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A novel and environmentally friendly magnetic iron zeolite (MIZ) core–shell were successfully fabricated using municipal solid waste incineration bottom ash-derived zeolite (MWZ) coated with Fe3O4 and innovatively investigated as a heterogeneous persulfate (PS) catalyst. The morphology and structure composition of as-prepared catalysts were characterised, and it was proved that the core–shell structure of MIZ was successfully synthesised by coating Fe3O4 uniformly on the MWZ surface. The tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH) degradation experiment indicate that the optimum equimolar amount of iron precursors was 3 mmol (MIZ-3). Compared with other systems, MIZ-3 possessed a superior catalytic performance, and the degradation efficiency of TCH (50 mg·L−1) in the MIZ-3/PS system reached 87.3%. The effects of reaction parameters on the catalytic activity of MIZ-3, including pH, initial concentration of TCH, temperature, the dosage of catalyst, and Na2S2O8, were assessed. The catalyst had high stability according to three recycling experiments and the leaching test of iron ions. Furthermore, the working mechanism of the MIZ-3/PS system to TCH was discussed. The electron spin resonance (ESR) results demonstrated that the reactive radicals generated in the MIZ-3/PS system were sulphate radical (${\rm S}{\rm O}_4^- \bullet$ S O 4 − ∙) and hydroxyl radical (•OH). This work provided a novel strategy for TCH degradation under PS with a broad perspective on the fabrication of non-toxic and low-cost catalysts in practical wastewater treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to assess the effect of individualized enteral nutrition management based on the prognostic nutrition index (PNI) on surgical patients with oral malignancies. This quasi-experimental pilot study consecutively included patients diagnosed with oral malignancies who underwent radical surgery in Ningbo No. 2 Hospital between January 2020 and May 2023. The primary outcome was PNI. A total of 71 patients with oral malignancies were enrolled, and 35 patients received PNI-based individualized enteral nutrition management. The PNI group displayed significantly higher PNI than the routine enteral nutrition support group (1st week postoperatively: 39.86 ± 3.86 vs. 37.29 ± 4.23, p < 0.001. 2nd weeks postoperatively: 44.17 ± 4.36 vs. 40.72 ± 3.40, p < 0.001). The surgical suture removal time and length of hospital stay (both p < 0.001) in the PNI group were significantly shorter than in the routine enteral nutrition support group. At 1 month postoperatively, the PNI group had significantly higher scores of QoL (p = 0.002) than the routine enteral nutrition support group. The individualized enteral nutrition management based on the PNI could improve the nutritional status of postoperative patients with oral malignancy, which could facilitate postoperative rehabilitation and improve overall QoL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractIn order to improve the efficiency and safety of shield machine cutting reinforced concrete piles, abrasive waterjets (AWJs) assisted mechanical combined cutting technology is considered a feasible solution. However, the water-rich flooding environment will cause the cutting performance of AWJs to weaken, which brings great challenges to the application of this technology. In order to analyze the influence of submerged conditions on the cutting performance of AWJs, the cross-sectional morphology of reinforced concrete piles cut by AWJs is explored using indoor experiments, and the weakening law of pile foundation cutting depth is revealed. The results show that the submerged environment greatly weakens the cutting ability, and the average cutting depth is reduced by about 20.0%. Rebar materials are more difficult to remove due to their high strength and strong plastic toughness, which is the root reason of the difficulty in cutting off piles. As the cutting times increases, the cutting depth discount factor initially decreases rapidly before stabilizing. At 380 MPa, the cutting depth discount factor remains stable at 0.49, while at 280 MPa, it stabilizes at 0.62. The findings presented in this paper can provide guidance and suggestions on waterjet parameters for AWJs assisted shield machine pile breaking.HIGHLIGHTSThe cross-sectional change rules of reinforced concrete pile foundation cut by abrasive waterjets is clarified.The depth weakening effect of pile foundations cut by abrasive waterjets under submerged conditions is revealed.The cutting depth discount factor for rebars is established.The cross-sectional change rules of reinforced concrete pile foundation cut by abrasive waterjets is clarified.The depth weakening effect of pile foundations cut by abrasive waterjets under submerged conditions is revealed.The cutting depth discount factor for rebars is established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The efficient removal of 2-Methylisoborneol (2-MIB), a typical odour component, in water treatment plants (WTPs), poses a great challenge to conventional water treatment technology due to its chemical stability. In this study, the combination of ultraviolet light-emitting diode (UV-LED) and chlorine (UV-LED/chlorine) was exploited for 2-MIB removal, and the role of ultraviolet (UV) wavelength was investigated systematically. The results showed that UV or chlorination alone did not degrade 2-MIB effectively, and the UV/chlorine process could degrade 2-MIB efficiently, following the pseudo-first-order kinetic model. The 275 nm UV exhibited higher 2-MIB degradation efficiency in this UV-LED/chlorine system than 254 nm UV, 265 nm UV and 285 nm UV due to the highest mole adsorption coefficient and quantum yield of chlorine in 275 nm UV. ·OH and ·Cl produced in the 275 nm UV/chlorine system played major roles in 2-MIB degradation. HCO3− and Natural organic matter (NOM), prevalent in water, consumed ·OH and ·Cl, thus inhibiting the 2-MIB degradation by UV-LED/chlorine. In addition, NOM and 2-MIB could form a photonic competition effect. The degradation of 2-MIB by UV-LED/chlorine was done mainly through dehydration and demethylation, and odorous intermediates, such as camphor, were produced. 2-MIB was degraded through the α bond fracture and six-membered ring opening to form saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbons and aldehydes. Four DBPs, chloroform (CF), trichloroacetaldehyde (TCE), trichloroacetone (TCP) and dichloroacetone (DCP), were mainly generated, and CF was the most significant by-product. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a prevalent tumour with high morbidity rates worldwide, and its incidence among younger populations is rising. Early diagnosis of CRC can help control the associated mortality. Fungi are common microorganisms in nature. Recent studies have shown that fungi may have a similar association with tumours as bacteria do. As an increasing number of tumour-associated fungi are discovered, this provides new ideas for the diagnosis and prognosis of tumours. The relationship between fungi and colorectal tumours has also been recently identified by scientists. Therefore, this paper describes the limitations and prospects of the application of fungi in diagnosing CRC and predicting CRC prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the 'twin imagers', Himawari-8/AHI and Himawari-9/AHI are both the new generation imagers operated by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA). After more than 7 years of operation, Himawari-8/AHI turned into stand-by status and Himawari-9/AHI began operation as the successor. To continuous users of both imagers, it is essential to characterize continuity of Himawari-8/AHI to Himawari-9/AHI observations, which can provide beneficial information to quantitative retrieval and satellite assimilation algorithm developer. In this research, cross-comparison are performed to Himawari-8/AHI and Himawari-9/AHI infrared (IR) observations, and 'observation minus background (O - B)' characters of two imagers under clear-sky condition over ocean are also compared. The results are as follows: 1) Himawari-8/AHI and Himawari-9/AHI IR observations are in good consistency with largest absolute bias less than 1.437 K and RMSE below 1.663 K. Biases and RMSEs for Himawari-8/AHI and Himawari-9/AHI channel 7 show obvious diurnal variation character and RMSEs for all channels have evident temporal cycle variation characteristics, with cycle time of about 10 days; 2) IR observations of Himawari-8/AHI are more closed to RTTOV simulations under clear-sky condition than those of Himawari-9/AHI, especially for channels 7, 9 and 16. Dependence of O – B biases and RMSEs for two imagers IR channels on satellite scan angles are almost identical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditionally, diverse natural bioactive compounds (polyphenols, proteins, fatty acids, dietary fibers) are used as inhibitors of starch digestive enzymes for lowering glycemic index (GI) and preventing type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). In recent years, organic nanomaterials (ONMs) have drawn a great attention because of their ability to overcome the stability and solubility issues of bioactive. This review aimed to elucidate the implications of ONMs in lowering GI and as encapsulating agents of enzymes inhibitors. The major ONMs are presented. The mechanisms underlying the inhibition of enzymes, the stability within the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) and safety of ONMs are also provided. As a result of encapsulation of bioactive in ONMs, a more pronounced inhibition of enzymes was observed compared to un-encapsulated bioactive. More importantly, the lower the size of ONMs, the higher their inhibitory effects due to facile binding with enzymes. Additionally, in vivo studies exhibited the potentiality of ONMs for protection and sustained release of insulin for GI management. Overall, regulating the GI using ONMs could be a safe, robust and viable alternative compared to synthetic drugs (acarbose and voglibose) and un-encapsulated bioactive. Future researches should prioritize ONMs in real food products and evaluate their safety on a case-by-case basis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to find proteomic differences in endometrial receptivity between recurrent implantation failure (RIF) and recurrent implantation success (RIS). This study was a basic proteomic analysis of endometrial biopsies from RIF and RIS women. Differentially expressed proteins between RIF and RIS were screened via isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ) and liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Furthermore, bioinformatic analysis was launched to analyze the difference in the endometrial receptivity between RIF and RIS women. Quantitative P CR and Western blotting were used to validated the study. This study identified 625 differentially expressed proteins in the RIF women compared with RIS women. Bioinformatics analysis demonstrated that these differentially expressed proteins were enriched in 'Wnt signaling,' 'Vascular smooth muscle contraction,' 'Ubiquitin mediated proteolysis,' 'Tight junction,' or 'TGF-beta signaling' related processes or pathways. Quantitative PCR and Western blotting validation experiments revealed that Claudin-4, p38, PRKAB, IKB-b were unregulated, myosin-2, PKG2 were downregulated significantly in RIF. This study indicated that the alternations of key signal pathways play important roles in the failure of embryo implantation, further studies are warranted to verify if targeting these molecules might be useful to improve the embryo implantation or not. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetic wounds (DW) are a complication of diabetes and slow wound healing is the main manifestation. Methylene blue (MB) has been shown to exhibit therapeutic effects on diabetes-related diseases. To investigate the mechanisms of action of MB-nanoemulsion (NE) in the treatment of DW. The concentration of MB-NE used in the in vivo and in vitro experiments was 0.1 mg/mL. Streptozocin-induced diabetic mice were used as models. The mice were separated into nondiabetic, diabetic, MB-NE treated, and NE-treated groups. Intervention of high glucose-induced human umbilical vein endothelial cells using MB-NE. The mechanism by which MB-NE promotes DW healing is investigated by combining histological analysis, immunofluorescence analysis, TUNEL and ROS assays and western blotting. In diabetic mice, the MB-NE accelerated DW healing (p < 0.05), promoted the expression of endothelial cell markers (α-SMA, CD31 and VEGF) (p < 0.05), and reduced TUNEL levels. In vitro, MB accelerated the migration rate of cells (p < 0.05); promoted the expression of CD31, VEGF, anti-apoptotic protein Bcl2 (p < 0.05) and decreased the expression of the pro-apoptotic proteins cleaved caspase-3 and Bax (p < 0.05). MB upregulated the expression of Nrf2, catalase, HO-1 and SOD2 (p < 0.05). In addition, MB reduced the immunofluorescence intensity of TUNEL and ROS in cells and reduced apoptosis. The therapeutic effect of MB was attenuated after treatment with an Nrf2 inhibitor (ML385). This study provides a foundation for the application of MB-NE in the treatment of DW. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Childhood emotional neglect (CEN) confers a great risk for developing multiple psychiatric disorders; however, the neural basis for this association remains unknown. Using a dynamic functional connectivity approach, this study aimed to examine the effects of CEN experience on functional brain networks in young adults. Method: In total, 21 healthy young adults with CEN experience and 26 without childhood trauma experience were recruited. The childhood trauma experience was assessed using the childhood trauma questionnaire (CTQ), and eligible participants underwent resting-state functional MRI. Sliding windows and k-means clustering were used to identify temporal features of large-scale functional connectivity states (frequency, mean dwell time, and transition numbers). Result: Dynamic analysis revealed two separate connection states: state 1 was more frequent and characterized by extensive weak connections between the brain regions. State 2 was relatively infrequent and characterized by extensive strong connections between the brain regions. Compared to the control group, the CEN group had a longer mean dwell time in state 1 and significantly decreased transition numbers between states 1 and 2. Conclusion: The CEN experience affects the temporal properties of young adults' functional brain connectivity. Young adults with CEN experience tend to be stable in state 1 (extensive weak connections between the brain regions), reducing transitions between states, and reflecting impaired metastability or functional network flexibility. We focus solely on the childhood emotional neglect experience and its long-term effects on brain function. Eligible participants with and without childhood emotional neglect were identified through a large-scale screen among young adults. The results found childhood emotional neglect experiences have a long-term impact on brain flexibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A multi-constitutive model simultaneous-updating-based online numerical simulation method is proposed to deal with the incomplete boundary condition problem and modeling errors in hybrid simulation. The structural responses are calculated using the overall structural model, whose constitutive model parameters are updated online utilizing the experimental data via the unscented Kalman filter. The effectiveness and feasibility were validated using a plane reinforced concrete frame and a spatial reinforced concrete frame equipped with buckling-restrained braces. Results indicated that estimating multi-constitutive model parameters simultaneously with measured restoring force can significantly enhance the model reliability, and the overall accuracy of the hybrid simulation was improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Noodles have been a staple food in Asian countries for more than 4,000 years, and almost 40% of wheat cultivated in Asia is consumed in the form of noodles. Existing standard for inspection and evaluation systems focus on the quality of ingredients, dough, semi-finished and final products of flour products with high moisture content (such as bread). However, Asian noodles are flour products with low moisture content, and no unified method is available for evaluating the quality of noodle-making process. This review summarizes the current process of making Asian noodles and the various methods to evaluate the quality of ingredients, semi-finished, and finished products. The methods for analyzing the quality of special flour, processing of crumbly dough and dough sheets, dried, semi-dried and cooked Asian noodles are also described. Overall, important directions and recommendations for the research and development in terms of efficient processing and quality control of Asian noodles are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the influence of multi-components strong motion duration on seismic performance of high concrete-faced rockfill dams (CFRDs) by fragility analysis based on the method of incremental dynamic analysis (IDA). The contributions of all compositions of earthquake excitations are considered by the definition of integrated duration based on the concept of significant duration. The nonlinear finite element model of a 2D 200-m-high CFRD is established as a case study and the vertical and horizontal displacements are selected as damage measures. Fragility curves and probabilities of two sets of 23 and 25 spectrally equivalent as-recorded bi-directional long-duration and short-duration motions are determined under different failure grades and intensities. The results show that the duration of vertical component has a certain effect on correction between strong motion duration and deformation of the dam and fragility analysis indicates that the ground motions with long duration can make more risk of failure of high CFRDs than short duration motions. Therefore, the seismic performance of high CFRDs will be reformed by taking the effect of ground motion duration into seismic design and risk assessment consideration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While a higher level of physical activity (PA) is inversely associated with a higher breast cancer (BC) risk, the health benefits of daily steps on obesity-related BC biomarkers remain unclear. We aimed to understand the associations of changes in step counts with levels of five obesity-related BC biomarkers during a two-year follow-up. In total, 144 non-cancer women (47.96 ± 5.72) were observed on both 2019 and 2021. A structured questionnaire, daily steps and fasting blood samples were collected before (t0, 2019) and after (t1, 2021). Levels of biomarkers (IGF-binding proteins 3, adiponectin, soluble leptin receptor, C-reactive protein, and resistin) were assayed by ELISA. Participants were divided into persistent low steps, decreasing steps, increasing steps, and persistent high steps. Associations of categories on proposed biomarkers were estimated using linear regression models, with persistent low steps as reference. Associations between time-varying step counts with biomarkers were quantified using mixed linear models. Compared with persistent low steps, increasing steps is associated with a reduction in C-reactive protein level (β=−0.74, 95%CI=−1.23-−0.26, P-value = 2.98 × 10−3). An inverse association between time-varying step counts with C-reactive protein level was identified, consistent across different obesity types and baseline step level categories. No association with daily step counts was observed for other proteins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The efficacy of photodynamic therapy (PDT) is still limited by the inefficient utilisation of generated ROS in tumours due to cellular redox homeostasis. To improve the therapeutic efficacy for oral carcinoma, biomimetic cell membrane-coated mesoporous nanoplatform was tailored to interfere with cellular redox homeostasis for amplified PDT. In this study, CAL-27 cancer cell membrane (CM) was encapsulated onto the mesoporous silica NPs (MSN), which were preloaded with Chlorin e6 (Ce6) and Curcumin (Cur). The biomimetic nanoparticles displayed a size of around 120 nm, which had excellent cytotoxicity under a laser and increased uptake ability to tumour cell. After internalised by cancer cells, the released Cur could effectively disturb ROS-defence system by suppressing TrxR activity, and decreasing TrxR-2 expression (p < 0.05), leading to enhanced cancer cell killing ability of PDT. The biomimetic system was found to selectively accumulate in the tumour due to its homologous targeting capability and inhibit tumour growth significantly. In a word, the biomimetic nanoplatform apparently enhanced the therapeutic effect of PDT on tumours by Cur disturbing the ROS-defence system, which exhibited a new way to enhance PDT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Differences in the implementation of the perioperative nutrition guidelines and pathways by caregivers lead to differences in enteral nutrition provided to the patients. This study investigated the effect of a personalized enteral nutrition protocol on the postoperative nutritional status of patients who underwent oral cancer surgery at Zhejiang Ningbo NO. 2 Hospital. Those who underwent surgery between July 2017 and October 2018 received routine enteral nutrition based on the Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 (routine group), while those between November 2018 and August 2021 received personalized enteral nutrition based on the Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment tool (personalized group). Seventy patients completed the study (routine group, n = 34; personalized group, n = 36). After surgery, the personalized group exhibited significantly greater improvements in serum