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Two previously undescribed plant sterols, namely anemhupehins D (1) and E (2), and one undescribed chromone derivative, namely anemhupehin F (3), have been isolated from the aerial parts of Anemone hupehensis. Their structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic data analyses and computational methods. All compounds were investigated for their anti-inflammatory and antibacterial activities. Compounds 1 and 2 showed inhibitory activity against NO production with IC 50 values of 4.4 and 16.2 μ M, respectively. All compounds had no antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa at the concentration of 128 μ g/mL. [Display omitted] • Three unknown metabolites have been obtained from Anemone hupehensis. • The structures were established by means of spectroscopic methods. • Two compounds showed inhibitory activity against NO production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphite is dominantly used as the anode material for lithium-ion batteries. However, it still suffers from a limited cycling life and poor rate capability due to the unstable solid electrolyte interphase (SEI). Herein, a simple and viable method with Nafion as an additive to the commercial carboxyl methyl cellulose-styrene butadiene rubber (CMC/SBR) binder is proposed to construct a superior interfacial film to suppress the continuous decomposition of electrolyte solvent molecules on the graphite surface. Nafion helps to break the solvation shell and form a thin and uniform solid electrolyte interphase film on the surface of the graphite anode with fast Li+ diffusion. Benefiting from the synergetic merits form the inner original SEI and the outer Nafion, the graphite anodes exhibit long cycling life with a capacity retention rate of 73.85% after 350 cycles, and a high rate capability of 333.4 mAh g−1 at 1C and 327.6 mAh g−1 at 6C. The facile strategy of binder additives to stabilize SEI is inspiring the design of high-performance electrodes. Li+-conductive Nafion was introduced into commercial carboxyl methyl cellulose (CMC)-styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) binder as a functional additive to build a uniform and stable SEI film on the surface of graphite. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neptunium-237 (237Np) is one of the most hazardous radionuclides of public concern due to its radiological toxicity, long half-life and high environmental mobility. Standard reference materials (SRMs) with well characterized 237Np activity concentrations are valuable for method development and validation of 237Np determination in environmental samples. In this study, a comprehensive literature survey of 237Np activity concentrations in 25 SRMs was carried out covering the various matrices of sediment, soil, seawater, atmospheric particles, and biota. After data screening, arithmetic mean of the activity concentrations of 237Np in literatures were calculated as statistical values (SVs). Then, accuracies of different instrument analyses and acid digestion methods were evaluated based on the SVs. Finally, by optimizing the sector field ICP-MS analytical method, 237Np activity concentration in JSAC-0471 soil SRM was measured. The application of SVs provides 237Np activity concentration information in more SRMs. Besides SRMs certified by technically validated procedures, SRMs with SVs and the measurement of JASC-0471 provide more options for suitable selection of SRMs for 237Np determination. [Display omitted] • Certified or Information values of 237Np in 25 SRMs were summarized. • Literature values of 237Np were analyzed, and statistical values were calculated. • The statistical values are consistent with Certified or Information values. • Data determined by ICP-MS was more reliable than the other instrumental methods. • The 237Np activity concentration in the SRM JSAC-0471 was (5.8 ± 0.5) × 10−5 Bq/kg. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gremlin genes are known members of the DAN family of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) antagonists, but their functions and regulatory mechanisms in ovarian follicular development of chicken remain unknown. The current study was designed to investigate the mRNA expression patterns of gremlin1 gene (GREM1) and its protein location in the follicles sampled, and to explore the biological effect of GREM1 on the prehierarchical follicular development. This work revealed that chicken GREM1 mRNA exhibits a constant expression level across all the prehierarchical follicles (PFs) from 1-4 mm to 7–8 mm in diameter, and the preovulatory follicles (from F6 to F1) by using RT-qPCR (P > 0.05). The GREM1 protein is predominantly expressed in the oocytes and granulosa cells (GCs) of the PFs by immunohistochemistry. Furthermore, our data demonstrated that siRNA-mediated knockdown of GREM1 in the GCs resulted in a significant reduction in cell proliferation (P < 0.001); conversely, overexpression of GREM1 in the GCs led to a remarkable increase in cell proliferation (P < 0.001). Interestingly, the expression levels of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and