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In this study, polyacrylonitrile was modified to polyamidoxime to enhance foam stabilization and decontamination rate. Polyamidoxime was combined with graphene oxide, 1 wt% of saponins, and 1 wt% of alkyl glycosides to formulate the PAO/GO foam decontaminant. The outcomes demonstrated resulted in the half-life of the foam extending from 32 to 308 min. The PAO/GO foam decontaminant displayed α-ray decontamination rates of 93.30%, 98.34%, and 99.81% on stainless steel, tile, and glass surfaces. Hence, the dual functional PAO/GO in stabilizing foam while enhancing decontamination rates underscores its potential for radioactive decontamination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] An effective electrolyte additive, 3-(tert -Butyldimethylsilyoxy) phenylboronic acid (TBPB), is proposed to significantly improve the cycle stability of high voltage LiCoO 2 (LCO) cathode. Experimental and computational results show that TBPB has a relatively higher oxidation activity than base electrolyte, and preferentially constructs a stable cathode electrolyte interphase (CEI) containing B-/Si- components on LCO surface. Theoretical calculation, XPS and NMR data show that TBPB-derived CEI layer contains B-F species and has the function of eliminating HF. The as-formed CEI effectively inhibits the detrimental side reactions from electrolyte decomposition and LCO surface structure reconstruction. The capacity retention of LCO/Li half-cell increases from 38.92% (base electrolyte) to 83.70% after 150 cycles at 1 C between 3.0 V and 4.5 V by adding 1% TBPB. Moreover, TBPB is also reduced prior to base electrolyte, forming an ionic conducting solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) on graphite surface. Benefiting from the synergistic effect between CEI layer on LCO cathode and SEI layer on graphite anode to effectively decrease the electrolyte decomposition, the capacity retention of commercial LCO/graphite pouch cell with 1% TBPB increases from 10.44% to 76.13% after 400 cycles at 1 C between 3.0 V and 4.5 V. This work demonstrates that TBPB can act as an effective film-forming additive for high energy density LCO cathode at high voltage, and provides novel insights for its commercial application from the aspect of synergistically interfacial stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we consider the nonlinear Chern-Simons-Schrödinger equations − Δ u + u + ( h 2 (| x |) | x | 2 + ∫ | x | ∞ h (s) s u 2 (s) d s) u = f (| x | , u) , x ∈ R 2 , where h (s) = ∫ 0 s τ 2 u 2 (τ) d τ = 1 4 π ∫ B s u 2 (x) d x is the so-called Chern-Simons term, f : R 2 × R → R has critical exponential growth which behaves like e α u 2 . By combing the variational methods, Trudinger-Moser inequality and some new approaches to estimate precisely the minimax level of the energy functional, we prove the existence of a mountain-pass type solution for the above problem under some weak assumptions. Our results improve and extend the previous results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Data on the effect of food on the pharmacokinetics of senaparib (previously IMP4297), an oral poly (adenosine diphosphate-ribose) polymerase inhibitor, are limited. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of food on the pharmacokinetics of senaparib in healthy Chinese subjects. Methods: This is a phase I, open-label, randomized, single-dose, two-way crossover study. Healthy Chinese male subjects were randomized 1:1 to receive a single dose of senaparib 100 mg in two prandial states: fasted or after a high-fat meal; subjects were given a second dose after switching prandial states and a washout period of at least 7 days. Pharmacokinetics were assessed at pre-dose and up to 72 h post-dose. Safety was assessed throughout the study. Results: Sixteen subjects were randomized and included in the pharmacokinetic analysis; 15 completed the study. The presence of food slowed the rate of senaparib absorption (time to maximum concentration) by ~ 3 h and reduced the maximum concentration of senaparib by ~ 24%. Total exposure to senaparib was higher in the fed than fasted state; senaparib area under the plasma concentration–time curve from time zero to the last measurable concentration and area under the plasma concentration–time curve from time zero to infinity were increased by ~ 24 and ~28%, respectively. Safety profiles were similar in both prandial states. All treatment-emergent adverse events were grade 1 in severity; no serious adverse events or deaths were reported. Conclusions: Food slightly decreased the rate and increased the extent of senaparib absorption following oral administration. However, the effect of food on various exposure parameters was not considered clinically meaningful. Safety data were consistent with the known profile of senaparib and senaparib was well tolerated in the fed and fasted states in healthy subjects. These results indicated that senaparib could be administered orally with or without food. Clinical Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04057729. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cannabinoid CB 2 agonists show therapeutic efficacy without unwanted CB 1 -mediated side effects. The G protein-biased CB 2 receptor agonist LY2828360 attenuates the maintenance of chemotherapy-induced neuropathic nociception in male mice and blocks development of morphine tolerance in this model. However, the cell types involved in this phenomenon are unknown and whether this therapeutic profile is observed in female mice has never been investigated. We used conditional deletion of CB 2 receptors to determine the cell population(s) mediating the anti-allodynic and morphine-sparing effects of CB 2 agonists. Anti-allodynic effects of structurally distinct CB 2 agonists (LY2828360 and AM1710) were present in paclitaxel-treated CB 2 f/f mice and in mice lacking CB 2 receptors in CX3CR1 expressing microglia/macrophages (CX3CR1CRE/+; CB 2 f/f), but were absent in mice lacking CB 2 receptors in peripheral sensory neurons (AdvillinCRE/+; CB 2 f/f). The morphine-sparing effect of LY28282360 occurred in a sexually-dimorphic manner, being present in male, but not female, mice. LY2828360 treatment (3 mg/kg per day i.p. x 12 days) blocked the development of morphine tolerance in male CB 2 f/f and CX3CR1CRE/+; CB 2 f/f mice with established paclitaxel-induced neuropathy but was absent in male (or female) AdvillinCRE/+; CB 2 f/f mice. Co-administration of morphine with a low dose of LY2828360 (0.1 mg/kg per day i.p. x 6 days) reversed morphine tolerance in paclitaxel-treated male CB 2 f/f mice, but not AdvillinCRE/+; CB 2 f/f mice of either sex. LY2828360 (3 mg/kg per day i.p. x 8 days) delayed, but did not prevent, the development of paclitaxel-induced mechanical or cold allodynia in either CB 2 f/f or CX3CR1CRE/+; CB 2 f/f mice of either sex. Our findings have potential clinical implications. [Display omitted] • CB 2 receptor agonists LY2828360 and AM1710 reduce paclitaxel-induced allodynia. • History of chronic LY2828360 can prevent the development of morphine tolerance. • LY2828360 can reverse existing morphine tolerance. • Effect of LY2828360 on morphine tolerance is sex dependent, only effective in males. • Peripheral sensory neuron CB 2 receptors are required for efficacy of LY2828360. