NNIs and levels of lipid molecular species.

Transport Influence and Potential Sources of Ozone Pollution for Nanjing During Spring and Summer in 2017

In this study, the 24-hour backward trajectories of air mass at ground level(10 m)in Nanjing were calculated by using the HYSPLIT model with the NCEP global reanalysis data from April 1st to October 31st, 2017. The backward trajectories were then combined with the hourly concentration data of O3 in Nanjing for trajectories clustering analysis and potential pollution sources analysis. The results show that in 2017, the maximum daily 8 h running average O3 level in Nanjing was around 12-261 μg·m-3 with 58 days of O3 pollution in Nanjing, mainly in the spring and summer. The monthly variation of O3 showed a single peak, with the highest O3 concentration, as well as the most days exceeding the standard, occurring in June; the diurnal variation of O3 was unimodal and reached its peak around 14:00. A total number of 5136 trajectories were obtained by simulation, among which the exceeded trajectories accounted for approximately 10%. The exceedance trajectories in May and June were significantly higher, accounting for 60% of the total exceedance trajectories. Six ground-level air mass transporting pathways were identified through clustering analysis, from the NNE, NW, SW, SSE, SE, and NE directions. The SE and SSE directions with higher O3 levels were the dominant transport routes of O3 pollution, contributing to 23.33% and 20.76% of backward trajectories, respectively. As for the potential pollution source analysis, the area with high WCWT value distribution matched the WPSCF result, indicating that the potential sources of O3 pollution were mainly distributed in Changzhou, Wuxi, Suzhou, Huzhou, and other cities around Taihu Lake. Additionally, cities located around Nanjing, such as Taizhou, Ma'anshan, Wuhu, Chuzhou, Nantong, and Lianyungang, were considered the secondary potential sources. The results indicate that O3 pollution in Nanjing is a regional issue and its control requires joint prevention and control strategies in the Yangtze River Delta.

Remote Sensing Classification of Urban Black-odor Water Based on Decision Tree

Remote sensing monitoring of black-odor water is an important method for understanding the current status of urban water quality, and comprehensively evaluating the effect of urban water environment treatment. A total of 171 samples were collected in Nanjing, Changzhou, Wuxi, and Yangzhou cities and water quality parameters and optical parameters were measured simultaneously. Based on the analysis of the water color and optical characteristics of the black-odor water and non-black-odor water (denoted as general water), a decision tree was constructed to identify the severe, mild black-odor water, and general water as green and yellow water. The results found that:①According to the water color, the water bodies can be divided into six types. Among them, type 1 to 4 water bodies are black-odor water, which are gray black, dark gray, gray, and light gray water, respectively, and type 5 and 6 water bodies are general water, which are green and yellow water, respectively; ②Type 1 water body contains high contents of non-pigmented particulate matter and colored dissolved organic matter(CDOM), however, the absorption of pigmented particulate matter is not dominant. Type 2 and 5 water bodies are dominated by pigmented particulate matter. Type 3, 4, and 6 water bodies are dominated by non-pigmented particulate matter; ③After water color classification, and according to the differences of the reflection spectrums of the six types of water bodies, the difference of black-odorous water index (DBWI), green-red-nir area water index (G-R-NIR AWI), the green band reflectance and the normalized difference black-odorous water index (NDBWI) were used to construct a decision tree to identify the severe, mild black-odor water, and general water; ④The decision tree was applied to the PlanetScope satellite image of Yangzhou City on April 9, 2019, and 10 synchronous sampling points were used for verification. The overall recognition accuracy reached 80.00%, and the K value reached 0.67. The urban water classification model, after water color classification, can be applied to other similar water bodies, and provides a technical method for the supervision of black-odor water bodies.

Spatio-temporal patterns of Oncomelania hupensis snail habitats in Suzhou, Wuxi and Changzhou cities along the Taihu Lake region

