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The H9N2 subtype of the avian influenza virus (AIV) is one of the main subtypes of low pathogenic AIV, and it seriously affects the poultry breeding industry. Currently, vaccination is still one of China’s main strategies for controlling H9N2 avian influenza. In this study, we selected MW548848.1 on the current popular main branch h9.4.2.5 as the reference strain, and we optimized the amino acid sequence of HA1 to make it suitable for expression in Bacillus subtilis. The B. subtilis expression vector showed good safety and stress resistance; therefore, this study constructed a recombinant B. subtilis expressing H9N2 HA1 protein and evaluated its immunogenicity in mice. The following results were obtained: the sIgA level of HA1 protein in small intestine fluid and the IgG level of PHT43-HA1/B. subtilis in serum were significantly improved (P < 0.01); PHT43-HA1/B. subtilis can cause a special immune response in mice; and cytokine detection interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) (P < 0.05) and Interleukin 2 (IL-2) (P < 0.01) expressions significantly increased. Additionally, the study found that PHT43-HA1/B. subtilis can alleviate the attack of H9N2 AIV in the spleen, lungs, and small intestine of mice. This study was the first to use an oral recombinant B. subtilis-HA1 vaccine candidate, and it provides theoretical data and technical reference for the creation of a new live vector vaccine against H9N2 AIV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We studied an Archean mafic dike in the Trans-North China Orogen of the North China Craton, which has a magmatic age of 2701 ± 83 Ma and is currently the oldest mafic dike in the North China Craton. Such an old dike is extremely rare in the world. The presence of mafic dikes indicates that the North China Craton was in a tensional tectonic environment at 2.7 Ga. Geochemical characteristics reveal that this mafic dike belongs to continental tholeiitic basalt. Results from Hf isotope analysis reveal that the mafic dike originates from a depleted mantle. The plate assembly in the North China landmass was realized during the Archean era (2.7 Ga), and a thick and stable continental crust was formed. Therefore, the first cratonization of the North China Craton was completed before 2.7 Ga. The intrusion of the 2.7-Ga-old mafic dike from the deep lithospheric mantle of the continent indicates that the North China Craton has undergone a period of extensional tectonic activity. This event marks a significant extensional event that occurred after the cratonization of the North China Craton. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the temporal and spatial evolution of the North China Craton (NCC) basement, formed by amalgamation, is a crucial issue in global geosciences. The Huozhou complex is situated at the core of the Trans-North China Orogen (TNCO) in the NCC and comprises a considerable number of Palaeoproterozoic granitic gneisses, providing valuable insights into the tectonic evolution of the TNCO. In this study, comprehensive field geological surveys, petrology, chronology, geochemistry, and Hf isotope analysis were conducted to investigate the genesis and tectonic context of the Xingtangsi and Zhengnangou granitic gneisses and elucidate the TNCO's tectonic evolution. The Xingtangsi granite gneiss yielded a magmatic zircon age of 2495±34 Ma, implying its Palaeoproterozoic or Archean origin, as previously suggested. Its protolith was I-type peraluminous granite, primarily generated through the partial melting of pre-existing continental crust materials with a small quantity of mantle-derived magma. The Zhengnangou granitic gneiss's protolith was A-type granite, and its magmatic zircon age was 2,190±11 Ma, indicating its Palaeoproterozoic origin rather than Archean. TDM1(Ma) for the Zhengnangou granitic gneiss ranged from 2,424 to 2,498 Ma, TDM2(Ma) varied from 2563 to 2684 Ma, and the εHf(t) value ranged from 1.3 to 3.3. These results suggest that it was primarily derived from newly formed crustal materials without any mantle-derived addition. Integrating our data with the literature, the ∼2.5 Ga magmatic activity in the Huozhou area may have formed in the tectonic setting of the continental arc, and ∼2.2 Ga A-type granite may have formed in a post-collisional extensional environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Trans-North China Orogen is a major Neoarchean Paleoproterozoic collisional orogenic belt above the North China Craton, formed due to prolonged and complex processes. Even though many Neoarchean-Paleoproterozoic magmatic and metamorphic activities have been reported, due to the Huozhou Complex's small outcropping range, little attention has been paid to the origin of various igneous rocks of the Huozhou Complex in the center of the Trans-North China Orogen. The Huozhou Complex, located south of the Lüliang, Wutai, and Hengshan complexes, is an important window into the Early Precambrian structure and evolution of the North China Craton. Its magma and metamorphism are crucial to understanding the development of the structural evolution of the Trans-North China Orogen. The Huozhou metamorphic complex area exposes a range of Precambrian metamorphic rocks, among which the most extensively dispersed is felsic biotite plagioclase gneiss. In this study comprehensive geological