albumin levels (P < 0.01) (on the 7th and 10th day) and hand grip strength (P < 0.01), higher self-care ability (P < 0.01), lower incidence of gastrointestinal reactions during enteral feeding (P < 0.05), and shorter hospital stay (P < 0.05) than the routine group. Therefore, a personalized enteral nutrition program might improve the postoperative nutritional status, shorten the hospital stay, and accelerate postoperative recovery in patients who underwent oral cancer surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To study the formation and stability of the O/W and reverse W/O microemulsion, dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) simulation was utilized to investigate the system composed of oil, water and Gemini surfactants. The effects of oil-water ratio, temperature, inorganic salt and shear rate were discussed in the simulation. Controlled of the formation process and stability of microemulsions by analyzing the interfacial tension of oil and water interfaces, end-to-end distance of Gemini surfactants and the translucent three-dimensional structures of formed aggregates. Two types microemulsions could form and mutually transform with changing the oil-water ratio. In conclusion, the O/W microemulsion has better temperature, salt and shear tolerance comparing to the reverse W/O microemulsion. The results of the research using DPD simulation expanded the theoretical knowledge of microemulsion on the molecular level, which is of great importance to develop new microemulsion systems with other surfactants and provided better theoretical guidance for the application of microemulsions. The O/W and W/O microemulsion could formed and transformed by changing the oil-water ratio (from 1:5 to.5:1) at same external conditions(a). Besides, the O/W Microemulsion has a better stabitity with changing inorganic salt, temperature and shear(b). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A surface-modified D-type photonic crystal fiber (PCF) based on surface plasmon resonance (SPR) is reported for application as a polarization filter and refractive index sensor. The gold film is deposited on the surface of the designed fiber structure to stimulate the SPR effect. Through etching, the upper surface of the designed structure forms an angle of 170°. The etching angle changes the distance between the fiber core and the surface of gold film to enhance the local field SPR effect. The designed optical device is numerically simulated using the finite element method (FEM), the mode distribution is studied, and the coupling phenomenon is analyzed. At a wavelength of 1.31 µm, the y-polarization loss is 1307.90 dB/cm, while the loss of x-polarization is 1.13 dB/cm; at 1.55 µm, the y-polarization loss is 1755.19 dB/cm, while the x-polarization loss is only 1.24 dB/cm. In the case of the same structure parameters as the proposed polarization filter, of which communication window is 1.55 µm, the designed structure also serves as a refractive index sensor from 1.330 to 1.365. The average sensitivity of the refractive index sensor is up to 4857 nm/RIU, and the highest sensitivity is 7588 nm/RIU when the refractive index is 1.365. The results show that the reported SPR-based PCF simultaneously implements dual communication window polarization filtering and refractive index sensing. Hence, the designed device has promising applications with good filtering and sensing performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a (Ti + graphite)-Ni composite powder serving as a coating material was deposited on H13 steel to fabricate an in-situ TiC-reinforced Ni-based composite coating by a new type of ESD process, which was named ultrasonic-assisted electrospark powder deposition (UEPD). The composite coating has an average thickness of approximately 45.5 μm and metallurgically bonds with the substrate. The ultrasonic vibration exerted on the UEPD electrode can effectively improve the forming quality of the composite coating, which produces better compactness and thickness uniformity as well as few defects. The microstructure mainly consisted of submicron dendrites due to the rapid solidification of the molten pool. TiC particles as reinforcements were successfully synthesized in the coating via an in-situ reaction due to their low Gibbs free energy and high melting point. The formation of refined grains and in-situ reinforcements prompts the average hardness of the coating to reach 1400.5 HV0.05, which is approximately 2.5 times that of the substrate. The tribological properties of the composite coating are greatly improved in comparison with those of the substrate. The wear rate and friction coefficient of the composite coating decrease by two orders of magnitude and 46.2%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microemulsion and reverse microemulsion exhibited important applications in many fields. Bola-surfactant as a specific type of surfactants has a certain impact on the formation and stability of the microemulsion and reverse microemulsion. In this work, the formation and stability of the O/W and reverse W/O microemulsion at different surfactant concentration, inorganic salt, temperature and shear rate were researched using Dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) simulation on mesoscopic level. The results show that two types of Microemulsions could form and mutually transform with changing the oil-water ratio under the same other conditions. The O/W Microemulsion emulsified by a little surfactants and have better abbility to resist inorganic salt, temperature and shear rate comparing to the reverse W/O Microemulsion. The simulation results provide new insight into formation, transformation and stability conditions of different microemulsions from the mesoscopic scale, and supply theoretical guidance for the practical application of the microemulsions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dispersion is a factor that causes the axial resolution to decrease in optical coherence tomography (OCT). In this paper, an artificial neural network (ANN) is reported for correcting the dispersion problem. By training a neural network, the dispersion-free spectral signal is predicted only from a given interference spectral signal. First, the dispersion principle of OCT is analyzed. Next, the process for finding the global optimum of dispersion-free spectral signal distribution is described as a training process, and the ANN model is introduced. Lastly, simulation and experiments show that the presented method improves the axial resolution of the system. Accordingly, the ANN model fits the non-linear relationship between input and output, and the spectral response shows the problem of full width at half maximum (FWHM) due to dispersion in OCT which is of great significance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article develops a multiscale topology optimization model for the free damping structure to optimize the microstructure of the damping material and its macro layout. The objective is to minimize structural response in a broad frequency gap subject to volume constraints on both macro and micro levels. To overcome the convergence difficulty caused by the sharp jumping of the harmonic response around structural eigenfrequencies and maintain high-precision integral, the Gauss Legendre integration method is adopted to calculate the integration