cyclin D2 (CCND2) mRNA and proteins were notably increased when GREM1 expression was upregulated in the GCs (P < 0.01), however, the expression levels of CYP11A1 and StAR were markedly downregulated (P < 0.01). The current results showed that GREM1 gene plays a stimulatory role in GC proliferation during growth and development of the prehierarchical follicles in vitro but an inhibitory role in GC differentiation and steroidogenesis of the hen ovary follicles. • Chicken GREM1 mRNA constantly expressed across all the prehierarchical follicles. • GREM1 protein is predominantly expressed in the oocytes and granulosa cells. • Knockdown of GREM1 resulted in a decrease of PCNA and CCND2 expression in GCs. • GREM1 gene plays a stimulatory role in GC proliferation. • GREM1 gene inhibits GC differentiation and steroidogenesis in the ovary follicles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Residual levels of perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) in seven species of aquatic animals were analyzed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. The distribution, composition, bioaccumulation, and biomagnification of PFAAs and their effect factors were studied. The results showed that: 1) Wet weight concentrations of 17 PFAAs in the aquatic animals ranged from 1.77 to 38.65 ng/g, with a mean value of 12.71 ± 9.21 ng/g. PFOS was the predominant contaminant (4.57 ± 4.57 ng/g, 6.76%–46.25%), followed by PFDA (1.95 ± 1.37 ng/g, 11.68%–21.25%) and PFUdA (1.84 ± 1.21 ng/g, 9.73%–35.34%. 2) PFAA residual levels in Culter erythropterus (30.98 ± 6.65 ng/g) were the highest, followed by Hemibarbus maculatus (16.79 ± 1.88 ng/g), while the PFAA levels in Carassius auratus were the lowest (2.22 ± 0.60 ng/g). 3) Biota-water bioaccumulation factors (BAFs), biota-suspended solid accumulation factors (BSSAFs) and biota-sediment accumulation factors (BSAFs) ranged from 0.35 to 12,370.51, 7.77 to 8452.92 and 9.10 to 6984.61, respectively. Bioaccumulation by shrimp and snails was significantly affected by Kow. 4) Food web magnification factors were greater than 1, indicating that biomagnification of PFAAs occurs across trophic levels. The bioaccumulation and biomagnification of PFAAs were significantly correlated with carbon chain length. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the theory of elastic wave, we derive the migration angle formula of P- and S-wave in the Gaussian beam migration and implement the ADCIGs (angle domain common imaging gathers) extraction for Gaussian beam of PP- and PS-wave firstly. Then, we derive the reflection tomography equations for elastic wave velocity analysis. They are used for the tomography velocity modeling base on the Gaussian beam ADCIGs. Making reflection tomography and depth migration into the same velocity modeling process, this method can not only use ADCIGs of elastic wave to update the velocities, but also can apply the migration results of tomography in each iteration as quality control, until the end of whole process in velocity modeling and finally we can get the prestack depth migration results after tomography. Synthetic and field examples validate the correctness and practicability of this method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study addresses the development and validation of a smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) method, particularly to examine its feasibility and capability in hydrodynamics and dynamics of aircraft during ditching. The developed method solves the weakly compressible Navier–Stokes equations coupled with six-degree of freedom dynamics to achieve an accurate prediction of the interaction between the aircraft and the fluid. In this SPH method, a dummy particle wall-boundary condition is automatically implemented to meet the requirement of application on geometrically complex engineering problems. An efficient particle search strategy merging the ideal of Cell-linked list with Vertlet list is proposed to speed up the neighbor particles search process. The present SPH method uses an OpenMP memory-shared parallelization in conjunction with Z-curve reordering to accelerate the computation. Validations have been performed on several classic hydrodynamic problems, where good agreements were achieved via comparing with documented experimental results. The developed SPH method is applied to predict the ditching event of a complex helicopter model. Results demonstrate the ditching process, indicating that the method can be potentially used in aircraft ditching applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new amide compounds, mariamides A and B (1–2), were obtained together with fourteen known compounds from the seeds of milk thistle ( Silybum marianum ). Their structures were established on the basis of extensive 1D and 2D NMR analyses, as well as HR-ESI-MS data. Most of the compounds showed significant antioxidant activities than positive control in ABTS and FRAP assays. However, only amide compounds 1–4 showed moderate DPPH radical scavenging activity and compounds 7 and 16 showed the most potent activity against DPPH. Most of the compounds showed moderate to