Taking six typical forest communities in Taizhou Green Heart (ⅰ: Liquidambar formosana + Ulmus pumila + Celtis sinensis; ⅱ: Celtis sinensis + Pterocarya stenoptera + Pinus massoniana; ⅲ: Sapindus mukorossi + Sapium sebiferum + Cupressus funebris; ⅳ: Liquidambar formosana + Acer buergerianum + Cupressus funebris); ⅴ: Celtis sinensis + Ligustrum compactum + Pinus massoniana; ⅵ: Machilus ichangensis + Sapindus mukorossi + Acer buergerianum) as the research objects, 5 indicators: Shannon-Wiener (H), Patrick richness (R1), Margalef species richness (R2), Pielou evenness (J) and ecological dominance (D) were used to analyze species diversity in forest communities. The results showed that: (1) the community was rich in plant resources, with a total of 50 species belonging to 40 genus and 31 families, including 19 species in tree layer, 22 species in shrub layer and only 9 species in herb layer, few plant species; (2) the species richness and diversity index of tree layer and shrub layer were significantly higher than that of herb layer, but there were differences among different communities in the same layer, and no significant difference was reached; (3) the species richness and community diversity of the six communities showed as follows: community VI > community I > community II > community IV > community V > community III.

The US Infrastructure Investment and Job Act (IIJA), also commonly referred to as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, passed in 2021, has drawn international attention. It aims to help to rebuild US infrastructure, including transportation networks, broadband, water, power and energy, environmental protection and public works projects. An estimated $1.2 trillion in total funding over ten years will be allocated. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill is the largest funding bill for US infrastructure in the recent history of the United States. This review article will specifically discuss funding allocations for roads and bridges, power and grids, broadband, water infrastructure, airports, environmental protection, ports, Western water infrastructure, electric vehicle charging stations and electric school buses in the new spending of the Infrastructure Investment and Job Act and why these investments are urgently necessary. This article will also briefly discuss the views of think tank experts, the public policy perspectives, the impact on domestic and global arenas of the new spending in the IIJA, and the public policy implications.

Although public-private partnership (PPP) is regarded as one of the key effective tools in the development of many countries, various challenges surrounding PPPs are not well understood. This paper explores nine key challenges in PPP implementation: (1) different organizational cultures and goals between the partners, (2) poor institutional environment and support, (3) weak political and legal frameworks, (4) unreliable mechanisms for sharing risk and responsibility, (5) inadequate procedures for the selection of PPP partners, (6) inconsistency between resource inputs and quality, (7) inadequate monitoring and evaluation of PPP processes, (8) lack of transparency, and (9) the inherent nature of PPPs. This paper aims to provide the perceptions in the existing literature on many of these challenges, as well as provide solutions to each challenge. 

There are numerous studies reported on the usage of the sapindus emarginatus (SE) fruit in cancer and other treatments in the past few years. In this study, crude SE fruit extract was prepared and it was further used to synthesis gold nanoparticles (Au Nps). The synthesized Au Nps were left embedded in the SE fruit extract. The Au Nps embedded in the SE fruit extract (SE-Au Nps) were characterized using UV-Visiable Spectroscopy, Centrifugal Particle Size analyzer (CPS), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). MTT assay was carried out for both SE fruit extract and SE-Au Nps on MCF7 breast cancer cell line and thus compared. The UV-Visible Absorbance for the SE-Au Nps was obtained at 543 nm. The centrifugal particle size analysis of the Au Nps embedded in SE fruit extract showed the size of the nanoparticles to be widely varying with higher fraction of particles between the size ranges of 15 to 20 nm. The morphology of the Au Nps embedded in SE fruit extract was observed using SEM. The presence of Au Nps in SE fruit extract was confirmed using FTIR. The results of the MTT assay on MCF7 breast cancer cell line proved that the % cell viability was less for SE-Au Nps than that of the SE fruit extract alone. Thus, the antiproliferative activity of the SE fruit extract was significantly enhanced by embedding it with Au Nps and it can be effectively used in therapeutic applications after further studies.

Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) can be an effective way of delivering infrastructure. However, achieving value for money can be difficult if government agencies are not equipped to manage them effectively. Experience from OECD countries shows that the availability of finance is not the main obstacle in delivering infrastructure. Governance—effective decision-making—is the most influential aspect on the quality of an investment, including PPP investments. In 2012, the OECD together with its member countries developed principles to ensure that PPPs deliver value for money transparently and prudently, supported by the right institutional capacities and processes to harness the upside of PPPs without jeopardizing fiscal sustainability. Survey results from OECD countries show that some dimensions of the recommended practices are well applied and past and ongoing reforms show progress. However, other principles have not been well implemented, reflecting the continuing need for improving public governance of PPPs across countries.