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In order to improve the accuracy of gravity anomaly data processing, this study utilizes multi-scale surface fitting techniques (MSSF) to separate the Bouguer gravity field into residual gravity fields and regional gravity fields at different depths. By sequentially stripping away layers, the residual gravity anomalies of the target layer are obtained as the data basis for subsequent gravity interpretation. This study selects appropriate parameters and establishes different lithology forward modeling templates based on actual geological data in the study area. The method is verified to accurately separate gravity anomalies generated by different density bodies, with accurate anomaly locations, complete shapes, and clear boundaries. It can also serve as a quantitative template for rock properties and provide theoretical references for practical cases. Additionally, the method exhibits high noise resistance, resolution, and accuracy. The practical application of the method is validated through microgravity monitoring data in carbonate reservoirs in western China and time-shifted microgravity monitoring data in tight sandstone reservoirs. The results demonstrate that the obtained residual gravity anomaly data of the target layer can effectively reflect the distribution of reservoir fluids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trib. Lorantheae is one of the important medicinal plants in traditional medicine. There are 41 genera. 6 genera of which are produced in China, mainly distributed in Southwest China. South China and Central South China. There ar«-many kinds of plants in this family, and 22 species can be used as Chinese medicinal materials in China. The branches and leaves of Trib. Lorantheae are rich in flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenoids. polysaccharides. organic acids and other functional substances. among which flavonoids are one of the important chemical components to exert pharmacological activity. and play an important role in hypoglycemic. lipid-lowering, anti-inflammatory. anti-tumor, anti-oxidation, anti-osteoporosis and so on. In this paper, the chemical composition, extraction method, component analysis and pharmacological action of flavonoids in Trib. Lorantheae plants were reviewed. in order to provide scientific reference for further development and clinical application of flavonoids in Trib. Lorantheae plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The first overview of co-authorship network of microplastics in landfill leachate. • Light color Polyethylene, Polypropylene, and Polystyrene are dominant in leachate. • Microplastics abundance is biased with different sampling and analysis techniques. • There are no global standards for microplastic management. Plastic wastes deposited in landfills eventually break down and degrade into microplastics by physical, chemical, and biological forces. Though microplastics in leachate pose significant threats to the environment, the leachate generated from landfills has not received much attention as a possible source of environmental microplastics. A descriptive and systematic investigation of the global distribution of microplastics in landfill leachate does not exist to date. Therefore, this attempt is to provide a concise scientometric review of the studies on the presence of microplastics in landfill leachate. The present review revealed that the global trend in research on microplastics in leachate has increased exponentially after 2018 and China is the leading country. Different geographical regions have reported different microplastic abundances with the highest of 291.0 ± 91.0 items/L from a landfill in Shanghai. The use of novel sampling techniques to detect small microplastics (20–100 µm) has led to the high abundance of microplastics in landfill leachate in Shanghai. Due to its widespread usage, polyethylene is the most typically encountered polymer type in landfill leachate around the world. However, it is quite challenging to compare the results among studies due to the use of different size categories and extraction techniques. The removal of microplastics by the current leachate treatment facilities is still mostly unexplored, thus it is crucial to develop novel technologies to treat the microplastics in landfill leachate. Further investigations on the transport of microplastics in landfill leachate are urgently required to have a better understanding of potential human exposure and health implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's helium resource is highly dependent on overseas imports. Organic-rich and U/Th-rich shale reservoirs generally contain helium, and although the helium content is low, the total reserve is large. Therefore, the effective development and utilisation of shale-type helium resources is a realistic way to improve the security of helium resources in China. In this study, the generation mechanism, helium source and content, migration modes and pathways, controlling factors of enrichment, distribution pattern, and resource potential of the helium were analysed, using the Wufeng-Longmaxi shale in the Sichuan Basin and its periphery. Furthermore, countermeasures were proposed for shale-type helium exploration and development. The results show that the Wufeng-Longmaxi shale has a high content of U and Th and a good ability to generate helium. The helium is generated by a typical crustal source of helium and is characterised by self-generation, self-storage, and wide distribution. The helium resource potential is a product of its content and the resources of the associated natural gas. The continuous supply of helium and effective preservation are the main geological factors that control the enrichment of shale-type helium. The preliminary evaluation results show that the reserves of helium in proven shale gas reserves are 10.8×108 m3 in the Sichuan Basin and its periphery, where the extra-large helium fields are likely to be discovered. Additionally, 0.0912×108 m3 of helium was produced, along with the annual production of shale gas. To avoid the waste of helium and to improve the self-supply ability, it is suggested that research on the resource potential, enrichment mechanism, and distribution pattern of shale-type helium should be carried out as soon as possible, and helium extraction techniques for helium-bearing natural gas should be studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bombax ceiba L. (Family: Malvaceae) was rightly called the "silent doctor" in the past as every part of it had medicinal value. For centuries, humans have used this plant according to the traditional medicinal systems of China, Ayurveda, and tribal communities. Recently, with an emerging interest in herbals, attention has been paid to scientifically validating medicinal claims for the treatment of diabetes using secondary metabolites of B. ceiba L. flowers. In the present study, specific secondary metabolites from the flowers of B. ceiba L. were isolated in good yield using the solvent extraction methodology, and their in vitro anti-diabetic efficacy was examined. Extraction efficiency of each solvent for secondary metabolites was found in following order: water > ethanol> methanol > chloroform > petroleum ether. Quantitative analysis of secondary metabolites showed 120.33 ± 2.33 mg/gm polyphenols, 60.77 ± 1.02 mg/g flavonoids, 60.26 ± 1.20 mg/g glycosaponins, 0.167 ± 0.02 mg/g polysaccharides for water extract; 91.00 ± 1.00 mg/g polyphenols, 9.22 ± 1.02 mg/g flavonoids, 43.90 ± 0.30 mg/g glycosaponins, 0.090 ± 0.03 mg/g poly saccharides for ethanol extract; 52.00 ± 2.64 mg/g polyphenols, 35.22 ± 0.38 mg/g flavonoids, 72.26 ± 1.05 mg/g glycosaponins, 0.147 ± 0.01 mg/g polysaccharides for methanol extract; 11.33 ± 0.58 mg/g polyphenols, 23.66 ± 1.76 mg/g flavonoids, 32.8 ± 0.75 mg/g glycosaponins, 0.013 ± 0.02 mg/g polysaccharides for chloroform extract; and 3.33 ± 1.53 mg/g polyphenols, 1.89 ± 1.39 mg/g flavonoids, 21.67 ± 1.24 mg/g glycosaponins, 0.005 ± 0.01 mg/g polysaccharides for petroleum ether extract. Glucose uptake by yeast cells increased 70.38 ± 2.17% by water extract. