Search

Tiered geosynthetic-reinforced soil (GRS) retaining walls are becoming increasingly popular in earthquake-prone areas due to their excellent earthquake resistance. Typically, near-field strong ground motion is characterized by a significant vertical component and/or a long-period velocity pulse. However, this is seldom considered in the current design of tiered GRS walls. In this study, two centrifuge shaking table tests were conducted to investigate the earthquake performance of tiered GRS walls under bidirectional and pulse-like excitations. The results revealed that under bidirectional excitation, the wall model underwent significant deformation. The confining pressures in the soil increased due to vertical motion, resulting in notable changes in the shear modulus of the backfill. Due to large differential settlement and vertical excitation, the earth pressures were significantly impacted. In the second case, pulse-like motions induced considerable shear strains in the backfill, leading to significant alterations of the shear modulus and dynamic damping of the structure. The facing exhibited distinct deformation modes, with some sliding at the toe. The peak wall displacement and reinforcement strain were both notably higher than the residual values. However, in both cases, the connections between the reinforcements and the facing endured relatively large strains, and need to be considered in seismic design. • Seismic behavior of tiered GRS walls under near-field ground motions were tested. • The effect of vertical seismic motions on tiered walls is discussed. • Specific seismic response of tiered walls under pulse-like excitations is examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stringent emission controls during the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit (APEC; November 5–11, 2014) provide a valuable opportunity to examine the impact of such measures on the chemical properties of PM 2.5 and other air pollutants. Here, we measured the water-soluble inorganic ions (WSII) and carbonaceous species in PM 2.5 , NH 3 and NO 2 at multiple sites in Beijing between September and November 2014. Relative to the pre-APEC period (September and October 2014), significant reductions in the average concentrations of WSII (69% for NO 3 −, 68% for SO 4 2−, 78% for NH 4 +, and 29–71% for other species), elemental carbon (EC, 43%) and organic carbon (OC, 45%) in PM 2.5 were found during the APEC period. The contributions of secondary inorganic ions (SIA, including SO 4 2−, NO 3 −, and NH 4 +) to PM 2.5 were significantly lower during the APEC period (9–44%), indicating a combination of lower gaseous precursor emissions and a relative weak secondary aerosol formation. Ion-balance calculations indicated that the PM 2.5 sample in the pre-APEC period was alkaline but was acidic during the APEC period. Relatively lower mean concentrations of EC (1.5 μg m−3), OC (10.5 μg m−3), secondary organic carbon (SOC, 3.3 μg m−3), secondary organic aerosol (SOA, 5.9 μg m−3) and primary organic aerosol (POA, 10.0 μg m−3) appeared during the APEC period. The average concentrations of NH 3 and NO 2 at all road sites were significantly reduced by 48 and 60% during the APEC period, which is consistent with clear reductions in satellite NH 3 columns over Beijing city in the same period. This finding suggests that reducing traffic emissions could be a feasible method to control urban NH 3 pollution. During the APEC period, concentrations of PM 2. 5 , PM 10 , NO 2 , SO 2 and CO from the Beijing city monitoring network showed significant reductions at urban (20–60%) and rural (18–57%) sites, whereas O 3 concentrations increased significantly (by 93% and 53%, respectively). The control measures taken in the APEC period substantially decreased PM 2.5 pollution but can increase ground O 3 , which also merits attention. • Concentrations of PM 2.5 and components reduced significantly during the APEC period. • Major components in PM 2.5 and other pollutants were comparable with other cities. • Vehicle restrictions could lower atmospheric NH 3 concentration over Beijing. • Emission control measures significantly increased ground-level O 3 concentrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aiming at the phenomenon of plasma acoustic wave during laser shock processing, the online monitoring method of laser shock processing based on plasma acoustic wave signal energy is proposed. The TC4 titanium alloy samples, after the vibration stress relief treatment, were treated by a Nd:YAG laser system with a wavelength of 1064nm, a pulse width of 12–18 ns, and a single pulse energy of 0–7 J. The plasma acoustic wave in air is sampled, stored, digitally filtered, and analyzed by the laser shock processing online monitoring system during laser shock processing. Then the system gets the plasma acoustic wave signal energy. The surface residual stress of material after the treatment of laser shock processing were measured by a Photo-LXRD X-ray diffraction device. The experimental results show that the residual compressive stress is generated on the surface of material after laser shock processing. Both the surface residual stress of the material and the plasma acoustic wave signal energy are increased as the laser pulse energy increases from 3J to 7J, and their growth trend is consistent. Finally, the empirical formula between the surface residual compressive stress of the material and the plasma acoustic wave signal energy is obtained by polynomial fitting, which will provides a theoretical basis for the development of laser shock processing online monitoring technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We applied the adapted model VSD + to assess cropland acidification in four typical Chinese cropping systems (single Maize (M), Wheat-Maize (W-M), Wheat-Rice (W-R) and Rice-Rice (R-R)) on dominant soils in view of its potential threat to grain production. By considering the current situation and possible improvements in field (nutrient) management, five scenarios were designed: i) Business as usual (BAU); ii) No nitrogen (N) fertilizer increase after 2020 (N2020); iii) 100% crop residues return to cropland (100%RR); iv) manure N was applied to replace 30% of chemical N fertilizer (30%MR) and v) Integrated N2020 and 30%MR with 100%RR after 2020 (INMR). Results illustrated that in the investigated calcareous soils, the calcium carbonate buffering system can keep pH at a high level for > 150 years. In non-calcareous soils, a moderate to strong decline in both base saturation and pH is predicted for the coming decades in the BAU scenario. We predicted that approximately 13% of the considered croplands may suffer from Al toxicity in 2050 following the BAU scenario. The N2020, 100%RR and 30%MR scenarios reduce the acidification rates by 16%, 47% and 99%, respectively, compared to BAU. INMR is the most effective strategy on reducing acidification and leads to no Al toxicity in croplands in 2050. Both improved manure and field management are required to manage acidification in wheat-maize cropping system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reactive nitrogen (Nr) plays a key role in the atmospheric environment and its deposition has induced large negative impacts on ecosystem health and services. Five-year continuous in-situ monitoring of N deposition, including wet (total nitrogen ( W TN), total dissolved nitrogen ( W TDN), dissolved organic nitrogen ( W DON), ammonium nitrogen ( W AN) and nitrate nitrogen ( W NN)) and dry ( D NH 3 , D HNO 3 , D pNH 4 + , D pNO 3 − and D NO 2 ) deposition, had been conducted since August 2008 to December 2013 (wet) and May 2011 to December 2013 (dry) in Yan-ting, China, a typical agricultural area in the central Sichuan Basin. Mean annual total N deposition from 2011 to 2013 was 30.8 kg N ha −1 yr −1 , and speculated that of 2009 and 2010 was averaged 28.2 kg N ha −1 yr −1 , respectively. Wet and dry N deposition accounted for 76.3% and 23.7% of annual N deposition, respectively. Reduced N ( W AN, D NH 3 and D pNH 4 + ) was 1.7 times of oxidized N ( W NN, D HNO 3 , D NO 2 and D pNO 3 − ) which accounted for 50.9% and 30.3% of TN, respectively. Maximum loadings of all N forms of wet deposition, gaseous NH 3 , HNO 3 and particulate NH 4 + in dry deposition occurred in summer and minimum loadings in winter. Whether monthly, seasonal or annual averaged, dissolved N accounted for more than 70% of the total. N deposition in the central Sichuan Basin increased during the sampling period, especially that of ammonium compounds, and has become a serious threat to local aquatic ecosystems, the surrounding forest and other natural or semi-natural ecosystems in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Cr 2 O 3 /MoN interface nanosheet electrocatalyst is facilely designed and synthesized. • The