of objective function. Based on the density-based method, the sensitivity analysis of the objective function and the constraint is deduced. The mode acceleration method is used to reduce computational cost and a modified threshold Heaviside projection method is used to obtain the clear black-and-white designs. Several numerical examples are investigated to demonstrate the validity of the proposed model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A comb like micro-blocked hydrophobic association polymer (CBHAP) with evident thickening property in high salinity and weak thickening property in fresh water was developed. Based on the unique property, we designed the injection strategy that polymer in fresh water with low viscosity was injected into the cores to improve injectivity and high salinity water was used to perform subsequent water flooding to improve mobility control ability. The factors influencing on the injectivity as well as mobility control ability were researched by the core flooding experiments. As a result, pressure fluctuation was found in the subsequent water flooding from 0.7 PV to 1.5 PV, showing obvious variation of viscosity in the cores. The phenomenon was believed to improve mobility control ability. In addition, the positive correlation between polymer concentration, salinity, injected volume and the fluctuation was found. The designed injection method for the polymer can be used to solve injectivity issue as well as improve mobility control ability in high salinity reservoir. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high-pure magnetite concentrate (HPMC) was studied for a substitution of iron scale to produce the magnetic powder of strontium hexaferrite via the conventional ceramic process in this work. The magnetic powder obtained under the optimum conditions had a magneto plumbite structure, which was confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD). Scanning electron microscope (SEM) depicted that ferrite grains were hexagon shaped and evenly distributed with an average particle size of about 1 μm. Furthermore, a comparison of magnetic powders separately produced with HPMC and iron scale was made by detecting the magnetic properties of their sintered magnets using a permanent magnetic measuring system. The results demonstrated that the HPMC magnetic powder had a superiority over iron scale magnetic powder, and it had fully achieved the level of Y30-1 product in China. In the final part, the economic feasibility of using HPMC for magnetic powder production was verified by the cost–benefit analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To obtain better filtering characteristics and transmission performance, an asymmetric gold-coated photonic crystal fiber (PCF) polarization filter based on surface plasmon resonance (SPR) was designed and investigated. The surface plasmon mode is generated by coating gold film to the inner walls of two liquid-filled holes along the y polarization direction. Three air holes with different diameters are introduced near the core which break the symmetry of the primary fiber structure and make the resonance wavelengths of the x polarization and y polarization of the core mode well separated. The filtering performances are evaluated with the finite element method (FEM) based software. The numerical simulation shows that the confinement loss of y polarization is as high as 1375.94 dB/cm at 1.55 µm, while the x polarization loss is only 10.45 dB/cm. Furthermore, the crosstalk (CT) has a maximum of 1186.06 dB in the communication bands when the length of the fiber is 1000 µm. In the range from 1.1 µm to 2 µm, the bandwidth of the filter is approximately 900 nm. The asymmetry of the structure and liquid filling of gold-coated holes enhance the coupling strength of the filter. Meanwhile, the higher confinement loss, crosstalk and wider bandwidth may have useful applications for polarization filters with significance for the design of other filters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, the method of "experimental gas content + multi logging parameters and coalbed methane (CBM) content fitting + exploration network" is commonly used to obtain the spatial distribution law of coal seam CBM content. When the heterogeneity of CBM content in coal reservoir is strong, the results obtained by traditional methods are obvious different from the actual results. In the present work, taking Shizhuang south block in Shanxi Province, China as an example, 26 key points controlling the CBM content in the 3# coal seam in the study area are identified by combination of inversion of structural features and use of gas–water differentiation theory. Which avoids that the traditional "exploration network" cannot accurately identify the maximum/minimum point of CBM content. The regression of isothermal adsorption parameters and logging curves were used to obtain CBM contents at key interpolation points. The spatial distribution characteristics of CBM content are obtained by "Kriging interpolation method." Randomly selected points, and intersection points on the exploration network, all with a same quantity of points were compared. The results show that the prediction results by key points are more approximate to those obtained with more points. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Propolis has attracted commercial interest as a good source of flavonoids and terpenes. This study applied a two-step sequential extraction process, consisting of a super/subcritical extraction step and an ultrasound-assisted ethanol extraction (UAEE) step to raw propolis. The yields of propolis extracts and the extraction rates of flavonoids and terpenes have been used to evaluate the different extraction methods. The results have indicated that the yields of propolis extracts, total flavonoids, and eight characteristic flavonoids from subcritical fluid extraction (SFE) were much higher than the yields from supercritical CO2 extraction (SC-CO2), especially when the subcritical mixed-fluids extraction (SMFE) and subcritical subsection extraction (SSE) techniques were used. However, the extraction rate of terpenes from subcritical propane extraction (SPE) was obviously higher than the rates obtained with the other techniques. Furthermore, compared with the ethanol extracts of the super/subcritical raffinates, there is still a considerable amount of flavonoids in SPE raffinates (at 114.48 mg/g raffinate). SMFE and SSE can achieve efficient extraction of flavonoids, but synchronous extraction of terpenes and flavonoids can be achieved via two-step sequential extraction with SPE and UAEE. These findings provide a solid theoretical foundation for the effective extraction of propolis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural productivity is affected by natural disasters, such as drought and flood, which can be assessed by remote sensing (RS) technology. The main objective of this research is to develop an operational methodology for predicting rice yield that is utilized to assess the impacts of drought and flood disasters on agricultural productivity taking Jiangxi, China as an example. For this purpose, we first calculated the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) using monthly rainfall data of 83 stations from 1960 to 2020 to identify the disastrous years and their spatial extent of