field survey, micropetrology, chronology, geochemistry, and Hf isotope analysis were carried out for the Qinggangping and Anziping gneiss in the north of the Huozhou Complex. The results show that the magmatic zircon age of the Qinggangping gneiss is 2196 ± 14 Ma, and its protolith is I-type granite, formed by partial melting of igneous rocks in the absence of weathering. Its source is mainly the juvenile crust from depleted mantle dating 2431–2719 Ma, with a small amount of mantle-derived material. The Anziping gneiss has a metamorphic zircon age of 1931 ± 13 Ma with an S-type granite protolith belonging to peraluminous granite. The Anziping gneiss is formed by recycling pre-existing crustal components at 2613–2848 Ma. A minor quantity of mantle-derived magma is also introduced to the crust simultaneously. The samples of Qinggangping gneiss and Anziping gneiss show the characteristics of obvious negative Nb, Ti, and P elements in the spider diagram of primitive mantle standardization. This implies that the rocks have the characteristics of magmatic rocks in an island arc or subduction environment, which could have formed in the tectonic environment of the continental margin arc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A smoothed particle hydrodynamics code based on micropolar continua for geomaterials is developed for problems involving large deformation and shear strain localization. Two typical geotechnical problems, i.e., biaxial compression test and sand column collapse, are simulated using classical and micropolar model to demonstrate the performance of the newly proposed method. A parameter study is given on the scale effect in the micropolar continua. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Manual acupuncture (MA) can be used to manage high blood pressure; however, the underlying molecular mechanism remains unknown. To explore the mechanism of acupuncture in the treatment of hypertension, Wistar Kyoto rats (WKYs) and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) were subjected to either MA stimulation or the corresponding sham procedure as a negative control (Sham-MA) for 1 week. PET-CT scans, transcriptomics and molecular biology were used to evaluate the effect of MA. The results show that MA can regulate blood pressure in SHRs, change the glucose metabolism of the paraventricular hypothalamus (PVH), and affect the mRNA and protein expression levels of differentially expressed genes in the PVH. These genes may lower blood pressure by regulating angiotensin, endothelial function and inflammation. These findings reveal that MA regulates multiple biological processes and genes/proteins of the PVH, and provide a solid theoretical basis for exploring the mechanisms by which MA regulates hypertension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most granular materials encountered in nature and industry lie either in the quasi-static regime or the intermediate dense flow regime. Debris materials are a typical granular material with viscous interstitial fluid and show solid-like behaviors before failure and fluid-like behaviors after failure. Based on Bagnold's pioneering work on granular–fluid flows, we propose a framework for constitutive model development, which has an additive form. Based on this framework, a unified constitutive model for granular–fluid material in the quasi-static and dense flow regimes is developed. The main intergranular interactions and granular–fluid interactions controlling the mechanical behaviors are taken into account using the Mohr–Coulomb model and a Bagnold-type relation. Dry granular flows in three simple configurations, i.e., plain shear, vertical chute flow and flow on an inclined plane, are studied. Analytical solutions based on the presented unified model are obtained. Comparisons between results from the presented model and the μ (I) model indicate that the explicit partition of frictional and collisional stress components provides insights into dense granular flows. In addition, the new model is used to predict the stress–strain relations in two annular shear tests. The applicability and advantages of the unified model are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drainage channels with step-pool system are widely used to control debris flow. The blocking of debris flow often gives rise to local damage at the steps and baffles. Hence, the estimation of impact force of debris flow is crucial for designing step-pool channel. Existing empirical models for impact pressure prediction cannot consider the influence of baffle shape. In this work, a three-dimensional smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) study on the impact behavior of debris flows in step-pool systems is presented, where debris material is modeled using the regularized Bingham model. The SPH method is first checked using the results from two laboratory tests. Then, it is used to investigate the influence of baffle shape and flow density. Numerical results show that the impact pressure at the first baffle highly depends on the baffle shape; however, the largest impact pressure usually occurs at subsequent baffles due to the violent impact induced by jet flows. The peak impact pressure at the first baffle initially grows with increasing flow density; however, it starts to drop as density is beyond a threshold. Based on the numerical results, an empirical