stronger α -glucosidase inhibitory activities. Nevertheless, only flavonoids showed strong PTP1B inhibitory activities. These results indicate a use of milk thistle seed extracts as promising antioxidant and antidiabetic agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three new ( 1 – 3 ) and one known ( 4 ) bioactive terpenoids were isolated from the seeds of Silybum marianum based on the investigation to get new NO inhibitors. Their structures were determined by extensive NMR (1D and 2D NMR) and MS spectroscopic data, and the absolute configurations were identified by experimental and calculated ECD spectra. The NO inhibitory activities in murine microglial BV-2 cells and interactions with iNOS protein by molecular docking were evaluated for all compounds. The results showed that these compounds had potent NO inhibitory effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports an investigation into the performance of trailing-edge flow control devices on horizontal axis wind turbines by solving the three dimensional Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes equations in the rotational framework. The validation case selected for this work is the NREL Phase VI blade with wind tunnel experimental data. The trailing-edge flow control devices studied include microtabs and microjets installed near the trailing-edge of the rotating blade. The divergent trailing-edge is also included in the study as a passive flow control device due to its practical interest. These trailing-edge devices are implemented on the fixed-pitch NREL Phase VI blade, using the original performance and flow characteristics as a benchmark. Both 2D and 3D simulations are carried out in order to investigate the suitability of the 2D blade sectional design analysis and control for the actual 3D rotating blades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four new coumarins, namely (−)-12-methoxyinophyllum A, (+)-12-methoxyinophyllum H-1, (-)-12-methoxyinophyllum H-2, and inophyllum J, along with two known compounds, 12-ethoxyinophyllum D and isoinophynone were isolated from the leaves of Calophyllum inophyllum . Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic analyses, and complete assignments of 1 H and 13 C NMR spectroscopic data were achieved by 1D and 2D NMR experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new clerodane-type furanoditerpenoids, tinosporins A ( 1 ) and B ( 2 ), along with two known compounds columbin ( 3 ) and fibaruretin B ( 4 ), were isolated from the root of Tinospora sagittata (Oliv.) Gagnep. Their structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analyses, including 1D NMR ( 1 H and 13 C NMR), 2D NMR (HMBC and NOESY) and HR-ESI-MS, and by the comparison of the spectroscopic data with literature values. The absolute configurations of compounds 1 and 2 were determined by CD analysis. Compound 1 showed moderate cytotoxicity against HL-60 and MCF-7 cell lines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the residues, compositions, distributions and potential ecological risks of perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs), water samples were collected seasonally between August 2011 and November 2012 from 20 sites in Lake Chaohu and its tributary rivers. The mean concentration of total PFAAs (TPFAAs) was 14.46 ± 6.84 ng/L. PFOA was the predominant contaminant (8.62 ± 4.40 ng/L), followed by PFBA (2.04 ± 1.16 ng/L) and PFHxA (1.23 ± 1.50 ng/L). The TPFAAs concentrations peaked in August 2012 in each area, except for the western river. The opposite spatial trends were found for PFOA and PFOS in both the lake and river areas. Except for PFOS and PFUdA, the levels of TPFAAs and PFAAs were significantly related to the composition of fluorescent dissolved organic matter (FDOM) but not related to total DOM expressed by dissolved organic carbon (DOC). The risk of PFOS determined by a species sensitivity distribution model was notably above that of PFOA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The residual levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the water, suspended particular matter (SPM) and sediment from Lake Chaohu were measured with a gas chromatograph–mass spectrometer (GC–MS). The spatial–temporal distributions and the SPM–water partition of PAHs and their influencing factors were investigated. The potential sources and contributions of PAHs in the sediment were estimated by positive matrix factorization (PMF) and probabilistic stable isotopic analysis (PSIA). The results showed that the average residual levels of total PAHs (PAH16) in the water, SPM and sediment were 170.7 ± 70.8 ng/L, 210.7 ± 160.7 ng/L and 908.5 ± 1878.1 ng/g dry weight, respectively. The same spatial distribution trend of PAH16 in the water, SPM and sediment was found from high to low: river inflows > western lake > eastern lake > water source area. There was an obvious seasonal trend of PAH16 in the water, while no obvious seasonal trend was found in the SPM. The residues and distributions of PAHs in the water, SPM and sediment relied heavily on carbon content. Significant Pearson correlations were found between LogK oc and LogK ow as well as