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cotton is one of the Uyghur medical materials in China and is rich in flavonoids. Flavonoids have important pharmacological effects. The yield of flavonoids in traditional extraction methods is low, which affects the development of flavonoids. Therefore, it is urgent to optimize the extraction techniques. The yield of flavonoids in cotton flowers was effectively improved by response surface methodology, and the highest yield of flavonoids reached 5.66%, and the optimal extraction process conditions were obtained. The DPPH free radical scavenging rate, hydroxyl free radical scavenging rate, superoxide anion free radical scavenging rate, and reducing ability were tested to reflect the antioxidant capacity of flavonoids. The flavonoids had an excellent antioxidant effect. Cell experiments suggested that the flavonoids had the effect of protecting glutamate-induced damage to HT-22 cells. The results of this study provide a theoretical basis for the extraction of cotton flowers flavonoids and the comprehensive evaluation of antioxidant products, as well as the extraction of other plant flavonoids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Helium, a rare gas widely applied in high-tech fields, is a significant strategic resource in China. The foreign-trade dependence ratio of helium in China is 95%. The work reviewed the applications and market analysis of helium and reservoir modeling and distribution of helium in Changqing Gas Field as well as the helium extraction techniques from natural gases. According to the analysis of the component test and the dynamic monitoring of exploited gas wells and gas-gathering stations, the average helium content in Changqing Gas Field was 0.028%. Helium was rich in the northwest of Changqing Gas Field, but poor in the central and eastern regions. The helium volume contents in Qingyang Gas Field, Huanglong Gas Field, and the central, western, and southern regions of Sulige Gas Field have reached the industrial development standard. PetroChina performed the economic-feasibility evaluation and production-factor matching research on helium development and selected Changqing Gas Field as the demonstration for development. A large helium plant was established in Changqing Gas Field using the cryogenic method with/without membrane separation for helium extraction. Then, a helium development scheme was formulated and implemented to build the industry chain of helium in China. Changqing Gas Field is rich in helium resources. Developing helium has entered a strategic period with the technological advancement in extracting helium from natural gases and the increased prosperity of the international helium market. There are broad prospects and great benefits to exploiting helium resources in Changqing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the growing global energy demand and limited production of conventional crude oil, the extraction of unconventional heavy and extra-heavy oil is receiving unprecedented attention. China is the fourth largest producer of heavy oil. High viscosity and complex formation environments increase the difficulty of exploiting heavy oil. To alleviate the economic cost and environmental pollution pressure brought by heavy oil production, China has achieved significant advancement in the innovation of heavy oil recovery, including accelerating the transformation of thermal technology to non-thermal technology and the use of new energy technology to achieve the goal of low-carbon economy and green environmental protection. Based on the background of heavy oil in China, this paper recharacterizes the high-viscosity mechanism of heavy oil. From different aspects, including basic principles, main characteristics, applicability, limitations, and challenges, this paper comprehensively reviews existing heavy oil recovery technologies, including thermal recovery, in-situ upgrading, cold recovery, and new energy technologies. Currently, in China, the main target of heavy oil recovery is achieving the "carbon peaking and carbon neutrality" goals, which can be described as low energy consumption, low emission, and low pollution. To facilitate the low-carbon transition in the extraction of heavy/extra-heavy oil and attain environmental sustainability goals, it is essential to increase the proportion of non-thermal factors in thermal recovery technologies, develop efficient in-situ catalysts, adopt clean cold extraction techniques, and advance the development of new energy technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Citrus seed waste material provides a new solution for addressing the shortage of edible oils in China. supercritical CO 2 fluid extraction (SFE), sub-critical butane fluid extraction (SCE), cold press (CP), soxhlet extraction (SXE), and ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE) were preformed to obtain Ougan (Citrus reticulata cv. Suavissima) seed oil. Ougan seed oils were tested for physicochemical properties, fatty acid composition, limonoids, polyphenols, total carotenoids, tocopherols, and in vitro antioxidant activities. The results indicated that SCE Ougan seed oil has the most abundant fatty acid composition, and higher in vitro antioxidant capacity, which is mainly positively related to the polyphenol, carotenoid and tocopherol contents. Therefore, SCE may be the optimum procedure for extracting a high content of bioactive substances from Ougan seed oils, providing a theoretical foundation for developing high-quality and nutritional value Ougan seed oils. [Display omitted] • Different extraction processes have significant effects on the quality of Ougan seed oils. • The composition of fatty acids in SCE Ougan seed oil is more abundant. • SCE Ougan seed oil contains higher content of bioactive substances. • SCE Ougan seed oil shows stronger antioxidant capacity. • There is a positive correlation between polyphenols, tocopherols, carotenoids and antioxidation in Ougan seed oils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The brain seems to be the most complex organ in the human body and operates as the central part of the nervous system. The classification of brain tumors is the most complicated problem which medical experts face. In our proposed work, the novelty is that we have adopted the hybridization of feature exaction techniques and a conglomerate of classification methods. The hybrid features are extracted from the tumor region using the Gray Level Co-occurrence Matrix technique and shape-based features. There are three different types of brain magnetic resonance imaging datasets used in work. For the segmentation, the Marker-controlled watershed segmentation strategy is implemented in this work. In this work, the hybrid classifier, which includes the Random Forest (RF) classifier, K-Nearest Neighbour classifier, and Decision Tree classifier, is implemented. Dataset 1 (China Hospital data) shows a better overall accuracy of 98.75%; for dataset 2, accuracy is 98.99%; and for dataset 3, the achieved accuracy is 98.92%. The other parameters that prove the overall work's efficacy include sensitivity, precision, specificity, F1-score, Cohen's kappa value, Dice coefficient, Jaccard Index, and area under the curve (AUC). The proposed work is also compared with the state-of-the-art methods and observed better one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic components in atmospheric fine particulate matter have attracted much attention and several scientific studies have been performed, although most of the sample extraction methods are time consuming and laborious. Accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) is a new sample extraction method offering number of advantages, such as low extraction cost, reduced solvent and time consumption, and simplified extraction protocols. In order to optimize ASE methods to determine the concentrations of organic compounds in atmospheric fine particulate matter, different parameters were set out for the experiment, and the optimal method was selected according to the recoveries of the standard (i.e., n−alkanes and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)). This study also involves a comparison of the optimal method with the traditional method of ultrasonic extraction (USE). In addition, the optimized method was applied to measure the mass concentrations of organic compounds (n−alkanes and PAHs) in fine particulate matter samples collected in Beijing. The findings showed that the average recovery of target compounds using ASE was 96%, with the majority of compounds falling within the confidence levels, and the ASE recoveries and precision were consistent with the USE method tested. Furthermore, ASE combines the advantages of high extraction efficiency, automation, and reduced solvent use. In conclusion, the optimal ASE methods can be used to extract organic components in atmospheric particulate matter and serve as a point of reference for the development of analytical methodologies for assessing organic compounds in atmospheric particulate matter in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is well established that arsenic (As) has many toxic compounds, and in particular, inorganic As (iAs) has been classified as a type-1 carcinogen. The measuring of As species in rice flour is of great importance since rice is a staple of the diet in many countries and a major contributor to As intake in the Asian diet. In this study, several solvents and techniques for the extraction of As species from rice flour samples prior to their analysis by HPLC-ICP-MS were investigated. The extraction methods were examined for their efficiency in extracting various arsenicals from a rice flour certified reference material, NMIJ-7532a, produced by the National Metrology Institute of Japan. Results show that ultrasound-assisted extraction at 60 °C for 1 h and then heating at 100 °C for 2.5 h in the oven using a thermostable α-amylase aqueous solution was highly effective in liberating the arsenic species. The recoveries of iAs and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) in NMIJ-7532a were 99.7% ± 1.6% (n = 3) and 98.1% ± 2.3% (n = 3), respectively, in comparison with the certificated values. Thus, the proposed extraction method is a green procedure that does not use any acidic, basic, or organic solvents. Moreover, this extraction method could effectively maintain the