impact. Then, time-series MODIS data from 2000 to 2020, Landsat images, digital elevation model (DEM) were obtained and utilized for rice plantation mapping using decision-tree algorithm and yield estimation. The identified 3-cropping rice plantations were converted into rice masks for calculating the county-level cumulative NDVI (normalized difference vegetation index) to match the reported county-level annual rice yield for building remote sensing-based rice yield models taking the averages of 2016–2019 as test. By comparing the determination coefficient (R2), root mean square error (RMSE) and prediction accuracy of the models, we found that the best model for rice yield estimation is YD = 4.899 × 10−6×NDVI2 + 2.891 × NDVI + 98511.218 (R2 = 0.898). This model was applied to estimate the county-level annual rice production of 2014 and 2015, and provincial annual rice production of 2010–2019 for validation and prediction. The agreement with the government-reported yield reaches 97–98% at provincial level and the models were hence considered reliable. After verification, the models were applied to other remained years after 2010 for estimating the provincial annual rice production. Then, a new disaster indicator, that is, the disaster composite index (DCI) was developed for assessing the disaster impact on annual rice production in a pilot area around Nanchang City. Results show that developed models are capable of achieving rice yield estimation using both MODIS data for regional and Landsat data for local scale. In comparison with the normal or least affected year, impacts of drought and flood were successfully evaluated using DCI for pilot area and their relationship was created. We hence believe the developed methodology is extendable to South China and other rice plantation area in the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Applying different micro-bits with different sizes to carry out step-by-step drilling is a common technique to obtain micro-stepped holes. However, the possibility of repeated misalignments in the clamping of micro-bits will affect the machining accuracy of the micro-stepped holes. Furthermore, for difficult processing materials such as die steel and cemented carbide, it is difficult to obtain ideal machining results through drilling. Under this background, micro-stepped hole was processed on die steel based on the electrical discharge machining (EDM) wear of micro-bits. Firstly, a high-speed rotating micro-bit was used to perform micro-EDM on die steel to obtain a basic micro-hole. During the micro-EDM process, the micro-bit was worn and thus its length was reduced. Secondly, the worn micro-bit shook along a defined axis to carry out micro-EDM on the die steel workpiece, thus machining micro-stepped hole on the basic micro-hole. This method avoided the clamping error of micro-bit found in other techniques and improved machining accuracy of micro-stepped hole. Through the analysis of variance (ANOVA) of processing parameters and the establishment of surface response model, the appropriate processing parameters were selected. Finally, under the action of appropriate processing parameters, micro-stepped hole was obtained by the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article proposes a design method to minimize the compliance or maximize the fundamental natural frequency of continuum structures under thin feature and support structure constraints in additive manufacturing processes. The objective functions are, respectively, to minimize the compliance of continuum structures under static loads and maximize the fundamental natural frequency of vibrating continuum structures. The topology optimization is performed by the bi-directional evolutionary structural optimization (BESO) method. The sensitivity expressions for minimizing the compliance or maximizing the fundamental natural frequency are derived in detail. Different thin feature constraints and the support structure constraints in different printing directions are investigated. Several two- and three-dimensional numerical examples involving compliance minimization and eigenfrequency maximization show that the proposed method is effective in achieving convergent solid–void optimized solutions for a variety of optimization problems of continuum structures, and the designs resulting from the new topology optimization algorithm are additive manufacturing friendly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a novel coaxial ducted aircraft structure is considered, based on which the flow field with the ceiling effect under different vertical velocities and heights is obtained by exploiting the CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) numerical calculation methods. Taking into account the ceiling effect, a total lift mechanism model of the coaxial ducted aircraft structure is established based on the momentum theory and the blade element theory. In the proposed mechanism model, the relationship between the vertical climbing rate and the induced speed of the rotors and the induced velocity interaction between the coaxial rotors and the effect of the wake of the upper rotor on the lower rotor are considered. To verify the effectiveness and feasibility of the mechanism model, the numerical calculation and the bench test are conducted. The results indicated that, under the hovering condition, the error between the mechanism model and the bench test results falls into 15%; under the vertical climbing condition, the error between the mechanism model and the CFD numerical calculation results falls into 10%. It is concluded that the proposed mechanism model exhibits high adaptability and accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent advancements in instrumentation and the emergence of industrial IoT solutions have created new possibilities to collect data in injection molding processes. Although many approaches have been introduced to develop quality monitoring systems based on this wealth of data, most of them require human expertise for data evaluation or feature extraction, thus their performance is highly dependent on the quality of the incorporated features. In this work, a data-driven approach to the development of a quality monitoring system is proposed using a wide range of process data obtained from a variety of in-mold sensors and machine data sources. Initially, ten different machine learning algorithms are explored. Among them, the multiple linear regression models show the best performance due to their low training error. Several training strategies are implemented based on allocating different subsets of the available data sources. A set of experiments perturbated by three common process disturbances is used to validate the accuracy of the trained models in predicting the quality indices. The results demonstrate that the average error in predicting the weight, diameter, and thickness of the injected parts does not exceed 0.5%, 0.1%, and 0.4% respectively, which imply the effectiveness of the proposed data processing method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a topology optimization method for a multi-physics problem considering weight minimization with compliance, stress, and temperature constraints. Two static equations for thermal and structural problems are solved. A novel topology optimization formulation, i.e., lightweight design involving