To investigate the spatio-temporal distribution characteristics of Oncomelania hupensis snail habitats in three cities of Suzhou, Wuxi and Changzhou along the Taihu Lake region, so as to provide technical supports for establishing a sensitive and highly effective surveillance and forecast system for schistosomiasis. Snail distribution data were collected from Suzhou, Wuxi and Changzhou cities from 1950 to 2018, and the changing trend for snail habitats were described over years. In addition, the clusters of snail habitats were detected using Kernel density analysis and SaTScan space-time scan analysis. The number of snail habitats appeared a single-peak distribution in Suzhou, Wuxi and Changzhou cities from 1950 to 2018, which peaked in 1970 and then declined rapidly. There were 62.68% of snail habitats eliminated within 10 years after identification, of which 38.24% were eliminated at the year of identification. Kernel density analysis and SaTScan space-time scan analysis revealed that high-density clusters of snail habitats were mainly distributed in Kunshan City, Wuzhong District and Xiangcheng District from 1970 to 1980, and in Yixing City in 1990; since then, the clusters gradually shrank, and overall appeared a move from northeast to west of Taihu Lake. A total of 4 new clusters were detected after 1970, as revealed by space-time scanning of snail habitats. In current snail habitats, emerging snail habitats are mainly identified in Huqiu District (Dongzhu Town), Wuzhong District (Guangfu Town), Taicang City (Shaxi Town) and Jintan District, and re-emerging snail habitats are scattered in 7 districts. The distribution of snail habitats are spatio-temporal aggregation in Suzhou, Wuxi and Changzhou cities. The monitoring and prediction of emerging and re-emerging snail habitats are the key points in the future.

Methane Levels of a River Network in Wuxi City, China and Response to Water Governance

The majority of rivers are a CH4 source that accounts for an important proportion of annual global emissions. However, CH4 evasion from urban river networks has received disproportionately less attention than their contribution. The effect of water governance on water quality and CH4 emission in urban areas remains unclear. Water quality, CH4 concentrations, and fluxes from a river network in Binhu District, Wuxi City, and their response to water governance were analyzed in this study. CH4 concentrations in the investigated rivers ranged from 0.05 μmol L−1 to 16.37 μmol L−1 (2.47 ± 4.5 μmol L−1, medium 0.23 μmol L−1), and CH4 diffusive fluxes were 75.55 ± 171.78 μmol m−2 h−1 with a medium of 6.50 μmol m−2 h−1. CH4 concentration showed a significant correlation with water quality parameters, especially for NH3–N (r = 0.84, p &lt; 0.001). Significant differences in water quality and CH4 levels were found between sites that had conducted water management and those that continued to exhibit poor water quality. Our analysis showed that rivers under water governance have a positive tendency toward water ecological restoration, and a significant decrease in CH4 efflux to the air can be achieved after extensive and intensified water governance.

Spatiotemporal perspectives on urban energy transitions: a comparative study of three cities in China

This paper develops an integrated framework to study the socio-spatial and temporal dimensions of urban energy transitions to investigate the development and spread of solar energy technologies in urban China. A comparative analysis of three case studies of solar energy transitions in the cities of Foshan (in Guangdong), Rizhao (in Shandong), and Wuxi (in Jiangsu) demonstrates the framework’s applicability. The results map each city’s trajectory towards low carbon energy. Transitions result from dynamic interactions among central and local governments, solar manufacturers, solar installers, and residents. Alongside industrial strategies, locally-specific factors have a determining influence on the eventual outcomes.

Spatial distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the water–sediment system near chemical industry parks in the Yangtze River Delta, China

The Yangtze River Delta (YRD) is one of the most populated and economically prosperous regions in China and contains numerous chemical industry parks. To understand the distribution and sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), surface water and sediment samples were collected from areas around the industrial parks. The total concentrations of 19 PAHs in water and sediment were 32.98–286 ng L−1 and 15.14–5355 ng g−1, respectively. The highest PAH concentrations in water and sediment were found in samples from Wuxi city, which were dominated by high molecular weight (HMW) PAHs, and strongly influenced by fine chemical parks. HMW compounds dominated in the sediment with PAHs containing four and five rings accounting for 61% of the sedimentary ΣPAHs, PAHs in water were dominated by low molecular weight (LMW) compounds (PAHs with two and three rings represented >68% of ΣPAHs). The results of isomeric ratio analysis and principal component analysis with multiple linear regression indicated that the PAH concentrations in water and sediment near the YRD chemical parks are strongly influenced by industrial emissions. The fugacity fraction approach was applied to explain the trend for water–sediment exchange of 16 priority PAHs, which showed that net fluxes for most were from the sediment into water. The results indicated that the LMW PAHs were in a non-steady state in the sediment–water system. An ecological risk assessment showed that most sites were low to medium risk, but one site was high risk.