integrity of the native arsenic species of As(III), As(V), monomethylarsonate (MMA), DMA, arsenobetaine (AsB) and arsenocholine (AsC). Under the optimum extraction, chromatography and ICP-MS conditions, the limits of detection (LOD) obtained were 0.47 ng g−1, 1.67 ng g−1 and 0.80 ng g−1 for As(III), As(V) and DMA, respectively, while the limits of quantification (LOQ) achieved were 1.51 ng g−1, 5.34 ng g−1 and 2.57 ng g−1 for As(III), As(V) and DMA, respectively. Subsequently, the proposed method was successfully applied to As speciation analysis for several rice flour samples collected from contaminated areas in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Goji (Lycium barbarum L.) also known as wolfberry, is one of important medicinal plants in China that has been in use for its medicinal properties and as food supplement for centuries. The abundant bioactive compounds in its fruit, leaves, and root bark are considered beneficial to human health. Phenolic compounds were extracted from different locations of Goji leaves, including tip bud leaves (GBL), young leaves in the middle (GYL), and old leaves at the base (GOL). The phenolics from Goji leaves using ethanolic condensation backflow extraction (EE), ultrasonic extraction (UE), and enzymatic extraction (ME) were prepared, and their polyphenol concentration and antioxidant ability were analyzed. Polyphenol in Goji leaf varied with different positions and extraction techniques. Total 47 phenolic compounds were identified by HPLC-MS, including 43 in GBL, 38 in GYL, and 26 in GOL. Chlorogenic acid, hyperoside, and rutin were the main phenols in Goji leaves, and the highest content of chlorogenic acid in GBL-UE was 2105.05 ± 77.25 µg /g. All Goji leaves showed significant antioxidant effect and polyphenol content, especially GBL that having the highest phenolic level and the stronger antioxidant capacity. Different extraction methods for different leaf positions could improve the extraction efficiency, UE and ME were found suitable for extracting GBL and GOL samples; EE and UE were suitable for extracting GBL samples. GBL exhibited better phenolics and better antioxidant attributes, which are suitable for the development of nutraceuticals and skincare products. [Display omitted] • 47 phenolic compounds were identified from Goji, including 43 in GBL, 38 in GYL, and 26 in GOL. • Chlorogenic acid and rutin were the main phenolic substances in Goji leaves. • The highest phenolic content was found in GBL, followed by GYL and the least in GOL. • For polyphenol extraction, UE and ME were suitable for GBL and GOL; EE and UE were suitable for GBL. • Our study provides a theoretical basis for the industrial utilization of Goji leaves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • DESs-UAE protocol was first developed to extraction of the bioactive flavonoids from Jiang Fructus aurantii. • DESs-UAE protocol was optimized by using RSM. • Extractability of DESs were better than that of the conventional solvents. • The extraction efficiency of the UAE was significantly higher than that of the traditional methods. • DESs-UAE protocol has the potentiality in the efficient extraction of bioactive ingredients from TCM. In China, Jiang Fructus aurantii (JFA) has attracted increasing interest as a famous traditional herbal medicine and valuable economic food for its valuable medicinal and industrial properties. In the current work, contrasted with conventional extraction techniques, natural flavonoids from JFA (naringin and neohesperidin) were extracted with remarkable effectiveness utilizing a sustainable deep eutectic solvents combined ultrasonic-assisted extraction (DESs-UAE) protocol. The optimal extraction capacity can be achieved by mixing 30 % water with a molar ratio of 1:3 for choline chloride and ethylene glycol, as opposed to the classical extraction solvents of 95 % ethanol, methanol, and water. Moreover, the DESs-UAE extraction programs were also systematically optimized employing Box-Behnken design (BBD) trials, and the eventual findings suggested that the best parameters were a 27 % water content in DES, a 16 mL/g liquid–solid ratio, a 72 min extraction time, and a 62 °C extraction temperature, along with the corresponding greatest contents of NAR (48.18 mg/g) and NEO (34.50 mg/g), respectively. Notably, by comparison with the pre-optimization data, the optimized DES extraction efficiency of flavonoids is markedly higher. Thereafter, the characterization of the solvents before and after extraction, as well as the differences between the four extraction solvent extracts, were compared using the FT-IR analyses. Furthermore, SEM results suggested that the penetration and erosion abilities of the plant cell wall of DES-1 were stronger than those of the other three traditional solvents, thus allowing more release of flavonoid compounds. In conclusion, the present research develops a straightforward, sustainable, and exceedingly efficient approach for the extraction of bioactive flavonoids from JFA, which has the potential to facilitate the efficient acquisition of active ingredients from TCM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deep learning-based semantic segmentation methods, such as fully convolutional networks (FCNs), are state-of-the-art techniques for object extraction from high spatial resolution images. However, collecting massive scene-formed training samples typically required in FCNs is time-consuming and labour-intensive. A suit of automatic sample augmentation schemes based on simulated scene generation is proposed in this study to reduce the manual workload. Proposed schemes include style transfer, target embedding, and mixed modes by utilizing techniques, such as texture transfer, image inpainting, and region-line primitive association framework, which automatically expand the sample set on the basis of a small number of real samples. Dock extraction experiments using UNet are conducted on China's GaoFen-2 imagery with expanded sample sets. Results showed that the proposed schemes can successfully generate sufficient simulation samples, increase sample diversity, and subsequently improve semantic segmentation accuracy. Compared with the results that use the original real sample set, measures of F1-score (F1) and intersection over union (IoU) of dock extraction accuracy demonstrate a maximum improvement of 20.53% and 23.01%, respectively, after sample augmentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Chemical compounds were extracted simultaneity by ultrasonic assisted method. • Flowers of Citrus maxima (FCM) have obvious free radical scavenging capacity. • Hot water and ethanol are used as solvents to extract the same raw material. • The proposed production improved the value of Citrus maxima resources. Ultrasonic assisted extraction is frequently referred to as a green environmental protection method. The flower of Citrus maxima (FCM) has been used as a health tea drink in China, although the tea drink lacks clear compound composition identification and functional research. In order to fully use Citrus fruit by-products and further explore the functional features of FCM, this paper isolated, identified, and assessed the chemical compounds in the petals, stems, styles, receptacles, stamens, and buds of FCM extract. There are 88 compounds were recovered, including 23 compounds in the bud, 21 compounds in the petal, 19 compounds in the stem, 11 compounds in the receptacle, 20 compounds in the stamen, and 13 compounds in the style. Antioxidant experiments revealed that the FCM's various compounds had observable impacts in scavenging free radicals (38.44%–58.35%). The aforementioned study demonstrates that the pomelo by-products were developed into useful components using ultrasonic aided extraction technique. FCM has flavor-rich compounds that make it suited for use as an antioxidant tea beverage and offers practical suggestions for preparing healthy products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In agricultural field, nickel (Ni) contamination has become a serious concern/threat all over the world due to its hazardous effects on ecosystem and food chain. An incubation study was conducted to investigate the simultaneous efficiency of rice straw (RS) and its derived biochar (BI), calcium carbonate (calcite), zeolite (ZE), and triple superphosphate (TSP) on the stabilization of Ni in contaminated soil. Various chemical extraction techniques, including the sequential extraction (BCR), leaching toxicity (TCLP) test, and single CaCl2 extraction, were performed. The results revealed that greater reduction in acid-soluble fractions of Ni was observed by 45%, 65.1%, 42.1%, 55.7%, and 33.9% with RS, BI, ZE, calcite at 2%, and TSP 0.5% application rate, respectively. Similarly, TCLP and CaCl2-extractable Ni were significantly decreased by 49.8% and 97.5% with 2% BI application rate, respectively. The soil pH, EC, and organic matter were significantly improved with the incorporation of RS, BI, ZE, TSP, and calcite amendments. Overall, among all the amendments, the incorporation of BI and calcite was considered to be the best option for Ni immobilization and thereby reducing its mobility in Ni contaminated soil. These findings suggest that RS biochar and calcite can be used as Ni stabilizers