relation considering the influence of baffle shape is proposed for better prediction of debris impact pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-entropy carbides (HECs) are novel advanced materials composed of covalently bonded multicomponent transition metals and carbon. The transition metal atoms of all the precursor components are randomly distributed at the cation sublattice. Recently, a series of HECs with a non-stoichiometric compound (NSC) as one of the precursors have been synthesized. However, the effect of vacancies on the formation of HECs has not been addressed well. In this paper, NbC0.5 was selected as the NSC to study the interfacial diffusion behavior of NbC0.5 and other covalent transition metal compounds (MCs: M represents one of V, Ti, Ta, and W). The presence of vacancies resulted in a carbon concentration gradient, reduced the diffusion activation energy of metal atoms in NbC0.5–MC and increased the diffusion driving force. In addition, the diffusion process of WC in NbC0.5 was analyzed. Phase transformation of WC to W2C was found during diffusion. The experiment proves that HECs may be easily prepared with the participation of the NSCs, and this work provides the theoretical basis for the alloying of covalent transition metal compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) is a meshless method gaining popularity recently in geotechnical modeling. It is suitable to solve problems involving large deformation, free-surface, cracking and fragmentation. To promote the research and application of SPH in geotechnical engineering, we present LOQUAT, an open-source three-dimensional GPU accelerated SPH solver. LOQUAT employs the standard SPH formulations for solids with two geomechnical constitutive models which are the Drucker–Prager model and a hypoplastic model. Three stabilization techniques, namely, artificial viscosity, artificial pressure and stress regularization are included. A generalized boundary particle method is presented to model static and moving boundaries with arbitrary geometry. LOQUAT employs GPU acceleration technique to greatly increase the computational efficiency. Numerical examples show that the solver is convergent, stable and highly efficient. With a mainstream GPU, it can simulate large scale problems with tens of millions of particles, and easily performs more than one thousand times faster than serial CPU code. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is an increasing need for application of biofilm process in the upcycling of wastewater treatment plants all around the world in recent years, yet there are few literatures on summarizing wastewater biofilm during the life cycle. In particular, there is a vacancy on characterization at various stages of biofilm and its regulation. This review provided a whole look at biofilm formation and its development, accompanied by microbial physiology, ecology, and activity, where the initialization of biofilm formation and its characterization were stressed. The new progresses on biofilm physio-ecology analysis and methods on evaluating microbial activity were summarized, while it is worth mentioning that the concept of aging biofilm was also presented. Furthermore, regulations methods of biofilm were reviewed and future research trends on biofilm control were prospected, aiming at guiding biofilm control in biofilm-based wastewater treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Debris flow is a very common and destructive natural hazard in mountainous regions. Pore water pressure is the major triggering factor in the initiation of debris flow. Excessive pore water pressure is also observed during the runout and deposition of debris flow. Debris materials are normally treated as solid particle-viscous fluid mixture in the constitutive modeling. A suitable constitutive model which can capture the solid-like and fluid-like behavior of solid-fluid mixture should have the capability to describe the developing of pore water pressure (or effective stresses) in the initiation stage and determine the residual effective stresses exactly. In this paper, a constitutive model of debris materials is developed based on a framework where a static portion for the frictional behavior and a dynamic portion for the viscous behavior are combined. The frictional behavior is described by a hypoplastic model with critical state for granular materials. The model performance is demonstrated by simulating undrained simple shear tests of saturated sand, which are particularly relevant for the initiation of debris flows. The partial and full liquefaction of saturated granular material under undrained condition is reproduced by the hypoplastic model. The viscous behavior is described by the tensor form of a modified Bagnold's theory for solid-fluid suspension, in which the drag force of the interstitial fluid and the particle collisions are considered. The complete model by combining the static and dynamic parts is used to simulate two annular shear tests. The predicted residual strength in the quasi-static stage combined with the stresses in the flowing stage agrees well with the experimental data. The non-quadratic dependence between the stresses and the shear rate in the slow shear stage for the relatively dense specimens is captured. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present a unified numerical framework for granular modelling. A constitutive model capable of describing both quasi-static and dynamic behaviours of granular material is developed. Two types of particle interactions controlling the mechanical responses, frictional contact and collision, are considered by a hypoplastic model and a Bagnold-type rheology relation, respectively. The model makes no use of concepts like yield stress or flow initiation criterion. A smooth transition between the solid-like and fluid-like behaviour is achieved. The Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics method is employed as the unified numerical tool for both solid and fluid regimes. The numerical model is validated by simulating element tests under both quasi-static and flowing conditions. We further proceed to study three boundary value problems, i.e. collapse of a granular pile on a flat plane, and granular flows on an inclined plane and in a rotating drum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lifetime failure data usually presents a bathtub-shaped failure rate, and random failure phase dominates its life cycle. Relatively large errors always existed when single distribution model is used for analysis and modelling. Therefore, a bathtub-shaped reliability model based on piecewise intensity function was proposed for repairable system. Parameter estimation was studied by using maximum likelihood method in conjunction with two-stage Weibull process interval estimation and Artificial Bee Colony Algorithm. The proposed model and estimation approach fit the failure rate under bathtub curve very well, adequately reflect the duration of random failure phase, and guarantee the feasibility of quantitative analysis. Moreover, the estimated critical point of bathtub curve could be calculated. At last, the proposed model was applied in the reliability analysis of a repairable Computer Numerical Control system, and the validity of the proposed model and its parameter estimation method were verified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The catalyst for diesel ultra-deep desulfurization is selected on the basis of several factors, including feedstock composition, liquid hourly space velocity, and operation pressure. Owing to their specific processing purposes, different catalyst systems, such as straight distillation, coking distillation, blends of straight distillation, and secondary processing oil, are applied for various feeds because of their considerable difference in terms of sulfur content, nitrogen content, aromatics constitute, and cetane number. This study aims to determine the most appropriate catalyst and grading scheme by evaluating the deep desulfurization efficiency of different schemes when processing various feeds. The results showed that the W-Mo-Ni/Mo-Co catalyst stacking is the most effective among various schemes because of the following reasons: (1) loading W-Mo-Ni catalyst on the upper bed of reactor not only benefits the saturation of polyaromatics even in the middle or at the end of the run but also provides low nitrogen feed for the bottom bed; (2) loading Mo-Co type catalyst with alkyl transfer performance in the bottom bed at high temperature reaction zone facilitates alkyl transfer reaction and mitigates the effect of thermodynamic equilibrium limitations in the middle and at the end of the run, consequently improving the HDS efficiency under high temperatures. Graphical Abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A hypoplastic constitutive model is implemented in a smoothed particle hydrodynamics code for the first time. An improved wall boundary treatment is presented for better performance. The proposed approach is first validated by comparing the numerical results with the analytical solutions for oedometer test. Two more problems involving large deformation, i.e., the collapse of sand between two parallel plates and the failure of a homogeneous slope, are analyzed to demonstrate the performance of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A model based on long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) pairs independent of expression quantification was constructed to evaluate prognosis melanoma and response to immunotherapy in melanoma. RNA sequencing data and clinical information were retrieved and downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas and the Genotype-Tissue Expression databases. We identified differentially expressed immune-related lncRNAs (DEirlncRNAs), matched them, and used least absolute shrinkage and selection operator and Cox regression to construct predictive models. The optimal cutoff value of the model was determined using a receiver operating characteristic curve and used to categorize melanoma cases into high-risk and low-risk groups. The predictive efficacy of the model with respect to prognosis was compared with that of clinical data and ESTIMATE (Estimation of STromal and Immune cells in MAlignant Tumor tissues using Expression data). Then, we analyzed the correlations of risk score with clinical characteristics, immune cell invasion, anti-tumor, and tumor-promoting activities. Differences in survival, degree of immune cell infiltration, and intensity of anti-tumor and tumor-promoting activities were also evaluated in the high- and low-risk groups. A model based on 21 DEirlncRNA pairs was established. Compared with ESTIMATE score and clinical data, this