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: CB2 cannabinoid receptors (CB2) are a promising therapeutic target that lacks unwanted side effects of CB1 activation. However, the cell types expressing CB2 that mediate these effects remain poorly understood. We used transgenic mice with CB2 promoter-driven expression of enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) to study cell types that express CB2 and suppress neuropathic nociception in a mouse model of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy. Structurally distinct CB2 agonists (AM1710 and LY2828360) suppressed paclitaxel-induced mechanical and cold allodynia in CB2EGFP reporter mice with established neuropathy. Antiallodynic effects of AM1710 were blocked by SR144528, a CB2 antagonist with limited CNS penetration. Intraplantar AM1710 administration suppressed paclitaxel-induced neuropathic nociception in CB2EGFP but not CB2 knockout mice, consistent with a local site of antiallodynic action. mRNA expression levels of the anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-10 were elevated in the lumbar spinal cord after intraplantar AM1710 injection along with the proinflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor alpha and chemokine monocyte chemoattractant protein-1. CB2EGFP, but not wildtype mice, exhibited anti-GFP immunoreactivity in the spleen. However, the anti-GFP signal was below the threshold for detection in the spinal cord and brain of either vehicle-treated or paclitaxel-treated CB2EGFP mice. EGFP fluorescence was coexpressed with CB2 immunolabeling in stratified patterns among epidermal keratinocytes. EGFP fluorescence was also expressed in dendritic cells in the dermis, Langerhans cells in the epidermis, and Merkel cells. Quantification of the EGFP signal revealed that Langerhans cells were dynamically increased in the epidermis after paclitaxel treatment. Our studies implicate CB2 expressed in previously unrecognized populations of skin cells as a potential target for suppressing chemotherapy-induced neuropathic nociception. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploiting China's high-speed rail (HSR) as a quasi-natural experiment, we examine the relationship between the HSR connection and green innovation. The opening of HSR can promote green innovation by facilitating the flow of innovation factors. Using the multiperiod difference-in-differences (DID) model, we find that the regional green innovation performance significantly becomes better following the opening of HSR in the local city. Moreover, in examining the specific mechanisms at work, we find evidence that HSR stimulates green patents through increased labor mobility and research capital mobility. Further analyses show that the facilitating effect of HSR is heterogeneous among cities. Our paper sheds new light on the effects of HSR on social welfare in the case of sustainable economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider the following two coupled nonlinear Schrödinger system: −Δu+u=f1(x,u)+λ(x)v,x∈ℝ2,−Δv+v=f2(x,v)+λ(x)u,x∈ℝ2,where the coupling parameter satisfies 0 < λ(x) ≤ λ0 < 1 and the reactions f1, f2 have critical exponential growth in the sense of Trudinger–Moser inequality. Using non‐Nehari manifold method together with the Lions's concentration compactness and the Trudinger‐Moser inequality, we show that the above system has a Nehari‐type ground state solution and a nontrivial solution. Our results improve and extend the previous results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diagnostic tests are frequently reliant upon the interpretation of images by skilled raters. In many clinical settings, however, the variability observed between experts' ratings plays a detrimental role in the degree of confidence in these interpretations, leading to uncertainty in the diagnostic process. For example, in breast cancer testing, radiologists interpret mammographic images, while breast biopsy results are examined by pathologists. Each of these procedures involves elements of subjectivity. We propose here a flexible two‐stage Bayesian latent variable model to investigate how the skills of individual raters impact the diagnostic accuracy of image‐related testing in large‐scale medical testing studies. A strength of the proposed model is that the true disease status of a patient within a reasonable time frame may or may not be known. In these studies, many raters each contribute classifications on a large sample of patients using a defined ordinal grading scale, leading to a complex correlation structure between ratings. Our modeling approach considers the different sources of variability contributed by experts and patients while accounting for correlations present between ratings and patients, in contrast to currently available methods. We propose a novel measure of a rater's ability (magnifier) that, in contrast to conventional measures of sensitivity and specificity, is robust to the underlying prevalence of disease in the population, providing an alternative measure of diagnostic accuracy across patient populations. Extensive simulation studies demonstrate lower bias in estimation of parameters and measures of accuracy, and illustrate outperformance of the proposed model when compared with existing models. Receiver operator characteristic curves are derived to assess the diagnostic accuracy of individual experts and their overall performance. Our proposed modeling approach is applied to a large breast imaging study for known disease status and a uterine cancer dataset for unknown disease status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cardiac remodeling is one of the major risk factors for heart failure. In patients with type 2 diabetes, sodium–glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors reduce the risk of the first hospitalization for heart failure, possibly through glucose-independent mechanisms in part, but the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. This study aimed to shed light on the efficacy of dapagliflozin in reducing cardiac remodeling and potential mechanisms. Methods: Sprague–Dawley (SD) rats, induced by chronic infusion of Angiotensin II (Ang II) at a dose of 520 ng/kg per minute for 4 weeks with ALZET® mini-osmotic pumps, were treated with either SGLT2 inhibitor dapagliflozin (DAPA) or vehicle alone. Echocardiography was performed to determine cardiac structure and function. Cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) were treated with Ang II (1 μM) with or without the indicated concentration (0.5, 1, 10 μM) of DAPA. The protein levels of collagen and TGF-β1/Smad signaling were measured along with body weight, and blood biochemical indexes. Results: DAPA pretreatment resulted in the amelioration of left ventricular dysfunction in Ang II-infused SD rats without affecting blood glucose and blood pressure. Myocardial hypertrophy, fibrosis and increased collagen synthesis caused by Ang II infusion were significantly inhibited by DAPA pretreatment. In vitro, DAPA inhibit the Ang II-induced collagen production of CFs. Immunoblot with heart tissue homogenates from chronic Ang II-infused rats revealed that DAPA inhibited the activation of TGF-β1/Smads signaling. Conclusion: DAPA ameliorates Ang II-induced cardiac remodeling by regulating the TGF-β1/Smad signaling in a non-glucose-lowering dependent manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• EFM had reversible respiration, the reversible respiration was related to the pore volume and surface free energy of the EFM. • Among these factors of the competition mechanisms, the reversible respiration process played a more important role than surface free energy of the EFM, Re of the confined space and pore volume of EFM on self-organization morphology. • The rough surface morphology preferred to form on the EFM which had high surface free energy than low surface free energy. Self-organization between fiber and colloid in a liquid phase induction process is an effective method to modify the electrospinning fiber membrane (EFM). However, how to obtain the desired morphology of smooth surface or rough surface by liquid