in contaminated agricultural soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The cocirculation of duck hepatitis A virus subtypes 1 (DHAV-1) and 3 (DHAV-3) in ducklings has resulted in significant economic losses. Ducklings with DHAV-1 or DHAV-3 infection show similar clinical signs and gross lesions; hence, it is important to identify the viral subtypes in infected ducklings as early as possible for better clinical management. Methods and results: Based on multiple 5’ noncoding region (5’-NCR) sequences of DHAV-1 and DHAV-3 strain alignments, universal and type-specific primers were designed and synthesized. With three primers in one-tube reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR), reference DHAV-1 and DHAV-3 isolates ranging over 60 years and across many different countries were successfully amplified, indicating that the primer sequences were completely conserved. The sequence results and the sizes of amplicons from reference DHAV-1 and DHAV-3 isolates are completely correlated with their subtypes. Moreover, with this one-tube RT-PCR system, amplicon sizes from liver samples of reference DHAV-1- or DHAV-3-infected birds fit closely with their subtypes, which was determined by virus isolation and neutralization testing. No other duck-origin RNA viruses were detected. The sensitivity of viral RNA detection was 10 pg. With this system, 20% subtype 1, 45% subtype 3, and 9% coinfection of two subtypes were detected in 55 clinical samples. Conclusions and significance: This novel approach could be used for rapidly typing DHAV-1 or DHAV-3 infection in routine clinical surveillance or epidemiological screening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) is well recognized as one of the major threats to children's health globally. The increasing complexity of the etiology of HFMD still challenges disease control in China. There is little surveillance of the molecular epidemiological characteristics of the enteroviruses (EVs) that cause HFMD in Neijiang city or the Sichuan Basin area in Southwest China. In this study, demographic and epidemiological information for 14,928 probable HFMD cases was extracted and analyzed to describe the epidemic features of HFMD in Neijiang city from Jan 2010 to Dec 2017. The swab samples of select probable HFMD cases from 2012 to 2017 were tested by reverse transcription (RT) real-time PCR to identify the serotype distribution of EVs, and 110 randomly selected RT-real-time PCR positive samples were then amplified and analyzed for the VP1 or VP4 regions of EVs to further analyze the phylogenetic characteristics of the circulating strains in this area. The eight-year average annual incidence was 49.82 per 100,000 in Neijiang. The incidence rates varied between 19.51 and 70.73 per 100,000, demonstrating peaks of incidence in even-number years (2012, 2014 and 2016). The median age of the probable cases was 27 months and the interquartile range (25th to 75th percentile) of ages for the probable HFMD cases was between 14 and 42 months. The male-to-female ratio of the probable HFMD cases was 1.47:1, and scattered children were the major population classification (81.7%). Two epidemic peaks were observed: one major peak between April and July and the other lesser peak between October and December. Of 6513 probable cases tested with RT-real-time PCR, 4015 (61.6%) were positive for enterovirus with the serotype distribution as follows: EV71+, 30.1% (n = 1210); CV-A16+, 28.7% (n = 1154) and a sole pan-enterovirus+, 41.1% (n = 1651). A total of 91 cases (82.7%, 91/110) were successfully amplified and underwent phylogenetic analysis: all EV71+ cases were C4a serotype (n = 23/30); all CV-A16+ cases were B2b serotype (n = 24/30); of 42 sole pan-enterovirus+ samples, 20 were CV-A6, 14 were CV-A10 and the rest within this group were CV-A4 (n = 4), CV-A8 (n = 2), CV-A9 (n = 1) and CV-B3 (n = 1). Our findings provide important evidence that aids the improvement of strategies for vaccination against HFMD and comprehensive disease control in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The extant diversity of horses (family Equidae) represents a small fraction of that occurring over their evolutionary history. One such lost lineage is the subgenus Sussemionus, which is thought to have become extinct during the Middle Pleistocene. However, recent molecular studies and morphological analysis have revealed that one of their representatives, E. ovodovi, did exist in Siberia during the Late Pleistocene. Fossil materials of E. ovodovi have thus far only been found in Russia. In this study, we extracted DNA from three equid fossil specimens excavated from northeastern China dated at 12,770–12,596, 29,525–28,887 and 40,201–38,848 cal. yBP, respectively, and retrieved three near-complete mitochondrial genomes from the specimens. Phylogenetic analyses cluster the Chinese haplotypes together with previously published Russian E. ovodovi, strongly supporting the assignment of these samples to this taxon. The molecular identification of E. ovodovi in northeastern China extends the known geographical range of this fossil species by several thousand kilometers to the east. The estimated coalescence time of all E. ovodovi haplotypes is approximately 199 Kya, with the Chinese haplotypes coalescing approximately 130 Kya. With a radiocarbon age of 12,770–12,596 cal. yBP, the youngest sample in this study represents the first E. ovodovi sample dating to the terminal Pleistocene, moving the extinction date of this species forwards considerably compared to previously documented fossils. Overall, comparison of our three mitochondrial genomes with the two published ones suggests a genetic diversity similar to several extant species of the genus Equus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By the nature of reliability, sustainability, abundant resource and minor impact on environment, geothermal energy is considered as one of the future resources to meet the world's growing energy demand. Harnessing geothermal energy from oil wells by existing assets, data and technologies features significant advantages over traditional geothermal wells, especially in reduced capital expenditure and operational risks. To raise awareness and promote discussions on oilfield geothermal development, this paper comprehensively characterized the oilfield associated geothermal resource, reviewed the current geothermal development in worldwide oilfields, pinpointed the existing challenges and introduced multidisciplinary technologies as possible solutions to unlock the potential and promote extensive development of geothermal energy from oilfields. Moreover, an integrated risk/opportunity assessment and management framework is proposed to improve the outcomes of diverse oilfield geothermal projects in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a comprehensive area expansion prediction index method to apply GNSS for short-impending prediction of earthquakes. Based on continuous GNSS observation data from Yunnan Province, a displacement field was detected after data cycle-slip repair using precision data processing software and geophysical field effect model correction. The Yunnan area was divided into 56 grid cells for displacement field interpolation to obtain a more uniform displacement field and a strain field variation time series. The pre-earthquake response of each grid-cell expansion time series was evaluated and synthesized to extract a short-impending earthquake anomaly identification index. The results show that this index indicated occurrence times and hypocenter for earthquakes of magnitude M≥5. Fourteen earthquakes were predicted accurately, and there were five false reports. This index can therefore be used for the short-impending prediction of earthquakes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Orogenic mantle-derived peridotites commonly originate from the subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) and thus provide a key target to investigate the modification of the SCLM by a subducting slab. The Maowu ultramafic rocks from the Dabie ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) metamorphic belt have formerly been debated as representing cumulates or mantle-derived peridotites. Detailed petrological and geochemical data presented in this study provide new constraints on the origin and formation of the peridotites involving melt depletion in the ancient SCLM and deep crustal metasomatism. The Maowu garnet dunites have refractory bulk compositions characterized by high Mg# (91.9–92.0) and Ni (2537–2892 ppm) values and low Al 2 O 3 (0.26–0.76 wt.%), CaO (0.05–0.32 wt.%), TiO 2 (< 0.03 wt.%), Pd/Ir (0.40–0.46) and 187 Os/ 188 Os (minimum 0.11461) values. The Paleoproterozoic model ages (T RD = 2.1 Ga, T MA = 2.3 Ga) of the most refractory dunites represent minimum estimates for the age of the initial melt extraction. The extremely depleted nature, high olivine Fo (92.7–93.9), high Cr# (82–87) of spinel, and Re–Os isotopic data suggest that the Maowu garnet dunites are the residues of ~ 40% partial melting and represent a Paleoproterozoic fragment of the SCLM beneath the southeastern margin of the North China craton. Many garnet orthopyroxenite veins crosscutting the Maowu dunites preserve abundant metasomatic textures and show variable enrichment in incompatible elements. Mineral and whole-rock chemistry indicate that these veins represent metasomatic products between the wall dunites and silica-rich hydrous melts under UHP conditions. The veins show large variations in platinum-group element (PGE) signatures and Re–Os isotopes. The garnet-poor orthopyroxenite veins are characterized by low Al 2 O 3 (< 2 wt.