model could better predict outcomes of melanoma patients. Follow-up analysis of the model’s effectiveness showed that patients in the high-risk group had poorer prognosis and were less likely to benefit from immunotherapy compared with those in the low-risk group. Moreover, there were differences in tumor-infiltrating immune cells between the high-risk and low-risk groups. By pairing the DEirlncRNA, we constructed a model to evaluate the prognosis of cutaneous melanoma independent of a specific level of lncRNA expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Walkable dual emissions, in which the emission bands of the walker reversibly cross or leave those of the stationary ones depending on temperature and concentration, have been demonstrated in cyclic dimeric lanthanide complexes [Ln(hfac)3(PAnPO2)]2 (Ln = EuI II, TbIII; hfac- = hexafluoroacetylacetonate; PAnPO2 = 9,10-bis(diphenylphosphino) anthracene dioxide), providing a concept model for signals exchanging and dispatching. Additionally, good linear relationships are observed between the maximum emission bands of the walker vs the concentrations {lg(M)} and the measurement temperatures (K), implying such materials could be served as potential concentration and temperature sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a hybrid adaptive ant colony algorithm (HAACA) to realize product family multi-objective optimization design through scale-based product platform theory model. The Pareto-optimal solution was obtained via HAACA, and then the fuzzy optimization method is presented to extract the optimal solution of multi-objective optimization problem. The multi-objective optimization method was carried out in two stages. In the first stage, each product is optimized independently via HAACA and the product platform constant parameter and its value is obtained according to the change ratio of design variables. In the second stage, the scaling variables of each product are solved via HAACA based on the optimization objectives improving the performance in constraint of restrictions and the best compromise solution is extracted based on fuzzy optimization method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of antithrombotic prophylaxis and to explore potential risk factors for thrombotic/bleeding events in patients with positive antiphospholipid (aPL) antibodies receiving invasive procedures. Method: All aPL-positive patients who underwent invasive procedures in Peking Union Medical College Hospital, from January 2002 to April 2018, were retrospectively enrolled. Demographic features, clinical features, antiphospholipid antibody profiles, types of invasive procedures, and antithrombotic management, as well as complications and outcomes, were systematically reviewed and recorded. Results: A total of 111 aPL-positive patients with 130 invasive procedures were enrolled. One hundred nine (83.8%) cases were on regular antithrombotic therapy which started at least 1 month prior to the invasive procedures, with 58 (44.6%) receiving anticoagulation therapy, 27 (20.8%) receiving antiplatelet therapy, and 24 (18.5%) receiving both. During the periprocedural period, the median time free of antithrombotic therapy was 2.5 days (interquartile range 1.5–6.0 days). Two (1.5%) periprocedural thrombotic events and 18 (13.8%) bleeding events were identified. Large open/laparoscopic surgeries of the thorax and abdomen were associated with a higher risk of bleeding (OR 3.46, 95% CI 1.24–9.67, p = 0.014). All bleeding events were manageable and not life-threatening. Conclusions: Aggressive antithrombotic therapy was associated with fewer thrombotic events in aPL-positive patients receiving invasive procedures, but might contribute to an increased bleeding rate, especially in large open surgeries. This study justifies more caution in prophylactic antithrombotic therapy in periprocedural aPL-positive patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypoplastic constitutive equation based on nonlinear tensor functions possesses a failure surface but no yield surface. In this paper, we consider the numerical integration and FE implementation of a simple hypoplastic constitutive equation. The accuracy of several integration methods, including implicit and explicit methods, is examined by performing a set of triaxial compression tests. Adaptive explicit schemes show the best performance. In addition, the stress drift away from the failure surface is corrected with a predictor-corrector scheme, which is verified by two boundary value problems, i.e. rigid footing tests and slope stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When plates with edge cracks in the rolling process is straightened by cyclic tensile and compressive stress, the tip of edge crack always accompanied by stress concentration, which leads to crack propagation. In this paper, damage parameters are imported into the plate straightening model based on determining the GTN damage parameters of magnesium alloy materials by inverse finite element calibration method, the influence of different straightening process schemes and prefabricated V-shaped crack geometry on crack growth is analyzed through the way of the combination of simulation and straightening experiment. The results show that the peak values of equivalent stress and equivalent strain under each straightening roll appear at the crack tip. The