phase induction process is a challenge. In this study, the self-organization morphology between EFM and colloid solution by liquid phase induction process was investigated. The capillary action of the EFM caused the solvent/non-solvent solution to form microfluidics on the EFM during the liquid phase induction process and caused the colloid to be uniformly dispersed. The capillary action of the EFM created a confined space that only limited the flow of the solution and colloid, but not the volatilization of the solution during the liquid phase induction process. The EFM had a reversible respiration process, the surface free energy and pore volume of EFM were related to the reversible respiration, and the respiration process of EFM was related to the self-organization process during the liquid phase induction. The energy consumption mechanism of self-organization morphology between colloid with EFM in the confined space during the liquid phase induction process was related to the effects of colloid particle size, the reversible respiration process of EFM, and the surface free energy of EFM. Among the mechanism of factors to form a roughness surface, the reversible respiration process plays a more important role than the surface free energy of EFM, pore volume of the EFM and Re of the liquid. Furthermore, the rough surface morphology preferred to form on the EFM which had high surface free energy than low surface free energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is focused on the following Schrödinger–Poisson system − Δ u + V (x) u + ϕ u = f (u) , x ∈ R 3 , − Δ ϕ = u 2 , x ∈ R 3 , where V (x) is weakly differentiable and tends asymptotically to a constant and f ∈ C (R , R). By introducing some new tricks, we prove that the above system admits a ground state solution under some mild assumptions on V and f. Our results generalize and improve the existing ones in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is concerned with the following Klein‐Gordon‐Maxwell system: −Δu+V(x)u−(2ω+ϕ)ϕu=f(u),x∈ℝ2,Δϕ=(ω+ϕ)u2,x∈ℝ2,where ω > 0 is a constant, u,ϕ:ℝ2→ℝ, V∈C(ℝ2,ℝ) and f∈C(ℝ,ℝ) obeys exponential critical growth in the sense of the Trudinger‐Moser inequality. We give some new sufficient conditions on f, specifically related to exponential growth, to obtain the existence of nontrivial solutions. Furthermore, we prove a nonexistence result with a Pohozaev‐type argument which also provides important information to get the above existence results. In particular, some new analytical approaches and estimates are used to overcome the difficulty arising from the critical growth of Trudinger‐Moser type. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We simulate the polarization manipulation of bright-dark vector bisolitons at 1-μm wavelength regime. Through changing the pulse parameters, different kinds of pulse shapes and optical spectra are generated in output orthogonal polarization directions. When the input vector bisoliton is polarization-locked with 1064 nm central wavelength, "1+1" fundamental dark-dark and "2+1" pseudo-high-order bright-dark group-velocity-locked vector solitons can be achieved through changing the projection angle. When the input vector bisoliton is group-velocity-locked with 1063 nm and 1065 nm central wavelengths, "2+1" and "2+2" pseudo-high-order bright-dark group-velocity-locked vector solitons, bright-dark group-velocity-locked vector solitons with chirp-like temporal oscillations are generated. Our simulation results can provide beneficial conduct for polarization manipulation of vector multi-solitons, and have promising applications in quantum information register, optical communications, nanophotonics, and all-optical switching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, hydrothermal carbon doped with phosphorus using phytic acid (PA) and Sodium tripolyphosphate as functional monomers was successfully synthesized by the hydrothermal route combined with microwave-assisted hydrothermal carbon as matrix material. The uranium(VI) adsorption capacity by phytic acid functionalized microwave-assisted hydrothermal carbon (MHC-PA) was up to 382.2 mg/g at pH of 6.0 and the temperature of 298.15 K. The adsorption mechanism of uranium(VI) onto the MHC-PA was mainly the chelation of P=O, P–OH functional group and uranium(VI), which improves the selective adsorption performance of MHC-PA for uranium(VI). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a novel molecular-solution printing approach combined with a rapid thermal annealing process for the facile fabrication of Cu 2 ZnSnS 4 (CZTS) thin film is reported. The intrinsic relationship between annealing parameters (temperature and time) and the properties of the fabricated samples was investigated systematically. Furthermore, the mechanism behind this CZTS formation approach was studied in detail. The results show that the best properties were obtained for the sample annealed at 600 °C for 45 min, which displayed a pure kesterite CZTS phase, acceptable morphology consisting of 1.0–1.5 μm size nanoparticles, a satisfactory Cu-poor and Zn-rich composition, and an ideal bandgap of ~1.42 eV. Thus, the prepared sample is a promising candidate for the fabrication of high-performance photovoltaic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low-abundance proteins (LAPs) play a very important role in interaction, regulation, and metabolism of plant biological processes. A combinatorial peptide ligand library (CPLL) can solve the problem of high-abundance proteins (HAPs) masking LAPs and enlarging the dynamic range of protein concentrations perfectly and be considered as one of the most advanced approaches for plant proteomics research. In this paper, a proper CPLL method to rice leaf proteins was established for the first time and 1056 proteins were identified in rice leaf extracts, and 624 (59.1%) LAPs were newly detected after CPLL. Based on this technology, we detected the response of rice to Cd stress and analyzed the differential LAPs and the biological significance of misexpressed proteins before and after Cd stress by bioinformatics analysis. An important contribution has also been made to a better understanding of the complex mechanisms by which rice adapts to Cd stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• AR patients had a Th17/Treg imbalance and activated autophagy. • Baicalin could improve the symptoms of AR mice induced by OVA. • Baicalin may regulate Th17/Treg cell differentiation through inhibiting autophagy. Baicalin has many biological properties such as anti-oxidation and anti-allergy. The current study aimed to explore the effect of Baicalin on allergic rhinitis (AR) and its potential mechanism of action. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated by density gradient centrifugation. Expression levels of Th17 and Treg cells-related proteins in nasal mucosa and peripheral blood cells were detected by real-time quantitative PCR, flow cytometry and Western blot. The mice were randomly divided into Control, ovalbumin (OVA), l -Baicalin, H-Baicalin, DSGC, 3-MA, and H-Baicalin + Rapa groups. Changes of allergic rhinitis conditions and eosinophil infiltration of the mice were detected and scored by Diff-Quik staining, and histological changes were observed by Hematoxylin & Eosin (H&E) staining and Periodate Schiff (PAS) staining. Serological changes, expression levels of interleukin-17A (IL-17A), interleukin-10 (IL-10), eosinophilic cationic protein (ECP) and anti-OVA-specific antibodies were detected by Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Clinical case analysis found that AR patients had a Th17/Treg imbalance and activated autophagy, however, Baicalin restored Th17/Treg cell balance and inhibited autophagy in vitro. in vivo experiments demonstrated that Baicalin inhibited OVA-induced allergic nasal symptoms and the activation of autophagy pathway, which was the same as the regulation of 3-MA, while Rapa could weaken the effects of H-baicalin. Moreover, Baicalin reduced the infiltration of different inflammatory cells of the nasal lavage fluid, prevented the damages to epithelial cells, and improved nasal mucosal thickness and mucus secretion. In addition, Baicalin regulated the balance of mouse anti-OVA-specific antibody levels and expressions of Th17/Treg-associated cytokines. Our study revealed that Baicalin can be used to treat AR, and the effect is realized through inhibiting autophagy to regulate Th17/Treg cell differentiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Models designed to detect abnormalities that reflect disease from facial structures are an emerging area of research for automated facial analysis, which has important potential value in smart healthcare applications. However, most of the proposed models directly analyze the whole face image containing the background information, and rarely consider the effects of the background and different face regions on the analysis results. Therefore, in view of these effects, we propose an end-to-end attention network with spatial transformation to estimate different pain intensities. In the proposed method, the face image is first provided as input to a spatial transformation network for solving the problem of background interference; then, the attention mechanism is used to adaptively adjust the weights of different face regions of the transformed face image; finally, a convolutional neural network (CNN) containing a Softmax function is utilized to classify the pain levels. The extensive experiments and analysis are conducted on the benchmarking and publicly available database, namely the UNBC-McMaster shoulder pain. More specifically, in order to verify the superiority of our proposed method, the comparisons with the basic CNNs and the-state-of-the-arts are performed, respectively. The experiments show that the introduced spatial transformation and attention mechanism in our method can significantly improve the estimation performances and outperform the-state-of-the-arts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the analysis of the high-speed rail industry chain, first, this paper divides the high-speed rail industry chain into infrastructure construction market and manufacturing market of mobile equipment and, second, this paper uses the empirical method of new experience industry organization to measure the market power premium of the high-speed rail upstream market. The study shows that the market power premium of the high-speed rail upstream market is 0.551, and the scale elasticity is 0.314, indicating that there is no systematic market power in the high-speed rail upstream market and there is significant scale diseconomy. The vertical market structure where "private enterprises dominate the upstream competition market and state-owned enterprises dominate the downstream oligopoly market" is further established. Based on the perspective of enterprises' entry in upstream markets, the social welfare of the high-speed rail industry market structure is analyzed. It is found in the study that the upstream market of the high-speed rail industry has a tendency of insufficient enterprise entry, and the total social welfare increases with the increase in the number of upstream enterprises entry. What is more, the profit of enterprises in the upstream market of high-speed rail decreases with the increase in the number of enterprises in the upstream. This paper believes that policies such as stimulating upstream high-speed rail enterprises entry, providing subsidies to upstream enterprises, reducing upstream enterprises' entry barriers, and expanding international markets can effectively improve the overall social welfare of the high-speed railway industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: FAM83D has been proposed to act as an oncoprotein in several types of human cancer. Its role and mode of action in human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) metastasis and its impact on chemotherapy are as yet, however, poorly understood. Methods: FAM83D expression was measured in NSCLC cells and normal lung epithelial cells, as well as in primary NSCLC tissues and corresponding adjacent non-cancerous tissues, using qRT-PCR, Western blotting and immunohistochemistry. FAM83D was stably overexpressed in BEAS2B cells or silenced in A549 and H1299 cells using retroviral or lentiviral vectors. The growth capacity of NSCLC cells was evaluated using MTT and colony formation assays. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) was assessed using Western blotting and immunofluorescence. NSCLC cell invasive capacities were assessed using scratch wound healing and Boyden chamber assays. NSCLC cell viability in response to cisplatin treatment was assessed using MTT assays in vitro and a xenograft model in vivo. Results: We found that FAM83D expression levels were significantly elevated in NSCLC cells and tissues, and positively correlated with tumor progression and a poor prognosis. Exogenous FAM83D overexpression promoted, while FAM83D silencing inhibited NSCLC cell proliferation, EMT and invasion. FAM83D silencing also reduced cisplatin resistance. Concordantly, we found that NSCLC patients with a low FAM83D expression benefited most from chemotherapy. Mechanistically, we found that FAM83D activated the protein kinase B (AKT)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway. Pharmacological treatment with either AKT or mTOR inhibitors reverted FAM83D-induced tumorigenic phenotypes. Conclusions: Our results suggest a role of FAM83D in NSCLC development. In addition, our results indicate that NSCLC patients exhibiting FAM83D overexpression are likely to benefit from AKT and/or mTOR inhibitor treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The diagnostic accuracy of a test or rater has a crucial impact on clinical decision making. The assessment of diagnostic accuracy for multiple tests or raters also merits much attention. A Bayesian hierarchical conditional independence latent class model for estimating sensitivities and specificities for a large group of tests or raters is proposed, which is applicable to both with-gold-standard and without-gold-standard situations. Through the hierarchical structure, not only are the sensitivities and specificities of individual tests estimated, but also the diagnostic performance of the whole group of tests. For a small group of tests or raters, the proposed model is further extended by introducing pairwise covariances between tests to improve the fitting and to allow for more modeling flexibility. Correlation residual analysis is applied to detect any significant covariance between multiple tests. Just Another Gibbs Sampler (JAGS) implementation is efficiently adopted for both models. Three real data sets from literature are analyzed to explicitly illustrate the proposed methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biosorbents have been a promising adsorbent to remove uranium while their poor mechanical properties prevent them from being widely used in practice. In this study, carboxymethyl konjac glucomannan (CMKGM) was incorporated to gellan gum to form a double-network gel micro spheres (CMKGM/GG-Al) for uranium removal with its mechanical strength fairly being reinforced. The compressive strength of the CMKGM/GG-Al microspheres was about 6 times than that of GG-Ca microspheres we prepared before while the adsorption capacity still be at a better value with the fitting maximum adsorption capacity