electronic structure of Mo atom is optimized by creating Cr 2 O 3 /MoN interface. • The constructed Cr 2 O 3 /MoN exhibits a promising HER activity alkaline environment. Hydrogen production from water splitting in alkaline solution has been hampered by the cleavage of strong OH-H bond with high energy barrier. Herein, we develop the Cr 2 O 3 /MoN interface nanosheets for hydrogen evolution in basic media. The creation of the interface between Cr 2 O 3 and MoN crystal effectively tunes the electronic structure of Mo atom, making it easier to accelerate the dissociation of water molecule. Consequently, the Cr 2 O 3 /MoN interface electrocatalyst delivers the current density of 10 mA cm−2 at the overpotential of 30 mV and the Tafel slope is 61.3 mV dec-1 together with robust durability, providing an efficient avenue to improve electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution activity in basic solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new concept is introduced to fabricate flexible, on-chip supercapacitors by electrophoretically depositing highly dispersed reduced graphene oxide/polypyrrole on interdigital-like electrodes. By the unique method, the deposited films could construct on the substrate facilely and uniformly. The prepared all-solid-state device demonstrates high volumetric capacitance (about 147.9 F cm −3 ), high energy density (13.15 mWh cm −3 at a power density of 1300 mW cm −3 ) and excellent cycling stability (approximately 71.7% of the initial capacitance retained after 5000 cycles). Compared with other supercapacitor, the device demonstrated here is lightweight, flexible and inexpensive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two 3-D organic–inorganic hybrid mixed-valent polyoxovanadates [Ni(en) 2 ][V IV 4 V V 2 O 14 ] ( 1 ) and [Cu(en) 2 ][V IV 2 V V 3 O 12.5 ] ( 2 ) (en = ethylenediamine) have been hydrothermally synthesized and characterized by elemental analyses, IR spectra, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The common feature of 1 and 2 is that both exhibit the 3-D organic–inorganic hybrid framework. It should be pointed out that the 3-D hybrid architecture of 1 is constructed from planar 2-D vanadium(IV/V)–oxygen layers through [Ni(en) 2 ] 2+ bridges, whereas the 3D hybrid framework of 2 is built by wavy 2-D vanadium(IV/V)–oxygen layers via [Cu(en) 2 ] 2+ connectors. The magnetic properties of 1 have been investigated and 1 behaves as the dominant antiferromagnetic interactions within V IV centers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the role of Brønsted acid for furfural production in biomass pyrolysis on supported sulfates catalysts was investigated. The introduction of Brønsted acid was shown to improve the degradation of polysaccharides to intermediates for furfural, which did not work well when only Lewis acids were used in the process. Experimental results showed that CuSO 4 /HZSM-5 catalyst exhibited the best performance for furfural (28% yield), which was much higher than individual HZSM-5 (5%) and CuSO 4 (6%). The optimum reaction conditions called for the mass ratio of CuSO 4 /HZSM-5 to be 0.4 and the catalyst/biomass mass ratio to be 0.5. The recycled catalyst exhibited low productivity (9%). Analysis of the catalysts by Py-IR revealed that the CuSO 4 /HZSM-5 owned a stronger Brønsted acid intensity than HZSM-5 or the recycled CuSO 4 /HZSM-5. Therefore, the existence of Brønsted acid is necessary to achieve a more productive degradation of biomass for furfural. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Three-dimensional Ni-MoN nanorod array electrocatalyst is facilely designed and synthesized. • The nitridation process ensures the uniform distribution of active Ni sites across the robust MoN nanorods. • The constructed Ni-MoN nanorod array exhibits a promising electrocatalytic activity towards methanol oxidation reaction. The development of direct methanol fuel cells requires low-cost, non-noble-metal electrocatalysts. However, it has not been widely used because of its limited activity, poor durability, and slow kinetics. Herein, the 3D nanostructured arrays of Ni-MoN composite nanorods were facilely prepared on the nickel foam (Ni-MoN NR/NF), which involves the direct hydrothermal synthesis of NiMoO 4 on NF and further nitridation treatment in the atmosphere of ammonia. The nitridation ensures the uniform distribution of active Ni sites across the robust MoN nanorods. Owing to the collaborative effect of Ni and the specific 3D MoN nanorod structure, the Ni-MoN NR/NF exhibits a promising electrocatalytic activity towards methanol oxidation reaction (MOR), which shows excellent activity (374 mA cm−2@0.8 V vs. Hg/HgO), fast kinetics (40 mV dec−1 for the Tafel slope) and good stability. This work has shed light on the design of high-performance non-noble-metal electrocatalysts for MOR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this current work, the electrochemical co-deposition of nickel sulfide/electrochemically reduced graphene oxide(ERGO) nanocomposites is presented. During the electrochemical process, the graphene oxide nanosheets loose their hydrophilicity and precipitate onto the electrode. In the meantime, nickel sulfide is also electrochemically deposited on the electrode. The porous structure with ERGO covered by nickel sulfide, which facilitates the charge and ion transport in the electrode, has been observed by a scanning electron microscope. The cycle voltammetry curves as well as the galvanostatic charge/discharge curves of the nickel sulfide/ERGO nanocomposites exhibit distinct pseudocapacitive characteristic. The nanocomposites maintain 66.8% of the initial specific capacitance for the first 500 cycles, and only 4.6% loss of the specific capacitance is experienced for the further 1500 cycles, evidently showing a relatively high cycling stability. The results suggest that the nickel sulfide/ERGO is a promising electrode material for supercapacitors. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: An electrical nonlinearity pre-compensation (ENPC) combined nonlinearity with chromatic dispersion method is introduced for coherent optical orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (CO-OFDM) system. Comparing with existed only nonlinearity pre-compensation (NL Pre-comp) method, ENPC method is not only suitable for low-dispersion fiber system, but also effective for high dispersion fiber transmission system without optical dispersion compensation. For 40Gbit/s 20×80km standard single mode fiber (SSMF) system, ENPC method can improve the nonlinear threshold (NLT) (for Q >10dB) about 2.7, 1.2, and 1.0dB, and the maximum Q factor about 1.2, 0.4, and 0.3dB for 2, 8, and 16ps/nm/km fiber systems, respectively. The method allow the CO-OFDM system can avoid using optical dispersion compensation even for high dispersion fiber system with higher input power, and the 2-step ENPC solution does not increase more computation complexity compared with NL pre-comp method. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: BER estimation method by Eb/No for CO-OFDM systems with QPSK mapping is studied in this paper. The relationships of BER vs. OSNR and Q factor vs. OSNR are firstly represented in detail. The comparisons between BER estimation by Eb/No and Monte-Carlo (MC) method with OSNR, chromatic dispersion (CD), laser linewidth and fiber nonlinearity impairments are also researched in this paper. Through simulation in 40Gb/s CO-OFDM systems with those impairments, BER based on Eb/No can estimate accurately 10−16 levels justly using 105 bits, while MC required at least 1018 bits in comparison. Eb/No is creditable and offers an alternative to the time-consuming MC method. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Many Chinese croplands are suffering from soil acidification, defined as a decrease in soil acid neutralizing capacity (ANC), due to over-application of nitrogen (N) fertilizer and removal of base cations (BCs) in crop harvest. The contribution of fertilization and harvesting on soil acidification rates for different cropping systems is, however, seldom quantified under field conditions. Here, field experiments were conducted on a moderately acid silty clay soil in southwest China to quantify proton (H+) production rates under three fertilization management regimes, including control (non-N), optimized fertilization and farmers' practices (i.e. over fertilization), by measuring the inputs and outputs of major element in three cropping systems, i.e. rice-fallow, rice-wheat and maize-wheat. The maize-wheat cropping system had the highest proton production rates (2.3–10.2 kmol c H+ ha−1 yr−1), followed by rice-fallow (3.2–4.6 kmol c H+ ha−1 yr−1) and rice-wheat (2.2–4.5 kmol c H+ ha−1 yr−1) systems. Crop removal, dominated by straw removal, was the main driver of proton production in all three cropping systems, contributing over 50% of the total H+ production. Compared to the control, N fertilizer application enhanced soil acidification rates among three cropping systems, but had no significant effects on H+ production per kg grain in the rice-fallow and rice-wheat systems. The same was true for the maize-wheat system in case of optimized fertilization, but over fertilization increased both soil acidification rate and H+ production per kg grain, while grain yield was comparable to that with optimized fertilization. The change in soil ANC was dominated by accumulation of SO 4 2− (leading to potential soil acidification) that was mainly added to the soil with superphosphate containing high concentrations of both Ca2+ and SO 4 2− sometimes even causing an increase in the base cation pool, despite BC crop removal. The low contribution of N transformation processes to the total H+ production (3–47%) was due to high denitrification in this specific soil. The soil pH and base saturation did not change significantly among the three fertilization management regimes, largely due to the large BCs pools in the soil. Although the common farmers' practice does not strongly increase proton production in rice-fallow and rice-wheat systems, it still implies a waste of N fertilizer as the excess N input is either enhancing straw production or lost to air in this silty clay soil. Hence, optimized fertilization and localized BCs-rich straw return are suggested to reduce costs of N fertilizer without yield losses and mitigate soil acidification in those systems. [Display omitted] • Soil acidification rates were quantified in three cropping systems in China. • Maize-wheat rotations had higher acidification rates than rice-wheat and rice-fallow. • Optimized N fertilization reduced soil acidification rates without yield loss. • Base cation removal by crop harvesting was the main driver of soil acidification. • Low contribution of N cycle to soil acidification was due to high denitrification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Midlink optical phase conjugation (M-OPC) based on four wave mixing (FWM) in semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) can be used to compensate for the fiber nonlinearity effect in CO-OFDM systems. Simulation of 40Gb/s CO-OFDM systems without optical dispersion compensation is presented. For a single-channel system, even greater benefits are obtained and the nonlinear limits are significantly decreased: the maximum Q can be increased by 3dB for all transmission distances greater than 2400km, the nonlinear threshold (NLT) (for Q >10dB) is increased by >4dB. Due to cross phase modulation (XPM) from neighbouring WDM channels, the maximum Q and NLT are increased by about 1.1dB and 1dB for 50-GHz-spacing WDM systems separately. These results show that M-OPC can mitigate the fiber nonlinearity impairment for both single-channel and WDM systems. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Sweet sorghum is a high-yielding energy crop that leaves a large amount of lignocellulosic residues after the sugar fraction fermented to ethanol. Here, we developed a biphasic kinetic model for the dilute sulfuric acid-catalyzed hemicellulose hydrolysis of sweet sorghum bagasse at temperatures of 110–150°C, and we then calculated the kinetic parameters for xylose production and furfural decomposition. The results indicated that elevated reaction temperatures promote the hydrolysis of hemicellulose and the degradation of xylose. The xylose yield increased in proportion to reaction time in the initial stages and then declined due to the degradation of xylose to furfural. The pre-exponential factors for the ‘easy-to-hydrolyze’ fraction, the ‘hard-to-hydrolyze’ fraction of hemicellulose and xylose degradation were 3.53×106, 1.80×105 and 0.62min−1, respectively, and the activation energies were 60.7, 58.1 and 14.5kJ/mol, respectively. The ideal hydrolysis condition for xylose production was 140°C for 50min, under which the xylose yield reached 60% of hemicellulose weight. This xylose can be used to form bioethanol and produce further downstream products. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Lignocellulose and other carbohydrates are being studied extensively as potential renewable carbon sources for liquid biofuels and other valuable chemicals. In the present study, a simple, sensitive, selective, and reliable HPLC method using a photodiode array (PDA) detector and an evaporative light scattering detector (ELSD) was developed for the simultaneous determination of important sugars (d(+)-cellobiose, glucose, xylose, and arabinose), furfural and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) in lignocellulose hydrolysate. The analysis was carried out on an Aminex HPX-87H column (250mm×4.6mm, 5μm particle size). Ultra-pure water with 0.00035M H2SO4 was used as the mobile phase with a flow rate of 0.6mL/min. The temperature of the ELSD drift tube was kept at 50°C, the carrier gas pressure was 350kPa, and the gain was set at 7. Furfural and 5-HMF were quantified on a PDA detector at 275nm and 284nm, respectively. The sugar concentrations were determined by ELSD. This method was validated for accuracy and precision. The regression equation revealed a good linear relationship (r 2 =0.9986±0.0012) within the test ranges. The method showed good reproducibility for the quantification of six analytes in corncob hydrolysate, with intra- and inter-day variations less than 1.12%. This method is also convenient because it allows the rapid analysis of the primary products of biomass hydrolysis and carbohydrate degradation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a dentifrice with 5000ppm fluoride in preventing dental erosion by orange juice in situ in comparison to a control dentifrice with 1450ppm fluoride. Methods: This was a double-blind and randomized clinical study with a cross-over design. Sixteen subjects wore an intra-oral appliance containing two enamel disks with an exposed surface of approximately 2mm×5mm. Enamel disks in the study group were treated with a dentifrice with 5000ppm fluoride and in the control group with 1450ppm fluoride. The subjects rinsed with slurries of study dentifrices for one minute before immersing the enamel disks in 250ml orange Juice four times in an 8-h period daily. The treatment procedure was repeated for three 5-day phases for each dentifrice. Enamel erosion was measured after each 5-day treatment phase using a focus-variation 3D scanning microscopy. Medians and inter-quartile ranges (IQR) of mean erosion depth were compared between the groups. Results: The mean erosion depths of enamel varied greatly amongst the subjects. Enamel treated with 5000ppm fluoride had less erosion (median 5.7μm, IQR 4.5μm) as compared to the control (median 12.6μm, IQR 12.3μm) after 15 days of fluoride treatment and erosive challenge cycles (p <0.05). Conclusions: Enamel treated with 5000ppm fluoride had significantly improved resistance to erosion by orange juice. Periodic application of 5000ppm fluoride may be beneficial in individuals at risk of acidic erosion associated with soft drink consumptions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Atmospheric ammonia (NH3) and particulate ammonium (NH4 +) were measured using passive samplers and particulate samplers at four rural and two suburban sites in the North China Plain (NCP) from August 2006 to September 2009. The annual mean concentrations of NH3 and NH4 + in PM10 across the sites were 15.6 and 12.4 μg m−3, respectively. Higher concentrations of NH3 and NH4 + were found at the rural sites compared with the suburban sites. NH3 concentrations were highest in summer and lowest in winter, showing positive correlations with N fertilizer application rates and temperature in each season. Particulate NH4 + showed significant positive correlations with particulate SO4 2− and NO3 − at the six sites. The annual mean concentrations of secondary inorganic particles (sum of NH4 +, SO4 2− and NO3 −) accounted for 26.1–41.3% of the PM10 concentration across all sites. The formation of inorganic NH4 + particles was limited mainly by the availability of H2SO4 and HNO3 and partly by NH3. The total NHx deposition in the NCP averaged 43.5 kg N ha−1 yr−1, accounting for 84.1% of the mean NH3 emission intensity. The serious particulate NH4 + pollution and high NHx deposition suggest the urgency of reducing NH3 emission from agricultural sources in the NCP. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objective: To study the effectiveness of a dentifrice containing polymethyl vinyl ether-maleic acid (PVM/MA) copolymer in a silica base in occluding dentin tubules for treatment of dentin sensitivity.Methods: Thirty-two human dentin discs were divided into two groups and brushed in the morning for 30s each to study the dentifrices with and without PVM/MA copolymer. Dentin tubule occlusion and dentin permeability were evaluated with a focus variation three dimensional vertical scanning microscope (IFM) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). After second brushing for 30s in the afternoon the dentin discs were immersed in saliva for 16 h and then subjected to erosion using orange juice for 10 min. The effects of saliva and orange juice on tubule occlusion used in the study of dentifrices were further evaluated with IFM.Results: On average 97.7% of the dentin tubules were occluded after brushing in the PVM/MA group, as compared to 13.3% in the control group (p<0.0001). EIS showed that the impedance of the dentin disc increased after treatment with PVM/MA but not in the control group (p<0.05). After 16 h of storage in saliva and 10 min of erosion by orange juice, 86% of the dentin tubules remained occluded in the PVM/MA treated dentifrice. The sizes of the tubule openings were increased after orange juice erosion in the control group but not in the PVM/MA group.Conclusion: Dentifrice containing PVM/MA copolymer in a silica base effectively occluded dentin tubules. The intra-tubular plugs were resistant to saliva and orange juice challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this paper, optical phase conjugation (OPC) located in the transmitter based on four wave mixing (FWM) in a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) is first simulated in 40Gb/s CO-OFDM systems, and the fiber nonlinearity impairment of the transmission link is precompensated before OPC by transmission through a fiber with large nonlinearity coefficient. Simulation results show that the nonlinear threshold (NLT) can be increased by about >3dB and maximum Q factor can be increased by about 2dB for the single-channel system. For 50-GHz-Spacing WDM systems, the maximum Q and NLT are increased by about 1dB, even in the presence of cross phase modulation (XPM) from neighbouring WDM channels. It is found that this OPC subsystem located in the transmitter, not necessary to be inserted into the middle of link, can mitigate the fiber nonlinearity impairment for both single-channel and WDM systems. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The syntheses of two water-soluble octahedral polyammonium nanocapsules 5e and 5f are described. Nanocapsule 5e was prepared via the TFA-catalyzed condensation reaction of six MOM-protected 4-hydroxybutyl-footed tetraformyl cavitands 3c with 12 ethylene diamines, followed by reduction and acidic hydrolysis of the intermediate octahedral polyimino nanocapsule. Nanocapsule 5f was prepared from 5e via the oxidation of the 4-hydroxybutyl feet to 3-carboxypropyl feet. Both nanocapsules are soluble in water below pH 5. 5f is also water-soluble above pH 7. In acidic aqueous solution, nanocapsule 5e encapsulates small negatively charged, partially hydrophobic guests, such as p-toluenesulfonic acid, N-BOC-aspartic acid, or 4-methylumbelliferyl phosphate. The single site microscopic binding constants for the latter guests are 150±30, 510±50, 1550±150M−1, respectively and were determined from 1H NMR titrations and DOSY experiments by assuming a 6:1 binding model with six identical, independent binding sites per nanocapsule (statistical binding). 5e doesn''t bind small neutral hydrophobic molecules in aqueous solution. However, both nanocapsules bind to nucleotides, such as ATP, dAMP, dGMP or TTP. NMR experiments support that nucleotides are not encapsulated, but bind to the outside of the nanocapsules. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The frequent closed itemsets determine exactly the complete set of frequent itemsets and are usually much smaller than the later. However, mining frequent closed itemsets from a landmark window over data streams is a challenging problem. To solve the problem, this paper presents a novel algorithm (called FP-CDS) that can capture all frequent closed itemsets and a new storage structure (called FP-CDS tree) that can be dynamically adjusted to reflect the evolution of itemsets’ frequencies over time. A landmark window is divided into several basic windows and these basic windows are used as updating units. Potential frequent closed itemsets in each basic window are mined and stored in FP-CDS tree based on some proposed strategies. Extensive experiments are conducted to validate the proposed method. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Superoxide generated during the early imbibition is an excellent marker for evaluating seed vigor. In this paper, a new principle biosensor for non-invasive detection of seed vigor based on quantitative measurement of superoxide via selective probe 2-methyl-6-(p-methoxyphenyl)-3,7-dihydroimidazo [1,2α] pyrazin-3-one (MCLA)-mediated chemiluminescence (CL) was developed. The biosensor, which used a compact single-photon counting module (SPCM) to collect the CL signal, could evaluate seed vigor in vivo. Benefiting from the high CL efficiency of MCLA reacting with superoxide and high sensitivity of the SPCM technique, the trace superoxide generated by dry seeds under storage state can be detected to achieve rapid and non-invasive determination of the seed vigor. In comparison with the traditional methods for fast measuring seed vigor based on measurement of physiological and biochemical properties, our proposed technique has significant advantages such as low cost, simplicity, convenient operation and short time consuming. To demonstrate the utility of the system, it was applied to evaluate MCLA-mediated CL of three different plant species wheat (Ze Yu No. 2), maize (Tai Gu No. 1 and 2) and rice (Jing Dao No. 21) seeds with different degrees of aging. The experimental results suggested that there was an excellent positive correlation between the seed vigor assessment from quantitative TTC-test and the detection based on MCLA-mediated CL of superoxide measurement. The new principle of seed vigor measurement is a challenge and breakthrough to conventional method of seed vigor determination and may be a potential technique of the next generation seed vigor detection. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Superoxide generated during the early imbibition is an excellent marker for evaluating seed vigor. In this paper, a new principle biosensor for non-invasive detection of seed vigor based on quantitative measurement of superoxide via selective probe 2-methyl-6-(p-methoxyphenyl)-3,7-dihydroimidazo [1,2α] pyrazin-3-one (MCLA)-mediated chemiluminescence (CL) was developed. The biosensor, which used a compact single-photon counting module (SPCM) to collect the CL signal, could evaluate seed vigor in vivo. Benefiting from the high CL efficiency of MCLA reacting with superoxide and high sensitivity of the SPCM technique, the trace superoxide generated by dry seeds under storage state can be detected to achieve rapid and non-invasive determination of the seed vigor. In comparison with the traditional methods for fast measuring seed vigor based on measurement of physiological and biochemical properties, our proposed technique has significant advantages such as low cost, simplicity, convenient operation and short time consuming. To demonstrate the utility of the system, it was applied to evaluate MCLA-mediated CL of three different plant species wheat (Ze Yu No. 2), maize (Tai Gu No. 1 and 2) and rice (Jing Dao No. 21) seeds with different degrees of aging. The experimental results suggested that there was an excellent positive correlation between the seed vigor assessment from quantitative TTC-test and the detection based on MCLA-mediated CL of superoxide measurement. The new principle of seed vigor measurement is a challenge and breakthrough to conventional method of seed vigor determination and may be a potential technique of the next generation seed vigor detection. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this study, physical and chemical characterizations of calcium methoxide were investigated to assess its performance as an excellent solid base catalyst using some instrumental methods, such as BET surface area measurement, scanning electron micrographs and particle size distribution. Then, it was used to catalyze transesterification of soybean oil to biodiesel with methanol. The effects of various factors such as mass ratio of catalyst to oil, reaction temperature and volume ratio of methanol to oil were studied to optimize the reaction conditions. The results showed that calcium methoxide has strong basicity and high catalytic activity as a heterogeneous solid base catalyst and it was obtained a 98% biodiesel yield within 2h in this reaction. Besides, the recycling experiment results showed it had a long catalyst lifetime and could maintain activity even after being reused for 20 cycles. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this study, transesterification of soybean oil to biodiesel using CaO as a solid base catalyst was studied. The reaction mechanism was proposed and the separate effects of the molar ratio of methanol to oil, reaction temperature, mass ratio of catalyst to oil and water content were investigated. The experimental results showed that a 12:1 molar ratio of methanol to oil, addition of 8% CaO catalyst, 65°C reaction temperature and 2.03% water content in methanol gave the best results, and the biodiesel yield exceeded 95% at 3h. The catalyst lifetime was longer than that of calcined K2CO3/γ-Al2O3 and KF/γ-Al2O3 catalysts. CaO maintained sustained activity even after being repeatedly used for 20 cycles and the biodiesel yield at 1.5h was not affected much in the repeated experiments. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A laboratory investigation was performed to compare the fluxes of dinitrogen (N2), N2O and carbon dioxide (CO2) from no-till (NT) and conventional till (CT) soils under the same water, mineral nitrogen and temperature status. Intact soil cores (0–10cm) were incubated for 2 weeks at 25°C at either 75% or 60% water-filled pore space (WFPS) with 15N-labeled fertilizers (100mgNkg−1 soil). Gas and soil samples were collected at 1–4 day intervals during the incubation period. The N2O and CO2 fluxes were measured by a gas chromatography (GC) system while total N2 and N2O losses and their 15N mole fractions in the soil mineral N pool were determined by a mass spectrometer. The daily accumulative fluxes of N2 and N2O were significantly affected by tillage, N source and soil moisture. We observed higher (P<0.05) fluxes of N2+N2O, N2O and CO2 from the NT soils than from the CT soils. Compared with the addition of nitrate (NO3 −), the addition of ammonium (NH4 +) enhanced the emissions of these N and C gases in the CT and NT soils, but the effect of NH4 + on the N2 and/or N2O fluxes was evident only at 60% WFPS, indicating that nitrification and subsequent denitrification contributed largely to the gaseous N losses and N2O emission under the lower moisture condition. Total and fertilizer-induced emissions of N2 and/or N2O were higher (P<0.05) at 75% WFPS than with 60% WFPS, while CO2 fluxes were not influenced by the two moisture levels. These laboratory results indicate that there is greater potential for N2O loss from NT soils than CT soils. Avoiding wet soil conditions (>60% WFPS) and applying a NO3 − form of N fertilizer would reduce potential N2O emissions from arable soils. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Nitrogen (N) input from atmospheric deposition is a concern in the North China Plain (NCP). To quantify the magnitude of the problem, the total airborne N deposition to agroecosystems in the NCP was quantified using a manual ITNI (integrated total nitrogen input) system and a long-term experiment (LTE). Total estimated N deposition averaged 83. 3kgNha−1 across the sites Dongbeiwang (DBW) of Beijing, Wuqiao (WQ) and Quzhou (QZ) of Hebei, with atmospheric N input 14kgNha−1 in the period from flowering to maturity, when maize (Zea mays) was the monitoring crop. The 15N-supply level in the ITNI system seemed not to affect the estimation of N deposition significantly. However, the N deposition value was only 48. 6kgNha−1 on average when ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) was cultivated during the same period of maize (May–September), suggesting that total airborne N input varies with the monitoring crop, largely because of the different surface areas. The total annual N deposition obtained from zero-N plots of LTE at Changping (82. 8kgNha−1) supported the N deposition results from the maize-based ITNI systems. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this study, transesterification of soybean oil to biodiesel using SrO as a solid base catalyst was studied. The reaction mechanism was proposed and the separate effects of reaction temperature, molar ratio of methanol to oil, mass ratio of catalyst to oil and repeated experiments were investigated. The results showed that the yield of biodiesel produced with SrO as a catalyst was in excess of 95% at temperatures below 70°C within 30min. SrO had a long catalyst lifetime and could maintain sustained activity even after being repeatedly used for 10 cycles. The results proved that transesterification of soybean oil to biodiesel using SrO as a catalyst is a commercially viable way to decrease the costs of biodiesel production. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: There is increasing interest in nitrogen (N) deposition because of its importance as a nutrient resource and a component of acid deposition within the overall global N cycle. Precipitation samples were collected for periods varying from 6 months to 6 years (1998–2004) from seven sites in the Beijing area to determine the amount and seasonal distribution of N (bulk/wet) deposition. Bulk deposition of N ranged from 26.6 to 38.5kgNha−1 year−1 and averaged 30.6kgNha−1 year−1. Bulk deposition of NH4–N was, on average, 2.1 times the NO3–N deposition, suggesting that reduced N is the major form of N deposition in the study area. Concentrations of NH4–N and NO3–N in rainfall averaged 4.8 and 2.2mgNL−1 and showed great temporal variation from month to month. A negative relationship between rainfall and NH4–N or NO3–N concentration in rainwater was observed by an exponential equation, indicating dilution of NH4–N and NO3–N with increasing precipitation. Bulk deposition of inorganic N occurred mainly from April to September (>80% of total bulk deposition), which was consistent with both the monthly distribution of precipitation and the times of fertilizer applications in local agricultural land. Wet-only deposition of inorganic N, however, was 8.3–8.4kgNha−1 lower than that of bulk deposition during similar periods in 2003 (June–November) and 2004 (April–November), suggesting the potential contribution of dry deposition to total N deposition in the Beijing area. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Chinese agriculture represents one of the most intensively managed agroecosystems in the world. Typical nitrogen fertilization rates are more than three times those of the world' s average, resulting in dramatically accelerated nitrogen cycling in China. In this study, we have examined NO and N2O exchange in the upland agricultural systems of Beijing area. Inorganic and organic fertilizer treatments were arranged in order to evaluate their impact on the magnitude and proportion of trace gas emissions. Increasing inorganic fertilization rates showed a highly significant impact upon emissions of both NO and N2O. Organic matter amendment did not have a statistically significant impact on the N-gas fluxes examined here. Overall losses of added nitrogen by NO and N2O emission averaged 1. 24% and 0. 22% respectively over the range of treatments in this study. Results from our field study indicate that compared with other studies done elsewhere, emissions of reactive nitrogen from agricultural systems in Beijing area are not so large as expected before. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the obvious sources of errors in digital terrain analysis (DTA) algorithms is that introduced by raster data structure employed by a digital elevation model (DEM). Because of its regular sample space and orientation, the DTA results often show significant octant ‘bias’, presenting obvious visual and numerical error patterns. Moreover, other DEM data properties may also introduce errors in slope and aspect computation, such as data precision and spatial resolution (i.e. grid interval). This paper reports an investigation on the accuracy of algorithms that derive slope and aspect measures from grid DEM. A quantitative methodology has been developed for objective and data-independent assessment of errors generated from the algorithms that extract surface morphological parameters such as slope and aspect from grid DEM.The generic approach is to use artificial surfaces that can be described by a mathematical model, thus the ‘true’ output value can be pre-determined to avoid uncertainty caused by uncontrollable data errors. Two mathematical surfaces were generated based on ellipsoid (representing convex slopes) and Gauss synthetic surface (representing complex slopes), and the theoretical ‘true’ value of the slope and aspect at any given point on the surfaces could be computed using mathematical inference. Based on these models, tests were made on the results from a number of algorithms for slope and aspect computation. Analysis has been undertaken to find out the spatial and statistical patterns of error distribution so that the influence of data precision, grid resolution, grid orientation and surface complexity can be quantified. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Nitrogen dynamics and budgets in a clay loam soil (Meadow Aqualf) in the North China Plain were investigated in a winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and maize (Zea mays L.) cropping system comparing the effects of four N rates (0, 120, 240 and 360 kg N ha−1 as urea) applied twice to each crop over 2 years. Ammonium nitrogen (NH4-N) in the soil profile remained at a low and constant level (except in the surface 20 cm layer) following application of fertilizer N. In contrast, nitrate nitrogen (NO3-N) levels were significantly altered by the rate of applied N. A strong tendency of NO3-N to move from the surface layer to the lower layers (20–100 cm) was observed during the wheat and maize growth seasons in treatments of 240 and 360 kg N ha−1 per crop (N240 and N360). The amounts of NO3-N accumulated in the soil profile were significantly higher in N240 and N360 than those in N0 and N120 (treatments receiving 0 and 120 kg N ha−1 per crop). After 2 years, soil NO3-N levels at 0–300 cm depth in N120, N240 and N360 amounted to 336, 815 and 1141 kg ha−1, respectively, with more than half of these amounts distributed in the 100–300 cm layer. The calculated total N balance indicates that most fertilizer N was available as NO3-N in the top 300 cm of the soil profile using traditional fertilization and irrigation practices. Over the subsequent 2 years, N losses were calculated to be relatively low in N120 but significantly higher in N240 and N360. Measured gaseous N losses showed that NH3 volatilization and denitrification comprised only a small fraction of total N losses during the 2-year rotation, while NO3-N leaching from the top 100 cm of the soil profile accounted for most N losses across all N rates and experimental years. The N budget showed that accumulation and/or leaching of NO3-N below 100 cm depth (beyond the reach of most roots) was the main pathway for N losses in the winter wheat–maize cropping system. The recommended N application rate of 120 kg N ha−1 minimized soil NO3-N accumulation and leaching losses while maintaining high yields and N utilization by winter wheat and maize. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• A method integrating the artificial neural network with genetic algorithm is proposed. • A three-dimensional multiphysics model is employed for data generation and validation. • The fuel cell maximum power and corresponding operation conditions are identified. • The maximum powers @ various temperatures & their operation conditions are identified. • Deep-learning results reflect major physical/electrochemical processes in fuel cells. The maximum achievable power of a polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell under specific operating temperature is important to its application. In this paper, we propose a method that integrates an artificial neural network (ANN) with the genetic algorithm (GA) to predict the performance of a PEM fuel cell and identify its maximum powers and corresponding conditions for operational control purpose. A validated three-dimensional (3D) multiphysics model is employed to generate total 1500 data points for training, testing, and verifying the ANN, which consists of two hidden layers with eight and four neurons on each hidden layer, respectively. After the ANN is properly trained, it is incorporated into the GA for deep learning to identify the maximum power and corresponding operating conditions, which shows that the fuel cell configuration could achieve a maximum power of about 0.78 W/cm2 at 368.8 K. Additionally, the combined ANN-GA method is employed to identify the maximum powers and their operating conditions under eight typical operation temperatures in the range of 323–373 K. The deep-learning results reflect the major physical and electrochemical processes that govern fuel cell performance and are validated against the 3D multiphysics model. The results demonstrate that the combined ANN-GA method is suitable to predicting fuel cell performance and identifying operation parameters for the maximum powers under various temperatures, which is important to practical system design and rapid control in fuel cell applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While many studies about gray water footprint (GWF) were carried out for different economic sectors, regions, production systems as well as methodologies, little research evaluates improving potential of the current situation. As the largest nitrogen (N) fertilizer consumption country in the world, leaching and runoff contributed half of the N release to waters, while associated GWF was not calculated based on local parameters, management and water quality standards. Different from previous studies, we firstly conducted a meta-analysis of N leaching and runoff parameters based on traditional and optimal management practices from the original field experiments rather than empirical parameters; then, distinguished the different influences of leaching and runoff on groundwater and surface water and applied corresponding standards for the GWF calculations; finally, estimated the improving potential of the GWF. The results show that N leaching and runoff could be reduced by 53%–84% and 34%–68%, respectively, by optimal fertilizer application and irrigation, and integrated management, while the corresponding GWF associated with leaching and runoff could be reduced by 53%–87% and 29%–59%, respectively, without sacrificing crop yields. The total GWF was 999.8 billion cubic meters in 2016, of which 45% was from leaching and 55% from runoff. GWF hotspots were concentrated in the middle and downstream of the Yangtze River basin, while the highest water pollution level (WPL) was found in northern China (e.g., in the Hai River basin, where N released to water exceeded the water resource dilution capacity). It was found that optimal fertilizer and irrigation management could reduce the GWF from existing cropping practices by 44%. We suggest that original experimental results and standards of different water pollution processes should be considered for the GWF calculations, and a GWF assessment under optimal crop management should be used as indicators to guide the technology and policy of water resource management and sustainable intensive agriculture development. • A meta-analysis based on traditional and optimal managements was conducted and applied for the improving potential of GWF. • Different influences on groundwater and surface water, combining local water quality standards were applied for assessment. • Improving potential should be highlighted as an indicator to guild water management and sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atmospheric reactive nitrogen (Nr) emissions and deposition have caused much damage to the global environment and also impacted human health. Determining long-term trends in atmospheric Nr concentrations and deposition is important for evaluating air quality and ecosystem effects and formulating control measures to reduce negative impacts. We measured monthly concentrations of NH 3 , pNH 4 +, HNO 3 , pNO 3 -, and NO 2 and calculated their dry deposition rates using an inferential method from 2011 to 2018 at an urban site in Zhengzhou in the North China Plain. Inorganic N (NH 4 + and NO 3 −) concentrations in precipitation and wet/bulk N deposition were also quantified in 2011, 2016, 2017 and 2018. The results showed high concentrations of atmospheric Nr species, with considerable variation in some species over the monitoring period. Annual mean NH 3 concentrations significantly increased from 2011 to 2018 (p < 0.001) with that in 2018 being twice that in 2011. However, pNO 3 - and pNH 4 + concentrations decreased after 2013. The annual mean NO 2 concentration in 2018 had decreased by 33.4% compared to the peak in 2011. Highest NH 3 concentrations were measured in spring or summer, and lowest concentrations in winter. pNH 4 + and pNO 3 - concentrations peaked mainly in winter. Total annual dry N deposition ranged from 21.9 to 41.2 kg N ha−1. Bulk NH 4 + and NO 3 − deposition was lower in 2016–2018 than in 2011. However, atmospheric Nr concentrations and N deposition remained high in this urban ecosystem. NH 3 emissions urgently need control measures, and Nr impacts on the surrounding ecosystems and human health should be considered. Continuous long-term measurements of atmospheric Nr concentrations and deposition at a regional scale are necessary to help formulate emission control measures and protect human and ecosystem health. • Significant changes in atmospheric reactive nitrogen were observed at an urban site in north China. • NH 3 concentrations increased by 110% from 2011 to 2018. • pNO 3 - and pNH 4 + concentrations in 2018 decreased by 