some hydro-meteorological factors. Three major sources of PAHs including coal and biomass combustions, and vehicle emissions were identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land use regression (LUR) models have been widely used in epidemiological studies and risk assessments related to air pollution. Although efforts have been made to improve the performance of LUR models so that they capture the spatial heterogeneity of fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) in high-density cities, few studies have revealed the vertical differences in PM 2.5 exposure. This study proposes a three-dimensional LUR (3-D LUR) assessment framework for PM 2.5 exposure that combines a high-resolution LUR model with a vertical PM 2.5 variation model to investigate the results of horizontal and vertical mobile PM 2.5 monitoring campaigns. High-resolution LUR models that were developed independently for daytime and nighttime were found to explain 51% and 60% of the PM 2.5 variation, respectively. Vertical measurements of PM 2.5 from three regions were first parameterized to produce a coefficient of variation for the concentration (CVC) to define the rate at which PM 2.5 changes at a certain height relative to the ground. The vertical variation model for PM 2.5 was developed based on a spline smoothing function in a generalized additive model (GAM) framework with an adjusted R2 of 0.91 and explained 92.8% of the variance. PM 2.5 exposure levels for the population in the study area were estimated based on both the LUR models and the 3-D LUR framework. The 3-D LUR framework was found to improve the accuracy of exposure estimation in the vertical direction by avoiding exposure estimation errors of up to 5%. Although the 3-D LUR-based assessment did not indicate significant variation in estimates of premature mortality that could be attributed to PM 2.5 , exposure to this pollutant was found to differ in the vertical direction. The 3-D LUR framework has the potential to provide accurate exposure estimates for use in future epidemiological studies and health risk assessments. [Display omitted] • LUR models for daytime and nighttime explained 51% and 60% of the variation in PM 2.5. • Adjusted R2 of vertical variation model is 0.91, explaining 92.8% of the variance. • 3-D LUR framework revealed differences in PM 2.5 exposure in the vertical direction. • The differences between the 3-D and 2-D LUR estimation are evident in the vertical direction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The priority control screening (PCS) and water quality benchmarking (WQB) of toxic chemicals in water are key steps to ensure the safety of drinking water and aquatic ecosystem that is the crucial goal of water environment management. Owing to the different levels of social-economic development in different countries and regions, the PCS and WQB of toxic chemicals must be determined in accordance with their specific water environment situations. However, in China, the PCS and WQB of toxic chemicals in water were mainly introduced from the other countries. A method for the PCS and WQB of toxic chemicals in water based on the ecological risks was proposed, and a platform named Bayesian Matbugs Calculator (BMC) was developed. As a case study, the WQB and PCS of sixty-nine PTSs based their ecological risks were performed on the basis of one-year monthly monitoring in Lake Chaohu. The results showed that the current national water quality criteria (WQC) would underestimate the toxicological risk to organisms in this aquatic ecosystem. It appears necessary to develop new WQC for the protection of aquatic organisms in Lake Chaohu. Four grades of priority control chemicals (PCCs) in Lake Chaohu were proposed. The highest priority was assigned to organonitrogen-phosphorus pesticides, including parathion, dichlorvos, malathion, omethoate, and di-n-butyl phthalate. However, the national “blacklist” of toxic compounds only covered 7 of 20 PCCs, indicating that the other 13 PCCs would not be controlled efficiently. Because the pollution pattern of PTSs in various water bodies might be quite different, we appealed to the governments to screen the regional PPC lists or develop a more comprehensive national list for aquatic ecosystem protection in China. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Highlights: [•] Levels and distribution of atmospheric and water PAHs were studied in Lake Chaohu. [•] The monthly diffusive air–water exchange flux were estimated by a two-film model. [•] PAH16 levels in atmosphere and water were significantly correlated with temperature. [•] Significant correlations between gas-particle partition and and Log K oa. [•] PAH levels in water and gas were the most important factors for air–water exchange. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Suspended particulate matter (SPM) and surface sediment samples were collected from Lake Chaohu to investigate the residues, congener profile, and spatial distribution of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in a large shadow lake in the middle of the Yangtze River Basin. The concentration of Σ13BDEs (defined as the sum of 13 target congeners excluding BDE 209) and the concentration of BDE 209 ranged from 236.7 to 1373.4pg/g dry weight (dw) and from 4.2 to 691.2pg/g dw in the surface sediments, respectively, which were 2–3 orders of magnitude smaller than those found in the SPM. The congener composition was dominated by BDE 47 (50.8%) and BDE 209 (21.3%) in the sediment, while the proportion of BDE 47 to Σ14BDEs in the SPM was slightly higher than that in the sediment. The concentration of Σ14BDEs in the sediment from the drinking water source (WR) area in the eastern part of the lake was very low, with a mean value of 514.8pg/g, whereas the mean concentration was 102.4ng/g in the SPM. A cluster analysis (CA) was conducted to further illustrate the dominance of each congener and the similarity of each sampling site. Many factors, including resuspension, photodecomposition, microbial oxidation, local discharge, and dredging, influenced the distribution in the sediment and SPM for the PBDE congeners as well as the spatial distribution of PBDEs. A formula for the PBDE concentrations in the surface sediment and SPM was constructed to understand the potential relationship between sediment and SPM concentrations. Although the formula did not accurately predict specific PBDE congener concentrations in the sediment, it remains a practical and useful way to assess the overall pollution of PBDE in sediment in Lake Chaohu, as it depends only on the concentrations of PBDEs in the SPM. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The health risk induced by metal(loid)s in crops are becoming increasingly serious. In this study, eight major vegetables and rhizosphere soils were collected in a peri-urban area with intense electronic information manufacturing activities. The source, distribution and bioaccumulation of six typical metal(loid)s in different vegetable species were analyzed, and exposure risk through vegetable ingestion was estimated. Results showed that vegetables and agricultural soils in the study area suffered from serious metal(loid)s pollution, especially for Cd and Pb. The bioaccumulation capacity differed greatly among individual metal(loid)s and vegetable categories. In general, the highest transfer factors (TF) for Cd, Pb, and As were found in leafy vegetables, while leguminous vegetables had the highest TF of Cu and Zn and root vegetables had the highest TF for Cr. Significant correlations were found between concentrations in vegetables and rhizosphere soils for most metal(loid)s, the exceptions being Pb and Zn. The enrichment of Pb, Cd, Cr and As was mainly attributed to electronic information manufacturing activities, while the enrichment of Zn, Cu and Cd was associated with the application of commercial fertilizers and pesticides. The health risk associated with vegetable intake decreased in the order of leafy > fruit > leguminous > root vegetables. Leafy vegetables were identified as the category with the highest risk, with the mean risk value of 1.26. Cd was the major risk element for leafy vegetables. The non-carcinogenic risks estimated for leguminous and root vegetables were under the acceptable level. In conclusion, special attention should be paid to the health risks of toxic metal(loid)s in leafy vegetables in peri-urban areas with intense electronic information manufacturing activities. In order to minimize health risk, it is necessary to identify low-risk crops based on a comprehensive consideration of the metal(loid)s' pollution characteristics, transfer factors and local people's consumption behaviors. [Display omitted] • Metal(loid)s levels in paired vegetables and soils were observed. • Cd and Pb in vegetables and soils were present at relatively high levels. • The bioaccumulation ability varied widely among metal(loid)s and vegetable types. • Leafy vegetable was identified to be the risk vegetable. • The consumption of homegrown vegetables poses health risk to local people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dust is regarded as an important pathway of heavy metal(loid)s to the human body. Health risks posed by metal(loid)s from household dust are of particular concern. However, the contamination and sources of heavy metal(loid)s in household dust environments, as well as source identification of health risks related to heavy metal(loid)s from household dust for vulnerable populations such as children, have not been thoroughly studied in China, particularly for the areas involved with industrial activities such as ore mining. Thus, a cross-sectional study was conducted in a rural area famous for Pb/Zn ore mining, to assess the pollution sources and health risks of heavy metal(loid)s from household indoor and outdoor dust and to identify the contribution of household dust to the health risks for children. The results indicated that household environment was heavily contaminated by metal(loid)s, which were mainly attributed to mining activity. Meanwhile, the indoor/outdoor ratio and the redundancy analysis indicated that there were other pollution sources in indoor environments such as coal combustion, materials for interior building and decoration. Vapor inhalation