being of 97.94 mg/g. Its uranium adsorption properties were investigated by considering the influence of pH, the adsorbent dosage, temperature, initial uranium concentration, time and coexisting ions. The adsorption mechanism was also investigated according to the SEM, EDX, FT-IR and XPS data analysis. The isotherm equilibrium data which were best fitted with Langmuir model and the kinetics data which were best fitted with pseudo-second-order model. It was inferred that the adsorption process was mainly the ion-exchange and the coordination with hydroxyl groups on the adsorbent surface and the adsorption process was endothermic and spontaneous. The CMKGM/GG-Al microspheres prepared in this study would be more conducive to practical application for uranium removal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Significant concerns had been given raise to the pollution of tetracycline in aquatic environment in recent years. In this study, a novel phenolic hydroxyl (bayberry tannin) functionalized copper alginate microspheres adsorbent for the adsorption of tetracycline from contaminated water environment had been synthesized by a facile gelation and solidification process. The structure and chemical properties were characterized by the various analytical methods. The as-prepared adsorbent displayed the excellent adsorption performance with the maximum adsorption capacity of 153.89 mg·g−1, and the equilibrium data were well fitted the Langmuir isotherm model and pseudo-second-order kinetic model. In addition, the thermodynamic values (Δ H 0 > 0, Δ S 0 > 0, Δ G 0 < 0) demonstrated that the tetracycline adsorption process was feasible, endothermic and spontaneous in nature. The possible preparation and adsorption mechanisms of as-prepared adsorbent were the result of hydrogen bond, cation bonding bridge, n-π EDA interaction, hydrophobic interaction and π-π EDA interaction. Compared with other adsorbents, the as-prepared adsorbent could be considered a high performance and promising candidate for the effective removal of tetracycline from aquatic environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the effect of synthesis temperature and time on the morphology and structure of the carbon microspheres was investigated. The comparation between traditional hydrothermal and microwave-assisted hydrothermal method for preparing carbon materials was carried out. Finally, the adsorption performance of the material for uranium (VI) was tested. The results showed that microwave method has better heating rate than conventional hydrothermal method, the carbon material prepared by microwave-assisted hydrothermal method at low temperature and short time has excellent adsorption performance, and the maximum adsorption amount can reach 170.07 mg/g for uranium (VI). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Government support plays a crucial role in enhancing regional innovation capabilities and creating distinctive innovation clusters. Using the innovation competitiveness indicators of the 31 provinces in China, this paper examines the provincial government collaboration and innovation competitiveness values through Super‐SBM data envelopment analysis and analytic hierarchy process. Then, the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm is employed to relate government collaboration to innovation competition and cooperation among provinces in hope of exploring the developmental trends of innovation cluster optimization. Research findings show that only 25.8% of the provincial government support proves effective for regional innovation, and the competitiveness values of the provinces are generally low and need to be improved. By incorporating the role of government support into the innovation competition and cooperation among provinces, there has been a tendency of innovation activities clustering in innovative regions and three major clusters have formed. The trend of clustering will continue to evolve outwards so that the overall innovation level of China would be enhanced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is dedicated to studying the semilinear Schrödinger equation - ▵ u + V (x) u = f (x , u) , x ∈ R N , u ∈ H 1 (R N) , where V ∈ C (R N , R) is sign-changing and either periodic or coercive and f ∈ C (R N × R , R) is subcritical and local super-linear (i.e. allowed to be super-linear at some x ∈ R N and asymptotically linear at other x ∈ R N ). Instead of the common condition that lim | t | → ∞ ∫ 0 t f (x , s) d s t 2 = ∞ uniformly in x ∈ R N , we use a local super-quadratic condition lim | t | → ∞ ∫ 0 t f (x , s) d s t 2 = ∞ a.e. x ∈ G for some domain G ⊂ R N to show the existence of nontrivial solutions for the above problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Widespread concern had been given raise to the pollution of antibiotics including tetracyclines in water environment in recent years. A novel Cu-immobilized alginate adsorbent had been synthesized successfully through a facile fabrication way called sol-gel method, and its adsorption performance had been investigated for the tetracycline removal at various conditions, including the pH, temperature, the dosage of adsorbent, concentration and contact time. The adsorbent was characterized with SEM, EDX, FT-IR and XPS analyses to confirm its properties before and after adsorption. The equilibrium data was fitted well with the Freundlich isotherm model and the maximum adsorption capacity for tetracycline was 53.26 mg·g−1 at pH 3, 318.15 K, and 90 mg·L−1 tetracycline solution. The pseudo-second-order kinetic and Freundlich isotherm models combining with the correlative analysis implied that the tetracycline adsorption onto the Cu-immobilized alginate adsorbent was administrated by the n-π electron-donor-acceptor interaction (n-π EDA interaction), hydrogen bond and the cation bonding bridge. Moreover, thermodynamic study demonstrated that the nature of tetracycline adsorption was endothermic, feasible and spontaneous. Compared with the other adsorbents, the as-prepared adsorbent had an excellent tetracycline adsorption capacity, and was expected to be widely applied in the adsorption treatment of tetracycline wastewater. Highlights • A novel Cu-immobilized alginate adsorbent was successfully prepared for effective tetracycline removal. • Facile, environmental-friendly preparation method of Cu-immobilized alginate adsorbent. • The possible adsorption mechanisms of tetracycline were explained by FT-IR, XPS analyses and kinetic and isotherm studies. • The Cu-immobilized alginate adsorbent exhibits high adsorption capacity for tetracycline. • The Cu-immobilized alginate adsorbent was of great significance for the treatment of tetracycline-contaminated wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stereoscopic porous microspheres based gellan gum (GG-Ca) were successfully prepared by sol-gel method using ethyl acetate as porogen and glutaraldehyde as crosslinker. The obtained GG-Ca microspheres were mainly of mesoporous with the average pore diameter was about 4 nm. It displayed a higher ability for uranium removal. In addition, the uranium adsorption process was endothermic and spontaneous following a pseudo-second-order and the adsorption isotherm was the best fit with the Freundlich model with maximum uranium capacity of 202.26 mg g−1. The UO2+ adsorption mechanism is ion-exchange with Ca2+ based on SEM, EDX and XPS data analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a chronic and progressive liver disease with an increased risk of morbidity and mortality. However, so far no specific pharmacotherapy has been approved. Gynostemma pentaphylla (Thunb.) Makino (GP) is a traditional Chinese medicine that is widely used against hyperlipemia as well as