compliance, stress and temperature limits, is established using the rational approximation of material properties. A corrected P-norm function is employed to exactly evaluate the maximum stress and temperature of the structure. Moreover, iteration oscillations stemming from the high non-linearity of stress constraint are alleviated by means of a stabilizing control scheme based on the stability transformation method. The sensitivity analysis of the coupled multi-physics field is performed utilizing the adjoint method. Some numerical examples are adopted to demonstrate the validity and robustness of the proposed methodology. It is indicated that the topology considering the above three constraints simultaneously can achieve good mechanical and thermal performances, while the compliance constraint can accelerate the rate of convergence. The stricter compliance limit leads to a heavier structure and more uneven stress distribution but less iterations. The optimized topologies are dependent on the temperature range due to the effect of thermal expansion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mountain steppe has important production value and ecological function. The chlorophyll content is a critical biochemical parameter of steppe. This study aims at exploring effective spectral parameters for estimating the chlorophyll content in mountain steppe using in situ hyperspectral measurements. The study area is located on the northern slope of Tianshan Mountains with complex terrain and sparse vegetation. The canopy hyperspectral data and leaf chlorophyll content and canopy chlorophyll content data were measured from 101 samples. The empirical models were constructed based on nine vegetation indices and three red-edge parameters. The results showed that the red-edge magnitude, red-edge area, Second Modified Chlorophyll Absorption Ratio Index, Second Modified Chlorophyll Absorption Ratio Index/Second Optimized Soil-Adjusted Vegetation Index, Second Transformed Chlorophyll Absorption Ratio Index and Triangle Vegetation Index estimated canopy chlorophyll content satisfactorily. Leaf chlorophyll content of mountain steppe is not well estimated using canopy spectral parameters. The results revealed the specific vegetation indices and red-edge parameters for estimating vegetation biochemical parameters at canopy scale in mountain steppe using in situ hyperspectral measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acrylamide is a neurotoxic and genotoxic compound. It is abundant in drinking water because of the usage of polyacrylamide. Its high polarity and small molecular weight characteristics make it difficult to be extracted and analysed. In this study, a novel method was optimized for the determination of trace acrylamide in drinking water. The optimized method, uses bromine derivatization, can avoid false analysis of co-extractives and precursors effectively by transferring acrylamide to 2-bromopropenamide. The 2-bromopropenamide was extracted from water samples using DI-SPME and further analysed by GC-MS. This optimized method uses CAR/PDMS coating SPME fibre to extract at 55°C for 45 min after the addition of 12 g Na2SO4, and then desorbs the extractions in GC injector at 260°C for 3 min. The detection limit was 0.05 μg/L with linearity ranging from 0.5 to 500 μg/L. The repeatability and reproducibility relative standard deviation were 7.30% and 8.50%, respectively. The spiking recovery of tap water samples ranged from 100% to 106%. These results confirmed that this novel method was more precise and accurate than the previously reported SPME methods that used to analyse trace acrylamide in drinking water. The concentrations of acrylamide in the collected samples from clarification and filtration units were 0.80 and 0.71 g/L respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The early-age mechanical properties of ordinary concrete after a thermal cycle are investigated in this paper, to provide information on the residual safety of concrete structures after a fire occurred during the construction phase. The specimens are heated up to 150, 350 and 550 °C, from 3 to 28 days after casting, and tested in compression and in splitting tension after a rest period. The effects of curing period before heating, exposure temperature, cooling methods (in sprayed water or in air) and of the rest period prior to testing are investigated. The rest period after a thermal cycle performed at an early age brings in a marked recovery in terms of final residual compressive and tensile strengths. More than 50–60% of the loss may be recovered which is much lower than that documented in recent studies on fly-ash concrete. The lowest recovery is exhibited by the concretes exposed to high temperature at 7th day. Extending the rest period increases the strength recovery. For the concrete heated at 3rd, 7th and 14th day, cooling the specimens in sprayed water lead to larger strength recoveries than in air, both the strengths immediately after cooling and that after rest periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optimum interpolation (OI) analysis is performed on the sea surface temperature (SST) products retrieved from the Fengyun-3C (FY-3C) visible and infrared radiometer (VIRR). The oriented elliptic correlation scale is employed on the SST data and then compared with those from the traditional rectangular correlation scale in the OI analysis. The results were also evaluated against the daily SST data from the in-situ buoys and the Reynolds Optimum Interpolation 1/4 Degree Daily SST (OISST) during 2015. The statistical metrics indicate that the SSTs determined using the oriented elliptic correlation scales have higher accuracy than those from rectangular correlation scales, as the root-mean-square error (RMSE) from 0.42°C to 0.38°C, which are higher than those obtained with the comparison with OISST (RMSE of 0.28°C). This assessment demonstrates that the original SST data from FY-3C VIRR are of poor quality due to the presence of unresolved errors, whereas the oriented elliptic correlation scales for SST demonstrate better performance than the rectangular correlation scales in the OI analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Belt and Road Initiative" (BRI) is a Chinese initiative to promote multinational economic cooperation and enhance worldwide prosperity. This Initiative's impact on other countries' maritime law and policy is worth exploring. This paper discusses the BRI and its impact on Japanese shipping laws, emphasizing the importance of Sino-Japanese economic cooperation. It is observed that Japanese private enterprises appear to have a more open attitude than that of the Japanese government toward the BRI. By participating in the BRI, Japanese companies can be more involved in international multimodal transport, not only as shippers utilizing the improved rail and sea carriage network to ship their products but also as multimodal transport operators providing logistical services. This may further trigger the development of Japanese shipping law, so that Japan can better benefit from the connectivity brought by the BRI and address new geopolitical challenges created by it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) plays a vital role in cancer stem cells. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the role of the circular RNA (circRNA) antisense to the cerebellar degeneration-related protein 1 transcript (CDR1as) during competitive inhibition of microRNA-7 (miR-7) in the regulation of autophagy to modulate the proliferation and migration of breast cancer stem cells. The CD44+/CD24− phenotype breast cancer stem cells were sorted from the original MCF7 cell by flow cytometry. RT-qPCR was applied to assess the expression of CDR1as and miR-7 in MCF7-Parent and MCF7-Stem cells. The activity of autophagy was evaluated followed the knockdown and overexpression of CDR1as. The correlation between CDR1as and miR-7 and between CDR1as and miR-7-target mRNAs were evaluated. This study revealed that CDR1as overexpression was associated with up-regulation of autophagy and that CDR1as competitive inhibition of miR-7 enhanced the LKB1-AMPK-mTOR signaling and autophagy-associated genes in breast cancer stem cells. CDR1as promoted the cell growth and migration of breast CSCs via the CDR1as/miR-7 axis, and knockdown of CDR1as and miR-7 overexpression obviously impaired the ability of growth and migration. The present study added a new view of developing a new therapeutic strategy against breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The incidence of aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) contamination in raw milk and its association with herd types was investigated in the ten provinces of Southern China in 2018. A total of 797 raw milk samples were collected from Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Jiangsu, Hunan, Hubei, Hainan, Guangxi, Guangdong, Fujian, and Anhui provinces. The herd types were classified according to their characteristics. Among the 797 samples, 401 were owned by large-scale farms (herd size >500 cows, for dairy cow farming), 303 were owned by milk processing plants (herd size >500 cows, for dairy cow farming + milk processing), and 93 were owned by small farm cooperatives (herd size ≤500 cows, for dairy cow farming). The results revealed the presence of AFM1 in 94 of the 797 samples (11.80%). None of them was above 500 ng/L (Chinese and US limit standard), whereas 0.88% were above 50 ng/L (EU limit standard). The AFM1 concentrations in samples non-compliant with the EU standard were 52, 61, 88, 89.5, 164, 240, and 486 ng/L, respectively. It is important to note that samples exceeding the EU limit were mainly found in the area of Jiangsu and Guangxi provinces, and the herd type of milk processing plants. Hence, it is necessary to monitor and enforce the regulatory compliance of AFM1 levels in the raw milk from these specific areas and herd type. A total of 797 raw milk samples from three herd types, were collected from ten provinces of Southern China in 2018. Ninety-four of the 797 raw milk samples (11.80%) were positive for AFM1, and none of them was above the Chinese and US legal limit, only 0.88% of samples were above the EU limit. All of the exceed samples defined by EU limit were found in the area of Jiangsu and Guangxi provinces and belonged to milk processing plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a teaching-and-learning case study of a 2018–2019 university-based summer institute in Beijing, China that concerned environmental education in support of global citizenship, involving Chinese and international faculty from education, social work, and related disciplines. The case study identifies: (1) the context of the summer institute; (2) its goals, design, and basic content; and (3) lessons learned for social work education. Specific attention is paid to: the importance of connecting university-based ecosocial work education with community-based practice in a Chinese context; addressing global social and environmental justice concerns through rural collaborative problem-solving; and navigating disciplinary boundaries involving social work education and other disciplines and professions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of experiments were performed to study the influence of initial pressures and pressure drop rates on the amount of lost gas during the coring process. The change laws of cumulative gas production and gas production rate were investigated. The proportion changes of lost gas, desorbed gas, and residual gas were analyzed. The results show that the cumulative gas production can be divided into three stages. There is a step with a relatively stable gas production rate in the gas production rate-time curve. The proportional change curves of the lost gas and desorbed gas have the same turning point. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was carried out to investigate the hydrogeochemical characteristics, processes, and factors that control the groundwater chemistry in Jinghui canal irrigation district of China. Water quality was assessed by comparing with the Chinese national guidelines and World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for drinking and irrigation. Impacts of Cr6+ on human health were also quantified using the health risk assessment model. The results show that groundwater in the study area is brackish, hard and slightly alkaline. The groundwater quality is generally very poor with excessive Na+, SO42−, Cl−, total dissolved solids, and total hardness in most samples. Of the groundwater samples, 72.3% are unsuitable for drinking with excessive NO3−-N comparing the WHO guidelines. The non-carcinogenic risks caused by Cr6+ through drinking-water intake are low and acceptable for children and adults in most parts of the study area, while, both children and adults face unacceptable carcinogenic risks of Cr6+ in the whole study area. Over 80% of the sampling sites are not permissible to irrigate by groundwater due to the alkalinity hazard. Long-term groundwater irrigation in the study area will result in the formation of saline, alkaline soil and the decreasing of crop yield. The results of this study may help to set up the suitable management strategies to guarantee water supply and health safety for local residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biochar is a promising adsorption amendment on reducing the bioavailability of heavy metals in contaminated soils. A greenhouse pot experiment was carried out to study the influence of wheat straw biochar (WSB) at different application rates (0%, 0.5%, 1%, and 5% w/w) on pH, electrical conductivity (EC) and toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) extractable concentrations of Cd and Pb in single- and binary-metal contaminated soil. Ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) was used as an indicator plant to evaluate the bioavailability of Cd and Pb. The results showed that the increase in addition of WSB from 0.5% to 5% significantly decreased the TCLP-Cd and Pb concentrations by 9.28–43.59% and 7.45–50.92%, respectively, as compared with control. Pb exhibited more competitive ability than Cd on WSB adsorption sites when coexisted in soil. The application of WSB alleviated the accumulation and uptake of Cd and Pb in the ryegrass shoot and root biomass and facilitated ryegrass growth. Overall, the application of WSB at a high application rate (e.g., 5%) with ryegrass cultivation is an effective method to immobilize Cd and Pb in single- and binary-metal contaminated soil. In the future, it is necessary to determine the long-term field effects of this application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]