%) and S (< 31 ppm) contents and have PGE patterns and 187 Os/ 188 Os ratios similar to the wall dunites, whereas the garnet-rich orthopyroxenite veins have high Al 2 O 3 (> 6 wt.%) and S (99–306 ppm) contents and show melt-like PGE patterns and high 187 Os/ 188 Os ratios (up to 0.36910). These features, combined with the occurrence of interstitial sulfides in the garnet-rich orthopyroxenite veins, suggest that crust-derived sulfur-saturated silicate melts may have significantly modified the PGE signature and destroyed the Re–Os systematics of the SCLM. However, when the crust-derived silicate melts became sulfur-depleted, such melts would not significantly modify the PGE patterns, radiogenic Os-isotope compositions or the Re-depletion model ages of the SCLM. Consequently, deep crust-mantle interactions in continental subduction zones could induce high degrees of Os isotopic heterogeneity in the SCLM wedge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adzuki bean (Vigna angularis) is one of the most important legume crops in Asian countries like China, Japan and Korea due to its nutritious protein and starch contents. In spite of its economic importance, gene expression analysis system for gene function verification of adzuki bean is still absent. Therefore, reference genes for gene expression analysis based on the quantitative real time PCR (qRT-PCR) were screened in current study. A total of nine general housekeeping genes, including ACT, Fbox, ZMPP, GAPDH, EF, PP2A, UBC, UBN and PTB were evaluated for their expression stability by qRT-PCR in four adzuki bean cultivars, three different tissues, four abiotic stress and one biotic stress. The best group of candidates as reference genes were as follows: PTB and ACT for different cultivars; EF and UBN for different tissues; ACT and ZMPP for biotic stress and waterlogging stress; Fbox and UBC for salinity-alkalinity stress; Fbox and PTB for drought stress. Our results will provide a more accurate and reliable normalization of qRT-PCR data in adzuki bean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Toxoplasma gondii is a worldwide prevalent parasite, affecting a wide range of mammals and human beings. Little information is available about the distribution of genetic diversity of T. gondii infection in minks (Neovison vison). This study was conducted to estimate the prevalence and genetic characterization of T. gondii isolates from minks in China. A total of 418 minks brain tissue samples were collected from Jilin and Hebei provinces, northern China. Genomic DNA were extracted and assayed for T. gondii infection by semi-nested PCR of B1 gene. The positive DNA samples were typed at 10 genetic markers (SAG1, SAG2 (5'+3' SAG2, alter.SAG2), SAG3, BTUB, GRA6, c22-8, c29-2, L358, PK1, and Apico) using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) technology. 36 (8.6%) of 418 DNA samples were overall positive for T. gondii. Among them, 5 samples were genotyped at all loci, and 1 sample was genotyped for 9 loci. In total, five samples belong to ToxoDB PCR-RFLP genotype#9, one belong to ToxoDB genotye#3. To our knowledge, this is the first report of genetic characterization of T. gondii in minks in China. Meanwhile, these results revealed a distribution of T. gondii infection in minks in China. These data provided base-line information for controlling T. gondii infection in minks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) is an important commercial farmed herbivorous fish species in China, but is susceptible to Aeromonas hydrophila infections. In the present study, we performed de novo RNA-Seq sequencing of spleen tissue from specimens of a disease-resistant family, which were given intra-peritoneal injections containing PBS with or without a dose of A. hydrophila. The fish were sampled from the control group at 0 h, and from the experimental group at 4, 8, 12, 24, 48 and 72 h. 122.18 million clean reads were obtained from the normalized cDNA libraries; these were assembled into 425,260 contigs and then 191,795 transcripts. Of those, 52,668 transcripts were annotated with the NCBI Nr database, and 41,347 of the annotated transcripts were assigned into 90 functional groups. 20,569 unigenes were classified into six main categories, including 38 secondary KEGG pathways. 2,992 unigenes were used in the analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs). 89 of the putative DEGs were related to the immune system and 41 of them were involved in the complement and coagulation cascades pathway. This study provides insights into the complement and complement-related pathways involved in innate immunity, through expression profile analysis of the genomic resources in C. idella. We conclude that complement and complement-related genes play important roles during defense against A. hydrophila infection. The immune response is activated at 4 h after the bacterial injections, indicating that the complement pathways are activated at the early stage of bacterial infection. The study has improved our understanding of the immune response mechanisms in C. idella to bacterial pathogens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbapenemase-producing strains of bacteria, which were primarily found in the medical field, have increasingly been found in the environment, thus posing potential risks to public health. One possible way for carbapenemase genes to enter the environment is via wastewater. Therefore, the goal of this study was to determine the occurrence and fate of five high-risk carbapenemase genes in a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in northern China using real-time qPCR. Results showed that the blaKPC-2, blaGES-1, and blaIMP-1 genes prevailed throughout all processing stages (even in the chlorination disinfection unit) in the WWTP, whereas the blaVIM-2 and blaOXA-48 genes were not detected in all samples. Worryingly, considerable amounts of carbapenemase genes ((1.54 ± 0.61) × 103 copies/mL to (2.14± 0.41) × 105 copies/mL) were detected in WWTP effluent samples, while the majority of the carbapenemase genes were transported to the dewatered sludge with concentrations from (6.51 ± 0.14) × 109 copies/g to (6.18 ± 0.63) × 1010 copies/g dry weight. Furthermore, a total of 97 KPC-2-producing strains, belonging to 8 bacterial genera, were isolated from the WWTP. Sequencing of 16S rRNA revealed that most of KPC-2 producing isolates were opportunistic pathogens, including Klebsiella spp. (10.3%), Enterococcus spp. (11.3%), Acinetobacter spp. (19.6%), Escherichia spp. (12.4%), Shigella spp. (17.5%), Stenotrophomonas spp. (10.3%) and Wautersiella spp. (9.3%). Moreover, blaKPC-2 genes were identified for the first time in Paenibacillus spp. isolates (an indigenous bacteria), indicating an increased risk of horizontal transfer between clinical pathogens and environmental bacteria. Indeed, a conjugation experiment demonstrated transfer of the blaKPC-2 gene to an E.coli J53 strain from a Klebsiella strain isolated from the WWTP. To our knowledge, this is the first study to obtain Paenibacillus spp. isolates carrying the carbapenemase gene and to quantify the abundance of carbapenemase genes in the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Objective] To screen optimum conditions of assay method and thin-layer chromatography was used for qualitative discrimination of astragaloside IV contained in Jin Weng Zhili particle, which provide basis for quality standard. [Methods] According to method described in Chinese Veterinary Pharmacopoeia, thin-layer chromatography was used for qualitative discrimination of astragaloside IV contained in Jin Weng Zhili particle by improving extraction method and adjusting the proportion of ingredients in developing solvent. [Results] For identification of astragaloside IV in Jin Weng Zhili particle using thin-layer chromatography, the results were the optimum ater chromatographic condition was improved, ie, extraction, column transferring, developing solvent of trichloromethane-methyl alcohol-water (10:5:1) which is better than method described in Chinese Veterinary Pharmacopoeia. [Conclusions] The method is of good feasibility, repeatability and specificity which is benefit to the identification of astragaloside IV contained in Jin Weng Zhili particle using thin-layer chromatography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dried flower buds of L. macranthoides , belong to the item Shan Yin Hua, are widely used as raw materials for pharmaceutical, food additive, healthy food and cosmetic industry in China. To optimize the effects of the ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE) processing parameters on the yield of L. macranthoides polysaccharides (LMPs), a response surface methodology with a central composite rotatable design was employed. Four independent variables were investigated: ultrasonic power ( X 1 ), temperature ( X 2 ), time ( X 3 ), and the