hyperglycemia. This study aims to evaluate the effect of GP on NAFLD and explore the possible mechanism. Methods: High-fat-diet induced NAFLD mice model were orally administrated with GP at dose of 11.7 g/kg or equivalent volume of distilled water once a day for 16 weeks. Body weight, food intake and energy expenditure were assessed to evaluate the general condition of mice. The triglycerides, total cholesterol content in the liver and liver histopathology, serum lipid profile and serum insulin level, fecal microbiome, hepatic microRNAs and relative target genes were analyzed. Results: Mice in GP treatment group displayed improved hepatic triglycerides content with lower lipid droplet in hepatocyte and NAFLD activity score. Besides, GP treatment altered the composition of gut microbiota and the relative abundance of some of the key components that are implicated in metabolic disorders, especially phylum Firmicutes (Eubacterium, Blautia, Clostridium and Lactobacillus). Several hepatic microRNAs were downregulated by GP treatment such as miR-130a, miR-34a, miR-29a, miR-199a, among which the expression miR-34a was altered by more than four-fold compared to that of HFD group (3:14). The correlation analysis showed that miR-34a was strongly related to the change of gut microbiota especially phylum Firmicutes (R = 0.796). Additionally, the target genes of miR-34a (HNF4α, PPARα and PPARα) were restored by GP both in mRNA and protein levels. Conclusion: Our results suggested that GP modulated the gut microbiota and suppressed hepatic miR-34a, which was associated with the amelioration of hepatic steatosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Phosphorus removal was an important measure in the control of eutrophication of water environment. In this study, a novel phosphorus removal adsorbent of lanthanum-loaded carboxymethyl konjac glucomannan microspheres (CMKGM-La) was successfully prepared by the method of electrostatic spraying and sol-gel, and was characterized by SEM, XPS and EDX. Batch experiments were performed to evaluate the adsorption capacity at different conditions: pH, temperature, initial concentration, adsorbent dosage and contact time. The results showed that the adsorption kinetics data correlated well with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and the adsorption isotherm was well described by the Langmuir isotherm model with the maximum capacity of 16.06 mg·g−1 for CMKGM-La microspheres at pH of 4 and 318.15 K. The adsorption of phosphorus was a spontaneous, entropy-increasing and endothermic process. The possible adsorption mechanism of phosphorus on the CMKGM-La microspheres consisted of the coordination reaction of La (III) with phosphorus and electrostatic attraction between protonated hydroxyl and phosphorus. The presence of co-existing ions (such as NH 4 +, Cl−, SO 4 2−, SiO 3 2− and CO 3 2−) had no significant effect on phosphorus removal. These results suggested that the adsorbent of CMKGM-La microspheres was a promising adsorbent for the removal of phosphorus from slaughterhouse wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many disease diagnoses involve subjective judgments by qualified raters. For example, through the inspection of a mammogram, MRI, or ultrasound image, the clinician himself becomes part of the measuring instrument. To reduce diagnostic errors and improve the quality of diagnoses, it is necessary to assess raters' diagnostic skills and to improve their skills over time. This paper focuses on a subjective binary classification process, proposing a hierarchical model linking data on rater opinions with patient true disease-development outcomes. The model allows for the quantification of the effects of rater diagnostic skills (bias and magnifier) and patient latent disease severity on the rating results. A Bayesian Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithm is developed to estimate these parameters. Linking to patient true disease outcomes, the rater-specific sensitivity and specificity can be estimated using MCMC samples. Cost theory is used to identify poor- and strong-performing raters and to guide adjustment of rater bias and diagnostic magnifier to improve the rating performance. Furthermore, diagnostic magnifier is shown as a key parameter to present a rater's diagnostic ability because a rater with a larger diagnostic magnifier has a uniformly better receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve when varying the value of diagnostic bias. A simulation study is conducted to evaluate the proposed methods, and the methods are illustrated with a mammography example. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An innovative approach using thermal sensitizer NiFeMnO 4 under microwave (MW)-H 2 O 2 condition was proposed to remove organic pollutant of model wastewater. The removal efficiency of 30.0 mg/L methyl orange for NiFeMnO 4 under MW-H 2 O 2 condition in 6.0 min reached up to 96.5%, which is larger than that for activated carbon under same MW-Fenton condition. X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) method, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) confirmed that the NiFeMnO 4 power with an average size of less than 40 nm and specific surface areas (19.87 m 2 /g) had a spinel-type cubic structure, in which Ni 2+ , Mn 3+ , Mn 4+ , Fe 3+ and Fe 2+ occupied the octahedral sites of NiFeMnO 4 lattice. The studies of low-temperature thermal degradation, microwave induced oxidation, microwave combining with H 2 O 2 catalytic behavior and effect of active species for NiFeMnO 4 indicated that the feasibility to MW-NiFeMnO 4 -H 2 O 2 route had been successfully verified and joint reaction with acceleration effect of the direct decomposition by MW “hot spots”, the MW “hot spots” accelerated electron–hole excitation and Fe 2+ -H 2 O 2 reaction was responsible for the degradation of methyl orange in NiFeMnO 4 -MW-H 2 O 2 system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Core–shell nanoscale zero-valent iron@alginate/carboxymethyl cellulose sodium composite loaded with calcium (nZVI@SA/CMC-Ca) beads were synthesized in this study using coaxial electronic injection method. The adsorbent structure was characterized via FT-IR, SEM, EDX and XPS. The adsorption behavior of U(VI) and Cu(II) on core–shell nZVI@SA/CMC-Ca beads was studied under various experimental parameters like pH, contact time and temperature. The isotherm and the kinetic data, pertaining to the adsorption of U(VI) and Cu(II) by core–shell nZVI@SA/CMC-Ca beads obeyed both the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms model and the pseudo-second-order kinetics model, respectively. The thermodynamic parameters revealed the spontaneous and endothermic nature of the adsorption. The experiment of regeneration and reusability suggested core–shell nZVI@SA/CMC-Ca bead was a regenerated material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the core-shell nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI)@Alg-Ca beads were synthesized by coaxial electronic injection method for removal of U (VI) from aqueous solution, and characterized by SEM, EDX and XPS. The results showed that the pseudo-second-order models and the Langmuir isotherm model fitted well with the data obtained. The removal mechanism may include both physical adsorption of U (VI) on the surface or inside of core-shell nZVI@Alg-Ca beads and subsequent reduction of U (VI) to U (IV). Therefore, the core-shell nZVI@Alg-Ca beads would have an application prospect in effective removal of U (VI) contamination from aqueous solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The chemically oxidized porous carbon (m-a-NC) materials were prepared by oxidation and activation of N-doped