65.1% and 62.8% compared to the maxima in 2012. • As a consequence, N deposition slightly decreased, with some improvement in air quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is of significant importance to construct the low-cost, efficient, and stable carbon-based non-noble metal to replace the noble metal electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction in both alkaline and acidic media. In this work, a straightforward and cost-efficient strategy is reported to synthesize the Fe–N co-doped open-porous carbon materials with three-dimensional (3D) carbon networks structure, high surface areas and multiple actives sites including iron carbide nanoparticles, pyridinic N, and graphitic N using a new kind of Fe-Imace coordinated complex as the precursor and melamine as nitrogen sources by direct pyrolysis. The obtained Fe– N –C 900 catalyst shows excellent oxygen reduction performance in both alkaline (E onset , 1.014 vs. RHE) and acidic (E onset , 0.982 V vs. RHE) media, which are better than those of the Pt/C in alkaline (E onset , 0.986 vs. RHE) and acidic media (E onset , 0.979 V vs. RHE). Even more important, the stability and methanol tolerance of the Fe–N–C 900 catalyst are much better than that of the Pt/C catalyst in both alkaline and acidic media. All the results demonstrate that the present facile and universal one-step pyrolytic strategy can be used to synthesize catalyst materials as one of the superior non-precious cathode electrocatalysts for fuel cells. [Display omitted] • 3D hierarchical open-porous carbon networks catalyst (Fe– N –C) is obtained by one-step pyrolytic method. • Fe 3 C nanoparticle plays a crucial role in improving the activity of Fe– N –C. • The synthesized Fe– N –C 900 catalyst exhibits excellent ORR activity and stability in alkaline and acidic media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a recent publication in the journal Science of the Total Environment, Zhu et al. (2015) reported the composition, spatial patterns, and factors influencing atmospheric wet nitrogen (N) deposition based on one year's data from 41-monitoring sites in China. We suspect their results may largely underestimate dissolved organic N (DON) but overestimate total particulate N (TPN) in wet deposition due to the uncertainty resulting from the sampling, storage and analysis methods in their study. Our suspicions are based mainly on our experience from earlier measurements and the literature. We therefore suggest that enhanced data quality control on atmospheric N deposition measurements should be taken into account in future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of substituting pork lean meat with Lentinula edodes (LE) on the physicochemical properties, amino acid content, cooking loss, texture, total phenolic content, antioxidant activity, microstructure, microbiological analysis, and sensory characteristics of sausages were evaluated. Five formulations were used in the production of sausages: the control (the pork lean meat formulation) and the four different samples in which LE substituted 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% of pork lean meat. The results showed that LE improved the moisture, total dietary fiber, methionine, glutamic, cysteine, and total phenolic content; cooking loss; and antioxidant activity of the sausage. By contrast, LE reduced the levels of protein, ash, pH, as well as the energy level and texture of the sausage. No difference was observed between the treatments for fat content, water activity and microorganisms of sausages. In addition, LE led to slight darkening of the sausages. From the sensory point of view, all modified sausages were considered acceptable, and the pork lean meat with 25% substitution by LE exhibited best sensory characteristics. In a word, LE is a promising ingredient to partially replace the lean meat in sausages. • Lentinula edodes (LE) as a kind of pork lean meat replacer was used in sausage production. • LE improved the moisture, total dietary fiber, methionine, glutamic and cysteine content of the sausage. • The substitution of pork lean meat by LE reduced the energy value of the sausage. • LE enhanced total phenolic content and antioxidant activity of the sausage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract While the ongoing increases in the deposition of atmospheric nitrogen (N) in China have attracted ever more attention, to date there has been little research in N deposition in inland aquatic ecosystems. In this study, we quantified the bulk and dry atmospheric N deposition around the Dongting Lake, which is connected to the Yangtze River and is the second largest freshwater lake in China. Bulk N deposition averaged 48.0 kg N ha−1 yr−1, of which ammonium (NH 4 N), nitrate (NO 3 N), and dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) accounted for 41.6%, 35.1%, and 23.3%, respectively. Dry N deposition averaged 27.0 kg N ha−1 yr−1, and was dominated by NH 3. Bulk N deposition was higher in spring and summer than in autumn and winter at the sites around the lake because of the high precipitation. NH 3 deposition was the highest in spring and summer due to fertilization, and NO x deposition was the highest in winter because of the combustion of coal for domestic heating. The concentrations of NH 3 significantly decreased with the concentration of NH 4 N, indicating below-cloud scavenging and local sources. The concentrations of NO x and NO 3 N were not correlated, indicating long-distance transfer of NO x. Bulk N deposition in our study was generally twice that reported in other studies, even when only inorganic N species in bulk deposition were considered. Total N deposition averaged 75.0 kg N ha−1 yr−1, which was much higher than that reported in other studies. Both N deposited directly into the lake and N deposited across the lake basin that was subsequently transported to the lake in runoff could enrich the N concentration of the lake water and increase the gross primary productivity (GPP). Our results highlighted the importance of integrated management that includes both aquatic and atmospheric systems at either the lake basin scale or regional scale, rather than at the individual lake-scale. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • Total N deposition was much higher than that reported in other studies around the Dongting Lake. • DON deposition, which usually be ignored, is a significant contributor. • Potential eutrophication effects of N loading to the Dongting Lake from atmospheric N deposition should be re-evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The interactions between dopamine hydrochloride (DH) and nicotinamide (NA) in aqueous solution were studied using CV, NMR and quantum chemistry calculations. According to the cyclic voltammetry and the 1H NMR spectra, it was found that the hydrogen bond and π-π stacking between DH and NA were the main interactions, for which the predominant interaction varied with the ratio of NA to DH. The structures of NA-DH+ complexes were optimized by the quantum chemistry calculation, which confirmed above interactions, as well as the existence of C H-π interaction in NA-DH mixtures. Graphical abstract Image Highlights • Dopamine and nicotinamide (NA) are crucially important in humans. • The interactions of dopamine hydrochloride with NA were investigated by experimental and theoretical methods. • Experimental results were supported by theoretical calculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Education is the foundation and strength of a nation, and educational equity is the basic right of every citizen. However, in China, there are vast differences in education levels between the eastern and western areas, urban and rural areas, and ethnic and non-ethnic areas. This is especially so in China's mountainous areas in the rural southwest. In this region, Yunnan Province is selected as study area. This study proposed an educational convenience index (ECI), and established an evaluation model for educational convenience in mountainous regions. In this model, we investigated the road networks that connect settlements to schools in ethnic mountainous areas, and considered the vulnerability, complexity and accessibility of the road networks from settlements to schools. In road vulnerability analysis, a new concept of "only link" is introduced. Based on this model, the ECI of each settlement in Yunnan Province in 2011 and 2015 was calculated. The improvement of ECI for each settlement in the 4-year period between 2011 and 2015 was analyzed. The findings show that: (1) Educational convenience of non-ethnic autonomous regions (65% settlements >=" good") was far better than that of ethnic autonomous regions (53% settlements >= "good"). (2) The educational convenience level in both ethnic and non-ethnic autonomous regions have improved. The improvement was slightly lower in ethnic autonomous regions (5.44%) than in non-ethnic autonomous regions (6.23%). (3) The comparison of improvements in educational convenience between 2011 and 2015 showed that such improvements formed a significant "substantially improved - greatly improved - moderately improved" three-tier pattern and a "greatly improved - moderately improved" two-tier pattern. Highlights • Propose an educational convenience index of the settlements in ethnic mountainous areas. • Establish an evaluation model based on the vulnerability of road network. • Educational convenience of non-ethnic regions was far better than that of ethnic regions in 2015. • Educational convenience in ethnic and non-ethnic regions was improved in 2011–2015. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Significant soil pH decrease has been reported in Chinese croplands in response to enhanced chemical fertilizer application and crop yields. However, the temporal and spatial variation of soil acidification rates across Chinese croplands is still unclear. We therefore assessed trends in soil acidification rates across provincial China for the period 1980–2010 by calculating inputs-outputs of major cations and anions in cropland systems. Nitrogen (N) induced proton production increased from 4.7 keq H + /ha/yr in 1980 to a peak of 11.0 keq H + /ha/yr in 1996 and remained nearly constant after 2000 at a rate of approximately 8.6 keq H + /ha/yr. The proton production induced by crop removal increased from 1.2 to 2.3 keq H + /ha/yr. The total proton production thus increased from 5.9 to 10.9 keq H + /ha/yr in the 30 years. As a result, the actual acidification rate, reflected by (base) cation losses, accelerated from 2.3 to 6.2 keq H + /ha/yr and the potential acidification rate, reflected by phosphorus accumulation accelerated from 0.2 to 1.3 keq H + /ha/yr. The national averaged total acidification rates were thus estimated to increase from 2.6 to 7.6 keq H + /ha/yr in the past 30 years. The highest soil acidification rate occurred in the Jiangsu Province with a rate of 17.9 keq H + /ha/yr, which was due to both high N application rates and high base cation removals by crops and crop residues. The combination of elevated N inputs and decreased N use efficiency (NUE) in response to those N inputs, thus enhancing the nitrate discharge, were the main reasons for the accelerated acidification in Chinese croplands. Considering the expected growth of food demand in the future, and the linkage between grain production and fertilizer N consumption, a further acceleration of soil acidification can thus be expected, unless the N inputs is reduced and/or the NUE is increased substantially. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A rotating zigzag bed, as a Higee device, has successfully achieved the industrialization of Higee in the commercial continuous distillation process. To increase applicability of rotating zigzag bed in the gas-liquid mass-transfer processes, the mass-transfer characteristics of the rotor of rotating zigzag bed were examined. The effective interfacial area ( a e ) and local liquid-side mass-transfer coefficient ( k L ) were measured using a chemical absorption of CO 2 in NaOH solution. Based on two-film theory, the local gas-side mass-transfer coefficient ( k G ) was obtained from the overall volumetric gas-side mass-transfer coefficient ( K G a e ) which was measured using a stripping of ethanol from an ethanol-water mixture by air. The effects of rotational speed, liquid volumetric flow rate and gas volumetric flow rate on these mass-transfer parameters were investigated. Compared to the conventional rotating packed bed, the k L of the rotor of rotating zigzag bed was as about 2.5 times higher as that of conventional RPB rotor, and the a e and k G of the rotor of rotating zigzag bed matched with those of the rotor of conventional rotating packed bed. Therefore, rotating zigzag bed has good mass-transfer performance with a great potential for the industrial application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Achieving all-weather rainfall observations using a surveillance camera. • Building a new rain streak extraction algorithm for NIR surveillance video. • A novel rainfall intensity estimation mechanism for surveillance video. Widespread surveillance cameras that continuously record rainfall information offer an opportunity for high-spatiotemporal resolution rainfall inversion. Surveillance video-based rainfall data estimation has become one of the most promising methods. However, existing relevant studies have focused on rainfall observations during the day. Little attention has been given to developing a surveillance camera-based rain gauge that works at night. Generally, ordinary surveillance cameras actively emit near-infrared light (NIR) to supplement the insufficient illumination of a surveillance scenario, providing an essential prerequisite for rainfall observations at night. In this paper, an NIR-surveillance video-based rain gauge (NIR-VRG) was constructed. First, combining the meteorological and microphysical characteristics of raindrops with the camera imaging principle, the abilities of different NIR-surveillance cameras to capture raindrops during different rainfall scenarios were discussed, providing the theoretical basis for subsequent work; second, a tensor-based algorithm was proposed for rain streak extraction from NIR surveillance video; and finally, a one-dimensional convolutional neural network (1D CNN)-based regression algorithm was proposed and used to build a mapping relationship between the extracted rain streaks and the rainfall intensity (RI). Experimental results on synthetic rainy videos showed that the proposed rain streak extraction algorithm achieves robust performance in a light breeze (speed approximately 3 m/s) and still works in a gentle breeze (speed approximately 5 m/s). Moreover, experiments during various rainfall scenarios show that the designed NIR-VRG measures rainfall information with high accuracy. The relative error of the RI and cumulative rainfall ranged from 8.86 % to 84.84 % and 7.82 % to 30.70 % respectively. The NIR-VRG fills the gap of rainfall observations at night by using surveillance cameras and provides a reference for constructing an all-weather rainfall observation network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patients with venous thromboembolism (VTE) and cancer are at higher risk of recurrent VTE and mortality. Clinical guidelines recommend anticoagulant treatment for these patients. This study assessed trends in outpatient anticoagulant treatment and factors associated with this treatment initiation in outpatient setting among this high-risk patient population. To study trends and factors associated with anticoagulant treatment initiation among patients with VTE and cancer. VTE cancer patients age ≥65 were identified from the SEER-Medicare database from 01JAN2014-31DEC2019. Patients were enrolled for ≥6 months prior to their first VTE (i.e. index event) and without evidence of other reasons for anticoagulation (i.e., atrial fibrillation). Patients were also required to be enrolled for ≥30 days after index. Cancer status was identified from SEER or Medicare database in the 6 months pre- through 30 days post-VTE. Patients were classified into treated or untreated cohorts depending on whether they initiated outpatient anticoagulant treatment within 30 days post-index. The trends of treated vs. untreated were evaluated by quarter. Logistic regression was used to identify demographic-, VTE-, cancer- and comorbid-related factors associated with anticoagulant treatment initiation. A total of 28,468 VTE-cancer patients met all study criteria. Of these, ~46 % initiated outpatient anticoagulant treatment within 30 days, and ~54 % did not. The above rates were stable from 2014 to 2019. Factors such as VTE diagnosis in inpatient setting, pulmonary embolism (PE) diagnosis, and pancreatic cancer were associated with increased odds whereas bleeding history and some comorbid factors were associated with decreased odds of initiating anticoagulant treatment. Over half of VTE patients with cancer did not initiate outpatient anticoagulant treatment within the first 30-days after VTE diagnosis. This trend was stable from 2014 to 2019. A range of cancer-, VTE-, and comorbid-related factors were associated with the likelihood of the treatment initiation. • Over half of patients did not initiate anticoagulant treatment within 30 days as recorded. • Rates of anticoagulant treatment initiation remained stable over time. • Several factors were associated with initiating anticoagulant treatment. • A switch to new anticoagulants such as apixaban was observed over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]