ratio of water volume to raw material weight ( W / M ratio, X 4 ). The experimental data were fitted to a quadratic polynomial equation using multiple regression analysis and also examined using appropriate statistical methods. The optimum conditions were: X 1 , 113.6 W; X 2 , 71.5 °C; X 3 , 54.7 min; and X 4 , 30.7 mL/g. Under the optimal conditions, the extraction yield of LMPs was (4.81 ± 0.12)%, which is in close agreement with the value predicted by the statistical model. Further, LMPs were characterized by FT-IR, XRD, TGA/DSC and NMR. In vitro experiments indicated that LMPs had strong scavenging capacities towards the DPPH, hydroxyl and superoxide radicals. Overall, LMPs may have potential applications in the medical and food industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heavy metal contamination of soils or water can lead to excessive lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) levels in rice. As cumulative poisons, consumption of Pb and Cd in contaminated rice may cause many toxic effects in humans. In the present study, Pb and Cd levels in rice samples from Hubei, Jiangxi, Heilongjiang, and Guangdong provinces in China were analyzed by cloud point extraction and graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS). The heavy metals in the rice samples were reacted with 8-quinolinol to form a complex at pH 9.0 and 40°C. Analytes were quantitatively extracted to a surfactant-rich phase (Triton X-45) after centrifugation and analyzed by GFAAS. The effects of experimental conditions, including pH, concentration of reagents, and equilibration time and temperature, on cloud point extraction were optimized efficiently using Plackett–Burman and Box–Behnken experimental designs. Under the optimum conditions, good linearity was observed in the concentration ranges of 0.5–5 µg/L for Pb and 0.05–0.50 µg/L for Cd. The limits of detection were 0.043 µg/L for Pb with a concentration factor of 24.2 in a 10 mL sample and 0.018 µg/L for Cd with a concentration factor of 18.4 in a 10 mL sample. Twenty rice samples from four provinces were analyzed successfully, and the mean levels of Pb and Cd in the rice were all below their maximum allowable concentrations in China. Comparing the tolerable daily intakes given by FAO/WHO with the mean estimated daily intakes; Pb and Cd mean daily intake through rice consumption were 0.84 µg/kg bw/day and 0.40 µg/kg bw/day, which were lower than the tolerable daily intakes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Newly cultured brown algae Costaria costata in China has been used for pure fucoidan fraction (FF) extraction. [•] FF showed anti-oxidative activity and bioactive effects in vivo CCl4-induced liver injury study. [•] FF has the potential as ingredients for functional food for protecting liver damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Amino-containing MOFs MIL-125-NH 2 was designed as a new sorbent in d-SPE. • MIL-125-NH 2 enrich the target analytes directly to improve sensitivity. • Amino-containing MIL-125-NH 2 has good adsorption capacity. • The detection limits were lower than most of traditional methods. • MIL-125-NH 2 is recovered easily and reused at least 8 times. A simple, environmentally-friendly and reliable method was developed to simultaneously monitor the residue of methyl 1-naphthalene acetate, parathion-methyl, fenitrothion, bromophos and phenthoate in pomelo by using dispersive solid-phase extraction technique (d-SPE). In this method, these target analytes were captured by MIL-125-NH 2 and detected by GC–MS/MS. The key parameters of d-SPE were optimized by the single factor experiment. Under the optimized conditions, a good determination coefficient (R2 > 0.9922) and extraction recoveries (64.7–116.8%) are obtained. The limit of detections (0.03–1.07 ng/g) is lower than the MRLs in citrus fruits established by EU (10–15000 ng/g) and China (10–10000 ng/g). The precisions of intra-day and inter-day are 1.3–8.9% and 3.8–14.9%, respectively. In addition, the sorbent MIL-125-NH 2 is stable and can be reused at least eight times. These results prove the established method is efficient and reliable to detect the pesticide residues in pomelo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs) are among the most commonly used pesticides worldwide. However, these compounds pose a serious threat to aquatic environments. Here, thirty-seven pesticides and eight degradation products were determined in surface water samples from Tai Lake, East China, using a high-volume solid phase extraction technique (Hi-throat/Hi-volume SPE). Surface water was pumped in-situ through a portable sampler, and OPPs in the water retained on the Hi-volume SPE adsorption column, finally extracted for analysis. This technique efficiently reduced the detection limits to below 0.3 ng/L. In total, 40 out of 45 OPP congeners were detected, which far exceeded the amount of OPPs in previous studies. The total concentration of OPPs ranged between 101.4 and 1530 ng/L (median: 378.9 ng/L). Parathion exhibited the highest concentration (median: 112.0 ng/L), followed by paraoxon-methyl (median: 90.3 ng/L), as well as carbophenothion, fenthion, and mevinphos. Agricultural areas were more polluted than residential and industrial regions. However, degradation products persisted in residential and industrial waters. The ecological risks of OPPs in these areas were estimated based on the risk quotient index (RQ). Parathion, fenthion, carbophenothion, and tolclofos-methyl occurred at high-risk levels, and the levels of degradation products were also non-trivial. Our findings thus indicated that OPP degradation products pose a potential threat to natural environments and should therefore be closely monitored. [Display omitted] • Hi-throat/Hi-volume SPE technique was efficiently applied in assessing OPPs. • OPPs and degradation products detected in surface water of East China. • Degradation products persist in industrial and residential waters. • Parathion, fenthion, carbophenothion, and tolclofos methyl exhibited high risk. • Threating degradation products of OPPs needed further management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Proposed composite drought index is simple and easy to calculate. • Proposed index is reliable to detect soil moisture. • Index performs well in monitoring drought conditions. Numerous studies have projected that drought will become more severe under changing climatic conditions which will have a profound impact on terrestrial ecosystems around the world. While a wide range of drought indices has been extensively applied to assess droughts, various issues have been raised, such as over- or underestimation of drought conditions, feature extraction techniques, or transformations used to develop the indices. In this study, a new composite drought index (CDI) was developed using the integration of potential and actual evapotranspiration, climatic water balance, and precipitation. The proposed CDI was evaluated by comparing it with soil moisture, Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI), scaled crop yield index (sCYI), evaluation integrated drought index (EIDI), and standardized runoff index (SRI) in China. Our results demonstrate that together with PDSI, CDI performs well in monitoring drought over 2417 grid cells obtained from in-situ latitude and longitude. It was found that CDI performs better than the PDSI and EIDI for reliable soil moisture detection and stable drought monitoring in the study area. Compared to PDSI, CDI shows a more positive correlation with sCYI for seasonal maize and wheat. CDI has less false alarm ratio in the detection of mild to extreme drought events compared to PDSI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.) is a novel healthcare vegetable that has been developed rapidly in recent years in China. It contains abundant bioactive substances with significant healthcare fonctions. So far, many domestic research institutions have carried out researches about the extraction technology of bioactive substances and their healthcare fonctions. At present, tender pods a d other organs of A. esculentus are mainly used freshly and directly, but rare products have been processed and developed. In this paper, the research progress of bioactive substances a d processing of A. esculentus was summarized, aiming at providing reference for the deep processing and comprehensive utilization of A. esculentus in the future in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new extraction agent featuring dopamine self-polymerized on magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles has been successfully synthesized and evaluated for the SPE of berberine from the extract of the traditional Chinese medicinal plant, Cortex Phellodendri. The nanoparticles prepared possessed a core-shell structure and showed super-paramagnetism. It was found that these polydopamine-coated nanoparticles exhibited strong and selective adsorption for berberine. Among the chemical components present in C. Phellodendri, only berberine was adsorbed by the nanoparticles and extracted by a following SPE procedure. Various conditions such as the amount of polydopamine-coated nanoparticles, desorption solvent, desorption time and equilibrium time were optimized for the SPE of berberine. The