carbon (NC) materials which were produced from the glucose-urea resin primary carbon. Simultaneously, the batch experiments were carried out to investigate the adsorption of U(VI) onto the m-a-NC materials. The m-a-NC materials exhibit the maximum adsorption capacity of 397 mg/g towards U(VI) at 298.15 K and pH = 4.5. The adsorption kinetics was well fitted by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model, and the adsorption isotherm was better described by the Langmuir model. The possible adsorption mechanism of the m-a-NC for U(VI) was ion-exchange and coordination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is an urgent requirement of developing new technology with low energy consumption to separate oil-water emulsion, especially when the emulsion is stabilized using surfactants. Electrospun fiber membranes (EFM) may be favorable for oil/water emulsion separation due to its high permeability resulting from its high porosity. However, high porosity in EFM restricts the separation of water droplets under 200 nm from emulsion. Here, we prepared a heterogeneous EFM through self-assembly of Ethyl cellulose (EC) colloid and Polyfluortetraethylene (PTFE) nanoparticles and subsequent self-organization on polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) EFM to attain the separation of small particle size water droplets from oil/water emulsion. The preparation mechanism, oil/water emulsion separation effect and mechanism were disclosed by the morphology, water absorption, particle size distribution, TG, BET, Karl Fischer testing and surface tension characterization. The results showed that the prepared heterogeneous structure EFM could remove full particle size water droplets especially the water droplets below 200 nm from oil/water emulsion during membrane separation process. Hydroxyl groups, hydrophobic PTFE nanoparticles and hydrophobic PMMA formed the heterogeneous structure which exerted different directions force on water droplets. The size separation and water absorption were the main action in oil/water emulsion separation. [Display omitted] • A heterogeneous PMMA-EC-PTFE EFM was prepared by self-assembly and self-organization. • Self-assembly between EC colloid and PTFE nanoparticles is reversible. • Self-assembly result in the exposure of the hydroxyl group on EC colloid. • The exposed hydroxyl groups on heterogeneous EFM cause the water adsorption under oil. • The separation mechanism was synergistic effect of size separation and water adsorption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The most important factor that distinguishes a youthful appearance from an aged one is the shape of the lower face. This study aimed to examine the outcome of volume reduction of the lower face using laser-assisted liposuction (SmartLipo) at the time of rhytidectomy in Asians. There were 20 patients (Group 1) for whom only extended deep-plane rhytidectomy were performed, while extended deep-plane rhytidectomy with laser-assisted liposuction was performed on 42 patients (Group 2). This study was performed retrospectively. The FACE-Q questionnaire was given to evaluate the subjective result of the patient. Efficacy was evaluated by measuring the fat quantity at the midpoint and anterior border of the masseter muscle on each side by using an ultrasound scan in Group 2. Then, the correlation between the change in the quantity of fat and the FACE-Q was investigated. The overall satisfaction, and satisfaction for the lower face, jawline, and the area under the chin were significantly higher for Group 2 for which the procedure was concurrently performed in comparison to Group 1. In Group 2, change in the fat was reduced by 21.2% (Rt.) and 22.5% (Lt.) at the mid-point and 24.5% (Rt.) and 26.4% (Lt.) at the anterior border of the masseter muscle. Changes in the fat quantity and lower face satisfaction displayed a significant correlation. With a greater reduction in fat quantity, the score of lower face satisfaction was higher. In addition, with a higher level of satisfaction for the lower face and jawline, the overall satisfaction score displayed a higher positive correlation. Laser-assisted liposuction was useful for the additive procedure at the time of rhytidectomy and improved patient's satisfaction after surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid development of the Internet had a profound influence on the spatial distribution of economic output activities. On the basis of theoretical analysis, this study takes China's regions as research samples and construct a spatial econometric model to empirically analyze the impact of Internet development on regional productivity. The analysis reveals that the distribution of regional productivity in China had significant spatial correlation; regional productivity had positive spatial externalities; Internet development had significant promotion effects and positive spatial spillover effects to regional productivity, but the effects are heterogeneous in different subregions. The subregion analysis shows that the optimization effect of the Internet on regional productivity exhibits heterogeneity in different subregions. The threshold effect analysis reveals the increasing marginal effect of Internet development on regional productivity, and economic development and human capital supply are important factors restricting this marginal effect. Altogether, this study provides useful references on the positive effects of the Internet on regional productivity in the spatial dimension, and suggests that the policy makers can optimize the spatial distribution of regional productivity by promoting Internet access in various regions and narrowing the digital divide among regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The microsphere of carboxymethyl konjac glucomannan immobilizing La and Al (CMKGM-La-Al) has been explored for sorption of U(VI). The maximum U(VI) sorption capacity of the microsphere is found to be 45.4 mg g at pH 5. Experimental data are fitted well with the linear Langmuir and linear pseudo-first-order kinetic model. The sorption process is endothermic, spontaneous and favorable. The possible mechanism of CMKGM modification and sorption of U(VI) on CMKGM-La-Al involves ion exchange and coordination reaction. The comparison between CMKGM-La-Al and other sorbents suggests that CMKGM-La-Al can be considered as an effective sorbent for U(VI) sorption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alginate-Ca/attapulgite clay core/shell particles were synthesized via electro-coextrusion. Affecting parameters on the removal of uranium, such as pH, initial uranium concentration, temperature and co-existing cations were investigated. The uranium adsorption process was endothermic, feasible and spontaneous. The maximum adsorption capacity of the adsorbent for uranium was 199.345 mg/g at pH 3 and at 328.15 K. The results showed that the pseudo-second-order model and the Langmuir isotherm model fitted well with the data obtained. Based on the adsorption-desorption study, the adsorbent shows excellent reusability. The mechanism of uranium adsorption on the adsorbent was a combination of ion-exchange and an electrostatic interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of Ni, Fe and Mn in different proportions on microstructure and pollutant-catalyzed properties of Ni-Fe-Mn-O negative temperature coefficient ceramic nanocompositions was studied. Structural and physical characterization of all the samples was carried out by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) method, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and thermogravimetric (TG). The results revealed that the interplanar spacing decreased with increasing Fe content, the grain size decreased with increasing Ni content, the substitution of Ni 2+ in the tetrahedral sites by Fe 2+ increased with increasing Fe content. And increase of iron could improve Ni-Fe-Mn-O high temperature stability. The low-temperature thermal removal efficiencies of 30 mg/L methyl orange solution for NiFeMnO 4 , Ni 0.6 Fe 0.9 Mn 1.5 O 4, Ni 0.6 Fe 1.8 Mn 0.6 O 4 and Ni 0.3 Fe 2.1 Mn 0.6 O 4 systems were 83.8%, 75.2%, 78.5% and 60.3% at 2400 min, respectively. And the microwave combining with H 2 O 2 removal efficiencies of 30 mg/L methyl orange solution for NiFeMnO 4 , Ni 0.6 Fe 0.9 Mn 1.5 O 4, Ni 0.6 Fe 1.8 Mn 0.6 O 4 and Ni 0.3 Fe 2.1 Mn 0.6 O 4 systems were 96.5%,93.8%, 98.7% and 98% at 6.0 min, respectively. These results indicated that the Ni-Fe-Mn-O ceramics with appropriate increase of iron were useful for industrial applications on degrading organic pollute. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The semi-global output regulation problem of multi-variable discrete-time singular linear systems with input saturation is investigated in this paper. A composite nonlinear feedback control law is constructed by using a low gain feedback technique for semi-global stabilisation of discrete-time singular linear systems with input saturation. The sufficient solvability conditions of the semi-global output regulation problem by composite nonlinear feedback control are established. When the composite nonlinear feedback control law is reduced to a linear control law, the solvability conditions are an exact discrete-time counterpart of the semi-global output regulation problem of continuous-time singular linear systems. With the extra control freedom of the nonlinear part in the composite nonlinear feedback control law, the transient performance of the closed-loop system can be improved by carefully choosing the linear feedback gain and the nonlinear feedback gain. The design procedure of the composite nonlinear feedback control law and the improvement of the transient performance are illustrated by a numerical example. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A flexible Bayesian semiparametric accelerated failure time (AFT) model is proposed for analyzing arbitrarily censored survival data with covariates subject to measurement error. Specifically, the baseline error distribution in the AFT model is nonparametrically modeled as a Dirichlet process mixture of normals. Classical measurement error models are imposed for covariates subject to measurement error. An efficient and easy-to-implement Gibbs sampler, based on the stick-breaking formulation of the Dirichlet process combined with the techniques of retrospective and slice sampling, is developed for the posterior calculation. An extensive simulation study is conducted to illustrate the advantages of our approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The carbon microsphere which possesses a large number of carboxyl groups on its surface was synthesized by hydrothermal treatment from aqueous glucose solutions at 130 °C and further calcination. The results showed that the maximum adsorption capacity (163 mg/g) of the carbon microspheres towards U(VI) was obtained, and the adsorption kinetic was well fitted by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Meanwhile, the adsorption isotherm was better described by the Langmuir model. The thermodynamic parameters indicated the adsorption process was an endothermic and spontaneous process. The possible adsorption mechanism of the carbon microspheres for U(VI) involves ion-exchange and coordination reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The magnetic core-shell Fe 3 O 4 @Alg-La particles were fabricated successfully by a simple method of electro-coextrusion, and employed as an adsorbent for separation of fluoride from aqueous solution. Main factors affecting the removal of fluoride, including pH, adsorbent dosage, initial concentration, temperature and contact time were investigated. The adsorption isotherm and adsorption kinetics were studied to understand the adsorption process in detail. The experimental data were fitted well by the non-linear Freundlich isotherm and linear pseudo-second-order model, the maximum fluoride adsorption capacity was 45.230 mg/g at pH 4, 298.15 K. Thermodynamic parameters indicated that the fluoride adsorption process was feasible and spontaneous. The presence of other anions like Cl − , SO 4 2− , HCO 3 − and PO 4 3− had almost no effect on the fluoride adsorption. The adsorbent can be easily separated from the solution by a magnet. The magnetic core-shell Fe 3 O 4 @Alg-La particles before and after fluoride adsorption were studied by SEM, FTIR, EDX and XPS, which indicated that the adsorption mechanism may be related to electrostatic attraction and Lewis acid-base interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cadmium (Cd) pollution is a serious widespread environmental problem that not only destroys the microbial ecology of soil and decreases crop production, but also poses a serious risk to human health. Many methods have been used for the remediation of Cd pollution but none of these is totally satisfactory. Microbial remediation strategies have attracted increasing interest since they are environmentally friendly and cost-effective. In the present study, three Cd-resistant bacteria were isolated and evaluated for potential application in Cd bioremediation. Based on their morphological, physiological and biochemical characteristics, together with 16S rDNA gene sequence analyses, bacteria were identified as Stenotrophomonas acidaminiphila (2#), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (9#) and Delftia tsuruhatensis (12#). Pseudomonas aeruginosa showed very high tolerance to metals, especially Cd (2200 mg/L), Zn (1800 mg/L) and Pb (1200 mg/L), and is thought to be a multi-metal-resistant bacterium. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was also sensitive to 13 different antibiotics. The effects of the bacterial strains on the growth of rice plants and their ability to reduce Cd accumulation from Cd-contaminated soils in pot experiments were also evaluated. For Oryza sativa L. A grown in contaminated soil (3 mg/kg Cd), the accumulation of Cd was decreased by 31.2 and 25.5% in brown rice and polished rice, respectively, by strain 9#; Pseudomonas aeruginosa was more effective in reducing Cd accumulation in rice grains than a mixture of strains. For Oryza sativa L. B, a mixture of strains acting synergistically was more effective than a single strain in reducing Cd accumulation; treatment with mixed strains (strains + 3 mg/kg Cd) resulted in 41.3, 35.9, and 32.6% reductions in Cd accumulation in unhulled rice, brown rice and polished rice, respectively. Although different results were obtained for two rice varieties, it can still be concluded that Cd-resistant bacteria are suitable for reducing Cd accumulation in rice grains and show potential for bioremediation of Cd-contaminated soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The carboxymethyl cellulose microsphere loaded with Al(III) (CMC-Al) has been explored for removal of uranium(VI) from U-containing water. Various factors, including pH, adsorbent dosage and uranium(VI) concentration, were tested. Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms were applied to the adsorption data. The thermodynamic parameters such as Δ H°, Δ S° and Δ G° were also evaluated. The mechanism of modification and adsorption on CMC-Al were analyzed by SEM, EDX and XPS. Results show Al (III) was loaded on CMC through ion exchange of sodium ion of CMC. The coordination reaction happened during the adsorption process between CMC-Al and uranium(VI). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]