Distribution characteristics and policy-related improvements of PM2.5 and its components in six Chinese cities

This study presents the distribution characteristics and possible sources of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and its components, as well as policy-related pollution reduction in the Chinese cities of Jinan, Shijiazhuang (SJZ), Chengdu, Wuxi, Wuhan, and Harbin (HRB). PM2.5 samples were collected using mid-volume samplers during the autumn of 2017 in all six cities. The samples were analyzed to determine the ambient PM2.5 compositions, including the concentrations of water-soluble inorganic ions (WSIIs), carbonaceous aerosols, and elements concentrations. The chemical ratios of organic carbon to elemental carbon and nitrate to sulfate as well as the enrichment factors of elements were calculated to establish the possible sources of PM2.5 in all six cities. The highest PM2.5 concentration was 152 μg/m3 in SJZ, while the lowest concentration was 47 μg/m3 in HRB. During the sampling period in these six cities, the PM2.5 concentrations exceeded the World Health Organization recommended daily average air quality guidelines by 2.4–6.1 times, and WSIIs, carbonaceous aerosols, and elements accounted for 31.8%–61.6%, 9.8%–35.1%, and 0.9%–2.5% of the PM2.5, respectively. In 2013, the Chinese government formulated the Air Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan (APPCAP) for controlling air pollution, and effective measures have been implemented since then. Compared with previous studies conducted during 2009–2013 before the implementation of the APPCAP, the concentrations of PM2.5 and most of its components decreased to varying degrees, and large changes in the chemical ratios of PM2.5 components were observed. These results indicate that PM2.5 sources vary among these six cities and that China has improved the ambient air quality in these cities through the implementation of air pollution control policies. The APPCAP have achieved considerable results in continuously reducing pollution concentrations, although the air pollution concentrations observed in this study remain high compared with those of other countries.

Non-Darcian effect on a variable-rate pumping test in a confined aquifer

Groundwater flow in an aquifer has frequently been found to be non-Darcian. In this study, a transient model of a variable-rate pumping test in a confined aquifer was established considering non-Darcian flow in the aquifer. A piecewise-linear function was adopted to reproduce the variability in pumping rate, and the classical Izbash equation was employed to describe the non-Darcian flow. The type-curve analysis suggested that a smaller quasi-conductivity will result in an earlier deviation and a smaller extent of the decreasing features in the drawdown under the condition of a linearly decreasing pumping rate compared to that under the condition of a constant pumping rate. The sensitivity analysis indicated that the variability in pumping rates under non-Darcian flow can increase the sensitivity of drawdown to the radius of the well casing at inflection times of the discrete linear stages, and drawdown closer to the pumping well is more sensitive to the change in the well casing. A type-curve method was proposed and employed to interpret the pumping test data, which were collected at a field site located in Wuxi city, Jiangsu Province, China. The parameter estimates indicate a high possibility of the occurrence of prelinear flow in the aquifer of interest.

Research on HOV Lane Priority Dynamic Control under Connected Vehicle Environment

The optimization of high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane management can better improve the efficiency of road resources. This paper first summarized the current research on HOV lane implementation and analyzed and identifies the threshold of setting road HOV lane dynamic control under the connected vehicle environment. Then, the HOV lane priority dynamic control process was determined, and the operating efficiency and energy consumption evaluation method was proposed. Moreover, a case study in Wuxi City, China, was carried out. The results showed that, after implementing the HOV lane priority dynamic control, the total mileage of road network vehicles was saved by 4.93%, the average travel time per capita was reduced by 4.27%, and the total energy-saving rate of road network travel was 21.96%.

Restoration of River Sediment by Calcium Peroxide(CaO2) Combined with Biochar

The internal source pollution of sediment is the main factor leading to the repetition of black-odorous river channels. In order to prevent this situation, a river channel in the Binhu District of Wuxi City was used as an experimental site. In-situ CaO2 combined with a biochar covering technology was used to repair the black odorous river sediment in this channel. The effects of this technology on the quality of mud water, sedimentary volatile sulfide (AVS) and phosphorus forms, microorganisms, and restoration of black odorous sediment were investigated. The results showed that CaO2 combined with biochar coverage could significantly increase the dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration and redox potential (ORP) of the muddy water system. The DO concentration and ORP in the overlying water were maintained above 2 mg·L-1 and 50 mV, respectively. The removal rates of interstitial water ammonia-nitrogen (NH4+-N), chemical oxygen demand (COD), and total phosphorus (TP) reached 43.40%, 41.18%, and 50.97%, respectively. The removal rate of AVS in the sediment reached 37.03%. The high-throughput sequencing showed that the relative abundance of anaerobic microorganisms in the sediment was significantly reduced, and that nitrogen and sulfur removal microorganisms appeared (e.g., Thermomonas, Dechloromonas, Proteus hauser, Desulfomicrobium, and Thiobacillus). Phosphorus in the sediment was converted into Fe/Al-P and Ca-P. Therefore, in-situ CaO2 combined with biochar coverage had a good repairing effect on black odorous sediment.