purity of berberine extracted from C. Phellodendri was determined to be as high as 91.3% compared with that of 9.5% in the extract. The established SPE protocol combined advantages of highly selective enrichment with easy magnetic separation, and proved to be a facile efficient procedure for the isolation of berberine. Further, the prepared polydopamine-coated magnetic nanoparticles could be reused for multiple times, reducing operational cost. The applicability and reliability of the developed SPE method were demonstrated by isolating berberine from three different C. Phellodendri extracts. Recoveries of 85.4-111.2% were obtained with relative standard deviations ranging from 0.27-2.05%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Organophosphate esters (OPEs) are widespread organic pollutants that could be detected in various environmental matrices. In this study, a sample pretreatment method was developed for the determination of 9 OPEs by automatic hollow fiber-liquid phase microextraction (HF-LPME) coupled with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). High sensitivity of OPEs could be achieved after optimization of several important parameters with the limits of detection (LODs) ranging from 2.6 to 120ngL−1 for different individual OPEs, and the relative standard deviations (RSDs) ranged from 2.1% to 10.4%. Acceptable recoveries were observed and the proposed method was then successfully applied to determine OPEs in seawaters collected from 23 sampling sites of the Pearl River Estuaries in dry and wet seasons, respectively. All of the OPEs could be detected, except tris(2-ethylhexyl) phosphate (TEHP). The total concentrations of 9 OPEs in seawaters were ranging from 2.04 (Hemen) to 3.12 (Humen) μgL−1 in the dry season and from 1.08 (Hemen) to 2.50 (Jitimen) μgL−1 in the wet season. By using spatial interpolation method of ordinary kriging, the most polluted area of ΣOPEs was found in Humen in the dry season, while it was Jitimen in the wet season. Moreover, the annual input of ΣOPEs discharged via eight estuaries ranged from 384tons (Jitimen) to 1225tons (Modaomen), and the total annual input was 5694tons. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

[Objective] To research on the detection method of trace Cd content in RADIX REHMANNIAE, and to provide method for the quality control of traditional Chinese medicines. [Methods] 1-(-2-pyridylazo)-2-naphthol was taken as the complexing agent. Cloud point extraction-flame atomic absorption spectrometry was used to detect the trace Cd content in RADIX REHMANNIAE with Triton X-100) as the surfactant. [Results] The optimal test condition was as follows; 1.5 mL monopotassium phosphate - dipotassium phosphate buffer (pH 8.0), 0.5 mL of 4.0 × 10-4 mol/L PAN ethanol solution. 0.1 mL of 1% (V:V) Triton X-100, 70 °C healing temperature. 20 min heating time, 15 min centrifugation time and 5 min ice water bath. The detection wavelength was 240.7 nm; spectral passband was 0.4 nm; work lamp current was 2.0 mA; preheating lamp current was 2.0 mA; propane flow was 1 700 mL/min; and negative voltage was 300 V. Under this condition, the linear regression equation of Cd was y =0.212 1x-0.001 2, R =0.999 5; the detection limit was 0.090 μg/g (n = 11), RSD was 1.61%; and recovery rate was 97.50%. The Cd content detected in RADIX KEHMANNIAE was 1.025 μg/g. [Conclusions] This method was sensitive and simple, and could be used to detect the trace Cd content in RADIX REHMANNIAE. And the results were satisfactory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HBCD is widely used brominated flame retardant, which is increasingly reported in the environment. In the study, the determinations of three HBCD isomers, α-, β-, and γ-HBCD in plastic products by LC-MS/MS method using respective labeled compounds as internal standard were developed. Plastic products included polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polystyrene (PS), and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS). Soxhlet extraction with n-hexane-isopropanol (1:1, v/v) was used, and extraction efficiency was confirmed to be satisfying by analyzing bromine by using XRF before and after extraction. Moreover, LC and MS/MS conditions were optimized. The limits of quantitation of 0.01, 0.005, and 0.005 mg kg−1 were calculated for three HBCD isomers, respectively. Using the established methods, HBCD emerged in two PS products of 15 commercially available plastic products in China. A higher proportion of α-HBCD in two PS products was compared with that of commercial HBCD mixtures, indicating that γ-HBCD possibly isomerized to α-HBCD by heating processes to incorporate the commercial formulation into plastic products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review addresses the potential biotechnological techniques for textile fibre extraction (degumming), mainly focusing on bamboo, one of the main and recently developed textile natural fibres in China. The latest developments in microbial and enzymatic processing for ecological fibre extraction as well as the development of a molecular technique for natural fibre bio-treatment are highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A simple and fast sample preparation method for the determination of nonylphenol (NP) and octylphenol (OP) in aqueous samples by simultaneous derivatization and dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (DLLME) was investigated using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC/MS). In this method, a combined dispersant/derivatization catalyst (methanol/pyridine mixture) was firstly added to an aqueous sample, following which a derivatization reagent/extraction solvent (methyl chloroformate/chloroform) was rapidly injected to combine in situ derivatization and extraction in a single step. After centrifuging, the sedimented phase containing the analytes was injected into the GC port by autosampler for analysis. Several parameters, such as extraction solvent, dispersant solvent, amount of derivatization reagent, derivatization and extraction time, pH, and ionic strength were optimized to obtain higher sensitivity for the detection of NP and OP. Under the optimized conditions, good linearity was observed in the range of 0.1–1000μgL−1 and 0.01–100μgL−1 with the limits of detection (LOD) of 0.03μgL−1 and 0.002μgL−1 for NP and OP, respectively. Water samples collected from the Pearl River were analyzed with the proposed method, the concentrations of NP and OP were found to be 2.40±0.16μgL−1 and 0.037±0.001μgL−1, respectively. The relative recoveries of the water samples spiked with different concentrations of NP and OP were in the range of 88.3–106.7%. Compared with SPME and SPE, the proposed method can be successfully applied to the rapid and convenient determination of NP and OP in aqueous samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: An ionic liquid-based single-drop microextraction (IL-SDME) procedure using IL as an extractant on-line coupled to capillary electrophoresis (CE) is proposed. The method is capable of quantifying trace amounts of phenols in environmental water samples. For the SDME of three phenols, a 2.40nL IL microdrop was exposed for 10min to the aqueous sample and then was directly injected into the capillary column for analysis. Extraction parameters such as the extraction time, the IL single-drop volume, pH of the sample solution, ionic strength, volume of the sample solution and the extraction temperature were systematically investigated. Detection limits to three phenols were less than 0.05μgmL−1, and their calibration curves were all linear (R 2 ≥0.9994) in the range from 0.05 to 50μgmL−1. And enrichment factors for three phenols were 156, 107 and 257 without agitation, respectively. This method was then utilized to analyze two real environmental samples from Yellow River and tap water, obtaining satisfactory results. Compared with the usual SDME for CE, IL-SDME–CE is a simple, low-cost, fast and environmentally friendly preconcentration technique. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The chemical partitioning of 12 trace metals (Ba, Cd, Co, Cu, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sc, Sr, U, Zn) in 9 surface sediments from Daya Bay, northern South China Sea, was studied by a four-step sequential extraction technique to assess their environmental/pollution status. The studied metals take on different fraction composition patterns, and some of them show significant spatial variation especially for Cd. A majority of the studied metals can be considered immobile because of their high percentages in the residual fraction. It seems that the Daya Bay surface sediments have not yet been polluted by the studied heavy metals which are used as parameters to classify marine sediment quality, i.e., Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn. For all metals except for Pb, the extent of anthropogenic influences on their total concentrations in the Daya Bay surface sediments is generally imperceptible. The metals’ potential risks to the environment were assessed, and the results showed that they have generally no risk or low risk except for Cd, Mn and Sr. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The performance of ground source heat pumps (GSHPs) depends strongly on the heat transfer between the soil and borehole heat exchangers (BHEs). In the present work, a thermal performance experiment of a BHE under groundwater flow was conducted in Baoding, China. Based on the measurement of the natural ground temperature profile, a simplified theoretical model was presented to estimate the characteristics of groundwater flow. The results showed that the presence of groundwater had an obvious influence on the temperature profile in the aquifer. Due to the strong groundwater advection, the thermal performance of the BHE was enhanced. The enhanced effect depends to a great extent on the distribution and thickness percentage of the ground layer with the greatest groundwater flow. In the present case, the heat injection and heat extraction of the BHE were enhanced on average by 9.8% and 12.9%, respectively, compared with the case without groundwater flow, when the total thickness of coarse sand and gravel layer as a percentage of the borehole depth was 10.6%. This enhanced effect is favorable for reducing the possible imbalance between heat injection and extraction from and to the ground, which is helpful for the long-term operation of GSHP systems. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: News stories about the contamination of milk with melamine in China emerged on Sept 11, 2008, and the situation has since become an international health scare. In this work, a novel analytical method based on enrichment and pretreatment of analytes in the milk sample, hollow fiber sorptive extraction and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry has been developed for the rapid analysis of melamine in the dairy products. In the proposed method, melamine in the fresh milk was extracted by zirconia hollow fiber, enriching on zirconia coating of the hollow fiber, and then analyzed by GC–MS. The method validations including linearity, limit of detection, limit of qualification, recoveries at three different concentrations, precision, and repeatability were investigated. It was found that the proposed method provided linear range from 0.001 to 1000μg/mL (r 2 =0.9997), low detection limit of 0.001μg/mL, and preferable recoveries at three different concentrations. The obtained results demonstrated that zirconia hollow fiber combined with GC–MS is a simple, rapid and solvent-free method for the analysis of melamine in the dairy products. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

[Display omitted] • The effect of lactic acid on didymium and Lanthanum separation by SX process was studied. • The continuous SX process comprising three steps: extraction, scrubbing and stripping. • Didymium and lanthanum were obtained with high recovery and high degree of purity. • Conditioning the feed liquor with lactic acid increased the selectivity of the separation. • The addition of lactic acid is more sustainable than the practice of saponification of extractants. Rare earth elements (REE) have increased in importance in the world due to the diverse applications in high-tech industries. The fact that Brazil has the world's second largest REE reserves makes it a potential producer of these elements. However, for that to occur, it is necessary to have knowledge about the production technologies of rare earths, mainly the technologies used in the refining stages, in which China predominates. Generally, the leached solution contains a mixture of REE and the main challenge is to improve selectivity during their separation and purification. For this reason, techniques to improve the efficiency of the separation of these elements have been widely studied in recent years. In the present study, we seek to define efficient routes for the separation of lanthanum (La) from didymium (Pr and Nd) by the solvent extraction technique (SX), using the organophosphorus extractant 2-ethylhexylphosphonic acid mono-2-ethylhexyl ester (P507) from a liquor conditioned with lactic acid. Isotherms were constructed using the McCabe-Thiele method to estimate the number of theoretical stages and the aqueous/organic ratio (A/O) necessary to achieve efficient separation during the process. In continuous solvent extraction experiments, REE recovery percentages and purity of didymium and lanthanum above 90% were obtained. Didymium with 99.9% purity was obtained in a circuit with nine extraction stages (extraction A/O ratio of 4:1) and seven scrubbing stages (scrubbing A/O ratio of 2:1). The results presented here show that the use of lactic acid can be a promising alternative to boost the efficiency of the solvent extraction process for the separation of these light rare earth elements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organophosphate esters (OPEs) are typical industrial additives widely applied in various industrial and household products, but they may pollute drinking water. In the present study, the occurrence of OPEs in drinking water was analyzed. For this purpose, 25 drinking water samples were collected from households in 25 cities in China. The concentrations of OPEs were accurately determined according to a high-throughput organic analysis testing combined with high-volume solid phase extraction (Hi-throat/Hi-volume SPE) technique. Through this technique, nine OPEs were detected, with spiked recoveries from 77% to 101%, and their total concentrations (ΣOPEs) ranging from 46.8 to 251 (average 126) ng L−1. The detection frequencies of the selected OPEs determined via Hi-throat/Hi-volume SPE were 88.0%–100%, which are much higher than those previously reported. The limit of detections of the OPEs was low at < 0.01 ng L−1, which could be mainly attributed to the high volume of accumulated drinking water (>20 L). OPEs in drinking water presented a decreasing trend from cities in coastal provinces to inland cities of China. Redundancy analysis showed that the concentrations of OPEs in drinking water were significantly influenced by economic–demographic influencing factors. The non-carcinogenic and lifetime carcinogenic risks (non-CR and CR) of the analyzed OPEs in drinking water were negligible for urban residents in China. [Display omitted] • Ten organophosphate esters in drinking water of China were analyzed. • Tris(1-chloro-2-propyl)phosphate was the predominant OPE in drinking water. • Organophosphate esters in drinking water were related to anthropocentric activities. • Health risks of organophosphate esters in drinking water of China were negligible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methane safety extraction is an effective method for reducing methane concentration in the gob and enhanced coal-bed methane recovery that is widely used in China. Although there is already extensive research on this technique, dip angle coal of seams has unpredictable effects on methane extraction locations, which is an influential factor that has rarely been studied, especially where the seam dip angles are larger. The benefits of this paper include improving methane extraction techniques, exploring the fractal characteristic of channel, and developing the laws governing how channels emerge, especially where coal seam dip angles vary. The results show that with increased coal seam dip angle, the height and width of channels show an increasing trend, along with crack angle. Key parameters of the methane migration channel boundaries in mutant regions of the bed separated under inclined coal mines were also defined. In the laboratory, an effective model was put forward to calculate the evolution characteristics of channels under inclined coal mining using fractal and elliptic paraboloid zone theory (EPZ); the finding was that the height of the A region at 30° was 1.34 and 2.00 times that of 15°, 0°, respectively. Moreover, borehole methane extraction concentration in area B increased to 6.04% in field application. The research results are expected to benefit industry and mine safety staff when arranging the position of high-level boreholes. The findings can enhance safety levels and improve efficiency in inclined coal mining. • A model for fractal dimension under inclined coal mine prediction proposed. • The main controlling factors for the methane migration channel was identified. • It was divided into three areas by fractal dimension in vertical gradient. • The model can estimate high-level borehole position under inclined coal mine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cover picture shows the most important for approaches of sample preparation techniques. They are phase separation techniques, field-assisted extraction techniques, membrane separation techniques, and chemical conversion techniques. Sample preparation is a critical step in complex sample analysis which effect to sensitivity, selectivity, speed, and accuracy of analytical results. [Extracted from the article]

The article focuses on a study on the prospecting for concealed gold deposits in the West Qinling Orogen, China by the application of geoelectrochemical method (CHIM), and states that mineralization occurs extensively Qinling Orogen and which produces various ore deposits in the region. Also mentioned that two geo-electrochemical extraction anomalies of major ore elements along the deposit were detected, and the strength and shape of anomalies were consistent with the known ore bodies.