value of longitudinal stress and equivalent stain decrease with the distance to crack tip becomes larger. The peak value of longitudinal stress appears when the crack circumferential angle is about 100°, and the crack tip is easy to form crack propagation; when the plate passes roll 2 and roll 4, the equivalent stress and strain concentration at the crack tip are most obvious; when the reduction reaches a certain degree, the void volume fraction (VVF) reaches the VVF of the material breaking; with the increase of the entrance reduction, the number of VVF at the crack tip which reaches the material fracture increases, and the length of crack propagation increases; the stress concentration at the tip of V-shaped crack with large length–width ratio is obvious, and the VVF is more likely to reach the VVF at the time of material fracture, crack initiates and propagates easily. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Essential genes are thought to encode proteins that carry out the basic functions to sustain a cellular life, and genomic islands (GIs) usually contain clusters of horizontally transferred genes. It has been assumed that essential genes are not likely to be located in GIs, but systematical analysis of essential genes in GIs has not been explored before. Here, we have analyzed the essential genes in 28 prokaryotes by statistical method and reached a conclusion that essential genes in GIs are significantly fewer than those outside GIs. The function of 362 essential genes found in GIs has been explored further by BLAST against the Virulence Factor Database (VFDB) and the phage/prophage sequence database of PHAge Search Tool (PHAST). Consequently, 64 and 60 eligible essential genes are found to share the sequence similarity with the virulence factors and phage/prophages-related genes, respectively. Meanwhile, we find several toxin-related proteins and repressors encoded by these essential genes in GIs. The comparative analysis of essential genes in genomic islands will not only shed new light on the development of the prediction algorithm of essential genes, but also give a clue to detect the functionality of essential genes in genomic islands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analagous to a long-ranged rocket equipped with multi-stage engines, a luminescent compound with consistent emission signals across a large range of concentrations from two stages of sensitizers can be designed. In this approach, ACQ, aggregation-caused quenching effect of sensitizers, would stimulate lanthanide emission below 10−4 M, and then at concentrations higher than 10−3 M, the 'aggregation-induced emission' (AIE) effect of luminophores would be activated with the next set of sensitizers for lanthanide emission. Simultaneously, the concentration of the molecules could be monitored digitally by the maximal excitation wavelengths, due to the good linear relationship between the maximal excitation wavelengths and the concentrations {lg(M)}. This model, wherein molecules are assembled with two stages (both AIE and ACQ effect) of sensitizers, may provide a practicable strategy for design and construction of smart lanthanide bioprobes, which are suitable in complicated bioassay systems in which concentration is variable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urea, as a significant molecule in biology, chemistry and agriculture, is extensively present both in industrial production and daily life. However, its excessively releasing into water and soil could bring about a serious threat to the environment and ecology due to the potential eutrophication. Considering the potential hydrogen content in urea, urea-rich wastewater is also regarded as a strategic energy storage resource. Among all technologies, the electrochemical treatment of urea wastewater behaves superior advantages both on environment protection and energy recovery, causing tremendous attention in recent years. Herein, this review summarized electrochemical methods for urea conversions for pollutant control and energy harvesting. As the kernel role in the electrochemical systems, the latest development of advanced electrodes is presented with the basic design principles described. The relationships between the electrocatalysts and their urea oxidation performance have been discussed thoroughly. Additionally, recent advances about novel applications for energy production and resource recovery are also displayed. Finally, the prospects and challenges are still to be addressed, orienting a clear direction for the electrochemical hydrogen harvesting from urea-containing wastewater in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is usually difficult to remove dibenzothiophenes from diesel fuels by oxidation with molecular oxygen as an oxidant. In the study, tungsten oxide was supported on magnetic mesoporous silica by calcination to form a magnetically separable catalyst for oxidative desulfurization of diesel fuel. By tuning different calcining temperatures, the catalyst calcined at 500 °C showed a high catalytic activity with molecular oxygen as the oxidant. Under optimal reaction conditions, the sulfur removal of DBT reached 99.9% at 120 °C after 8 h. Furthermore, the removals of 4-methyldibenzothiophene and 4,6-dimethyldibenzothiophene could also get up to 98.2% and 92.3% under the same conditions. The reaction mechanism was explored by selective quenching experiments and FT-IR spectra. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid urbanization in China has been associated with a growing hunger for energy consumption and steadily-increasing CO2 emissions. In this paper, an integrated system dynamics model composed of four sub-models is developed to simulate the urbanization and energy consumption in China from 1998 to 2050. Three scenarios are provided: accelerated economic development, emission reduction constraint, and low-carbon oriented. The result reveals that rapid economic growth and sufficient energy supply will foster China's urbanization in all three scenarios. Under the low carbon transition scenario, China's urbanization rate is expected to reach 76.41% in 2050, both reducing carbon emissions and promoting eco-friendly development. All three scenarios witness a dramatic growth of residential energy consumption and a steady increase of industrial energy consumption. China still has a long way to achieve the low-carbon transition goal. China should promote renewable resources and energy, pursue a low-carbon lifestyle, and reduce energy intensity over the next few decades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate the risk factors for pelvic lymph node metastasis (LNM) in endometrial cancer (EC).Methods: Clinicopathological characteristics and preoperative laboratory results were retrospectively analyzed in 393 surgically staged patients with EC (January 2014-February 2019).Results: Pelvic LNM was detected in 45 (11.5%) patients. Univariate analysis showed that increased preoperative levels of human epididymis protein 4 (HE4), carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA125), monocyte to lymphocyte ratio (MLR), platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and decreased absolute lymphocyte count (ALC), as well as non-endometrioid histology, grade 3 tumor, deep myometrial invasion, vaginal or para-uterine involvement, adnexal involvement, positive peritoneal cytology, and lymphovascular space invasion (LVSI) were risk factors for pelvic LNM (All p < 0.05). Multivariate analysis revealed that preoperative serum HE4 ≥ 132 pmol/L (odds ratio (OR) 4.25, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.65-10.94, p = 0.003), serum CA 125 ≥ 27.6 U/mL (OR 6.10, 95% CI 2.31-16.07, p = 0.000), non-endometrioid histology (OR 16.64, 95% CI 5.96-46.47, p = 0.000), myometrial invasion ≥ 50% (OR 5.30, 95% CI 2.07-13.55, p = 0.001), positive peritoneal cytology (OR 4.70, 95% CI 1.21-18.27, p = 0.025), and LVSI (OR 3.11, 95% CI 1.09-8.92, p = 0.034) remained as independent risk factors for pelvic LNM in EC. With the increase of these independent risk factors, the rate of pelvic LNM was increased significantly.Conclusions: Higher preoperative levels of serum HE4 and CA125, non-endometrioid histology, deep myometrial invasion, positive peritoneal cytology, and LVSI are independent risk factors for pelvic LNM in EC, which can provide scientific basis for lymphadenectomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the development of Gracilariopsis lemaneiformis tetrasporophytes during tetraspore formation and release was investigated with the aim to understand the physiological and biochemical bases during tetraspore formation and release especially from energy metabolism, contributing to elucidation of the control of fertility, and to discover indicators related to the fertility level. The accompanied changes in photosystem II (PSII) photosynthetic abilities, adenosine-5′-triphosphate (ATP) content, ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (Rubisco), and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) activities of three strains of G. lemaneiformis, the wild type, cultivar 981, and ZC, cultivated in the laboratory and collected from the field were measured. Light microscopy observations showed that the differentiation process for all tetrasporophytes could be divided into four phases. Cultivar 981 produced the least number of tetrasporangia and tetraspores, which confirmed the low fertility of this strain. The photosynthetic activity, measured by effective PSII quantum yield (Y(II)) showed, fell earlier and rose later, and the values in phase IV were the highest for all three strains during the development of tetrasporophytes. ATP content decreased as developmental process progressed, suggesting that the thalli utilized more substrate and energy in order to heal wounds caused by spore release in phases III and IV. Moreover, the variations in Rubisco activity had the similar trend as ATP content and the same pattern as the Y(II) values during tetrasporic development. PEPC activities were approximately 1 to 2 orders of magnitude higher than those of Rubisco during the development process in the laboratory and field samples, which suggested that an anaplerotic reaction of G. lemaneiformis is substantial because of high growth rates in phase I and high demand for organic and amino acids for the synthesis of major cell components such as proteins in phases II, III, and IV. The results also suggested that the fertility of G. lemaneiformis tetrasporophytes, coupled with the variation in photosynthetic and carboxylase activities, and its increased energy use would be useful characteristics when attempting to breed new strains of G. lemaneiformis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]