The correlation between atmospheric visibility and influenza in Wuxi city, China.

Influenza is an acute respiratory infectious disease that poses a threat to public health. We assessed the association between atmospheric visibility and influenza and influenza-like illness (ILI) in Wuxi city, China.Daily meteorological data, ILI activity, and influenza virus infection rates were collected between 31 December 2012 and 31 December 2017. A distributed lag non-linear model (DLNM) was used to analyze the exposure-lag-response of ILI and influenza activity and daily average visibility.A total of 12,800 cases were detected; 1046 cases (8.17%) were of Flu-A and 527 (4.12%) were of Flu-B infection. Our analysis suggested a non-linear relationship between atmospheric visibility and influenza: U-shaped for ILI, and L-shaped for Flu-A and Flu-B. Comparing low visibility (2.5 km) to ILI cases, the risk appeared between day 1 and day 2. For Flu-A, the risk appeared between days 5 and 9, whereas for Flu-B, the risk effect was much stronger and had a longer reaction delay, staying above zero until day 9. The protective effects of high visibility (14 km) on ILI and Flu-B occurred the same day or one day later. However, we found no association between high visibility and Flu-A.In conclusion, our study contributes novel evidence for the effects of atmospheric visibility on influenza. These findings are important for the development of influenza surveillance and early warning systems in Wuxi city.

Night sky brightness monitoring network in Wuxi, China

The rapid development of cities has brought tremendous pressure to astronomical observation, energy security, and the ecosystem. Automatic monitoring of night sky brightness (NSB) can help us to understand its regional differences and time variations of NSB effectively and to investigate the human and natural factors which lead to these changes. In this paper, the construction of Wuxi City night sky brightness monitoring network (WBMN) in China is presented. In addition to introducing the equipment and the installation of the network, a brief analysis of the data obtained from the stations will also be presented. The impact of human activities on the NSB is illustrated through its changes during the Spring Festival (lunar new year) and non-festival nights, and through a comparison study between NSB data taken from locations of different land usages. It is concluded that, while the reduction in human activities after non-festival midnights or the reduction in moon illumination near the new moon epoch led to darker night skies, brightening of the night skies may be attributed to firework displays during the nights of Spring Festival in 2019. On the other hand, the absence of firework during the Spring Festival in 2020 may explain the darker night skies. Finally, there is an evidence that the urban developments in Wuxi are degrading night sky quality.

Arthrobacter sedimenti sp. nov., isolated from river sediment in Yuantouzhu park, China.

A Gram-stain positive, motile, aerobic and rod-shaped strain (MIC A30T) was isolated from river sediment in Yuantouzhu park, Wuxi City, China. Growth occurred at 20-40°C, at pH 6.0-9.0 and at 0-5.0% NaCl. Strain MIC A30T was moderately related to Arthrobacter liuii CGMCC 1.12778T (97.9%), Arthrobacter pokkaliiT (97.9%) and Arthrobacter globiformis NBRC 12137T (96.7%) by 16S rRNA analysis. The DNA-DNA relatedness values between strain MIC A30T and these reference strains were below 30%. The DNA G+C content was 63.1mol%. Average nucleotide identity (ANI) and genome-to-genome distance (GGD) values between strain MIC A30T and A. liuii CGMCC 1.12778T were 60.34% and 29.39%, respectively. Quinone was identified as MK-9(H2). Major polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylglycerol. Major fatty acids were iso-C15:0, anteiso-C15:0 and anteiso-C17:0. Whole-cell sugars were galactose, mannose and rhamnose. The cell wall peptidoglycan contained A4α peptidoglycan type with lysine as the diagnostic diamino acid. Based on several taxonomic results, strain MIC A30T is identified as a novel species in genus Arthrobacter, whose name is proposed as Arthrobacter sedimenti sp. nov. The type strain is MIC A30T (= KACC 19599T = CGMCC 1.13474T).