was the main exposure pathway for Hg, while ingestion was the predominant pathway for other metal(loid)s. Although the cancer risks were relatively low, the HIt from household indoor and outdoor dust (2.19) was about twice the acceptable limit (1) and was primarily from Pb (64.52%) and As (23.42%). Outdoor dust was a larger contributor to the HI of Sb, As, Cr, Cd, Zn and Pb, which accounted for 51.37%, 58.63%, 52.14%, 59.66%, 52.87% and 64.47%, respectively, and the HIt was mainly from outdoor dust (60.76%). These results indicated that non-cancer health risks were largely from outdoor dust exposure, and strengthened the notion that concern should be given to the potential health risks from metal(loid)s in household dust both originating from mining activity and indoor environmental sources. [Display omitted] • Household dust was heavily polluted by metal(loid)s. • Metals in indoor dust were mainly from outdoor from lithosphere and mining activity. • Coal usage, building and interior decoration materials were important indoor source. • Overall non-cancer risk exceeded the acceptable level and was mainly from Pb and As. • Potential health risk was mainly from outdoor dust exposure via ingestion pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The spatio-temporal distributions and the ecological and health risks of PAEs in surface water of Lake Chaohu, the fifth largest lake in China, were studied based on the monthly monitoring of six PAE congeners from May 2010 to April 2011. The annual total concentration of the six PAE congeners (Σ6PAE) in the surface water ranged from 0.467 to 17.953μgL−1, with the average value of 4.042±3.929μgL−1. The di-n-butyl phthalate (DnBP) that dominated the Σ6PAE at 65.8% was found at its highest and lowest levels in the western lake (TX) and eastern drinking water source area (JC), respectively. The temporal distributions of Σ6PAE showed that the highest and lowest levels were observed in September 2010 and June 2010, respectively. The different relationships between the runoff and the PAEs with low and high levels of carbon might suggest their different sources. The DnBP had much greater ecological risks than the other studied PAE congeners as indicated by its potential affected fractions (PAFs) and the margin of safety (MOS10). The PAE congeners studied posed little health risk to the nearby male and female citizens. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A QWASI (Quantitative Water Air Sediment Interaction) fugacity model was developed to characterize the fate and transfer of fifteen priority PAHs in Lake Small Baiyangdian. The PAH concentrations in the air (air, particulates), water (water, suspended solids, plants and fishes) and sediment (water and solids) as well as the transfer fluxes between adjacent compartments were derived under the steady-state assumption. Sensitivities of the model estimates to input parameters were tested. Monte Carlo simulation was conducted for the uncertainty analysis. The results indicate that there was generally good agreement between the modeled and measured concentrations with the differences within an order of magnitude for the majority of PAH components. The fluxes into and out of the lake as well as each compartment were well-balanced. The average bioaccumulation flux of PAHs by plants was four times higher than that by fishes. The transfer directions of PAHs were from air to water and to sediment. Temperature was the most influential parameter, and was more sensitive to the modeled concentrations of middle- and high-molecular-weight PAHs that were considered as the source of the model uncertainty. The model developed in this study could well characterize the fate and transfer of PAHs in the lake. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Combustion characteristics in a supersonic combustor with hydrogen injection upstream of a cavity flameholder were investigated both experimentally and numerically. The combustion was observed to be stabilized in the cavity mode around the shear layer via a dynamic balance and then spread into the main stream in the region around the jet centerplane where the flow was decelerated and turned to the main stream, supplying a favorable condition for the combustion to spread. The combustion spreading from the cavity shear layer to the main stream seemed to be dominated not only by the traditional diffusion process but also by the convection process associated with the extended recirculation flows resulting from the heat release and the interaction between the jet and the cavity shear layer. Therefore, the cavity-stabilized combustion appeared to be a strongly coupled process of flow and heat release around the cavity flameholder. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In the surface water of Lake Chaohu, China, the concentrations of 16 priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were measured by gas chromatograph–mass spectrometer (GC–MS). Based on the species sensitivity distribution (SSD) model and the probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) model, the indicators were calculated to assess the potential ecological risk of the individual and of multiple congeners of PAHs and their probabilities. The results revealed that the average residual level of the total PAHs (PAH16) in the water ranged from 95.2 to 370.1ng/L, with a mean value 181.5±70.8ng/L. The PAH content in the water was dominated by the low-molecular-weight congeners. The multi-substance potentially affected fractions (msPAFs) of the studied PAHs obtained by the SSD model varied from 0.29% (site B3) to 1.58% (site B6), with an average of 0.51±0.34%. The average of the msPAFs (0.93%) for the inflow rivers was greater than that for the western (0.42%) and eastern (0.34%) parts of the lake. The greatest ecological risk probability calculated by the PRA model was found for Pyr (1.55%), followed by Ant (7.07×10−2%), Fla (2.21×10−2%), Phe (9.25×10−6%), Nap (1.01×10−5%), Flo (1.16×10−14%) and Ace (2.86×10−16%). The same order of ecological risks calculated by the two models was found for the studied PAH compounds. The toxicity data might be the primary source of the ecological risk uncertainties, as indicated by the greater values of coefficients of variation (CV) for the toxicity. This study concluded that the combinations of multiple indicators based on the SSD and PRA models for the ecological risk assessment are necessary to provide more general information on the spatial variations and the probabilities of potential ecological risks of the individual and multiple congeners of PAHs. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The levels of dichloro diphenyl trichloroethanes (DDTs) and hexachlorocyolohexanes (HCHs) in water from Lake Chaohu were measured. The residues, possible sources and potential ecological and health risks of these compounds were analyzed. The results show that the contents of total DDTs and HCHs in the water varied from 1.52 to 21.79 and from 1.58 to 31.66ngL−1, respectively, which were higher than those in other Chinese lakes. The main sources of HCHs and DDTs were lindane and technical DDT, respectively. The o,p′-DDT/p,p′-DDT ratios indicated the new illegal inputs of DDT in all studied inflow rivers and some lake areas. The MOS10 (margin of safety) values suggested that the Lake was facing a potential ecological risks from p,p′-DDT, whereas the risk of γ-HCH was small. Both carcinogenic and noncarcinogenic risks of DDTs and HCHs associated with the water use were very low. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A series of benzothiophene-based phosphonates was synthesized and many analogs within the series were shown to be potent antagonists of the TRPM8 channel. The compounds were obtained as a racemic mixture in 5 synthetic steps, and were tested for TRPM8 antagonist activity in a recombinant, canine TRPM8-expressing cell line using a fluorometric imaging plate reader (FLIPR) assay. Structure–activity relationships were developed initially by modification of the core structure and subsequently by variation of the aromatic substituents and the phosphonate ester. Compound 9l was administered intraperitoneally to rats and demonstrated engagement of the TRPM8 target in both prevention and reversal-modes in an icilin-induced ‘wet-dog’ shake model. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper presents a combined experimental and computational study into the aerodynamics and performance of a small scale vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT). Wind tunnel tests were carried out to ascertain overall performance of the turbine and two- and three-dimensional unsteady computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models were generated to help understand the aerodynamics of this performance. Wind tunnel performance results are presented for cases of different wind velocity, tip-speed ratio and solidity as well as rotor blade surface finish. It is shown experimentally that the surface roughness on the turbine rotor blades has a significant effect on performance. Below a critical wind speed (Reynolds number of 30,000) the performance of the turbine is degraded by a smooth rotor surface finish but above it, the turbine performance is enhanced by a smooth surface finish. Both two bladed and three bladed rotors were tested and a significant increase in performance coefficient is observed for the higher solidity rotors (three bladed rotors) over most of the operating range. Dynamic stalling behaviour and the resulting large and rapid changes in force coefficients and the rotor torque are shown to be the likely cause of changes to rotor pitch angle that occurred during early testing. This small change in pitch angle caused significant decreases in performance. The performance coefficient predicted by the two dimensional computational model is significantly higher than that of the experimental and the three-dimensional CFD model. The predictions show that the presence of the over tip vortices in the 3D simulations is responsible for producing the large difference in efficiency compared to the 2D predictions. The dynamic behaviour of the over tip vortex as a rotor blade rotates through each revolution is also explored in the paper. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]