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Fossils recorded information of the past phenotype and geographic distribution directly. Incorporating fossils information into phylogenies of living taxa would deepen our understanding of their macroevolution. Accurate taxonomy of these fossils is the first step before employing them. However, the taxonomy of some fossils has not been evaluated carefully. Here we take Artemisia as an example. We investigated the morphology of all the available Artemisia macrofossils based on the latest phylogeny and evaluated their taxonomic identities by comparing them with extant representative species. Our result showed that the taxonomic identities of these macrofossils are doubted. They would better not be treated as members of Artemisia for subsequent phylogenetic or biogeographic studies. This study improves our knowledge of the morphology of Artemisia, highlights the importance of careful morphological comparisons between fossils and living taxa, and reveals that attention should be given to the uncertainty of the fossil taxonomy.

Organic pollutants in electroplating wastewater can be removed by photodegradation, however the effect mechanism of heavy metal ions on photocatalytic activity still remains unknown. Herein, we firstly reported the self-assembly synthesis of titanium dioxide/reduced graphene oxide (TiO2/rGO) composites for phenol-4-sulfonic acid (PSA) removal, and investigated the effects of Cu2+ ions on photocatalytic efficiency. During the self-assemble process, rGO nanosheets were connected together to form network macropores, and simultaneously induced the deposition of hierarchically nanostructured TiO2 microspheres. The synergetic effects of TiO2 microspheres and rGO nanosheets improved the photocatalytic activity by enhancing light adsorption ability, stabilizing electron-hole separation and decreasing band gap energy. The Cu2+ ions in wastewater showed positive and negative effects on PSA photodegradation. In the photocatalytic reaction, the electron-induced reduction reaction of Cu(II) into Cu(0) or Cu(I) took place, which inhibited electron-hole recombination and thus enhanced photocatalytic activity. However, the high chemical stability of PSA-Cu(II) complex compounds held back PSA photodegradation. The appropriate concentrations of Cu2+ ions at around 25 mg/L accelerated PSA photodegradation over TiO2/rGO composites. The PSA degradation into CO2 and H2O was performed by using hydroquinone, benzoquinone and maleic acid as degradation intermediates. Hence, TiO2/rGO composites are novel multifunctional photocatalysts to purify electroplating wastewater.

In this study, 50 surface water and sediment samples were collected from 25 sampling points in Qingpu District (including Taipu River basin, Jinze Reservoir, and Qingxi country park) in the Yangtze River Delta integration demonstration area, and 22 pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in the samples were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC/MS-MS). The distribution characteristics, sources, and influencing factors of targeted PPCPs in the study area were studied in detail. The ecological and health risks of the target PPCPs were evaluated using the quotients method. The results showed that a total of 19 PPCPs were detected in the surface water and sediment samples from 25 sampling points in Qingpu District, with total concentrations ranging from 0.06 to 178.67 ng·L

Calyptocarpus, a newly naturalized genus of Asteraceae was recorded in tropical east Africa based on morphology and molecular evidence. It is similar to Synedrella but different by its non-winged ray achenes and acute paleae apex. Calyptocarpus vialis, the only species of this genus recorded in Africa, is described and illustrated. A key to the genera of the subtribe Ecliptinae in tropical east Africa is also presented.

To ensure safety and prevent failure of engineering equipment throughout its lifespan, the concept of ‘Safety Design’ is proposed, which covers all the cradle-to-grave phases of engineering equipment, considers at least ten essential factors of failure causes, and conducts root cause analysis at three different scales, in order to proactively control the safety risks before the occurrence of failure rather than passively conduct the remedial measures after failure. Herein, in order to demonstrate how to implement this effective and efficient concept in engineering practice, a case study of failure analysis and prevention is addressed on the extraction column in the production line for methyl methacrylate. Based on the analysis results, the causes were finally determined to be all derived from the stages before operation, including inappropriate design, limited quality inspection of fabrication and installation. Pertinent countermeasures were then proposed from the ‘Safety Design’ point of view, which would not only solve the failure problem for this sole equipment but also contribute to safety risk control of other engineering equipment before operation.

Background: Noma causes severe orofacial disfigurement with significant mortality and morbidity, especially seen in malnourishment young children in the poor regions of the world. With majority of noma patient surviving with aesthetical effects, they were exposed to stigmatization and social rejection. Studies focusing on the socio-psychological impact of noma survivors have rarely been done. The aim of our study is to identify the differences in social acceptance/rejection and their influencing factors associated with social acceptance in noma patients. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the reception centre of NGO-Sentinelles (Niger), on patients with noma from Zinder, Maradi and Tahoua regions, between 9th May 2017 and 2nd June 2017. The survey was conducted on some patients admitted in the center and those discharged from the centre after treatment by a face-to-face interview. The questionnaire used for the interview comprised of 45 questions (Cronbach’s alpha coefficient =0.812) which contained pathological information, socio-demographic characteristics and socio-psychological information. Findings: We recorded 50 patients (43 from Zinder and 7 from Maradi and Tahoua). The younger patients (1-5years old), noma patients who stayed in school during follow-up treatment, patients who were referred by a health structure, patients enrolled into the centre in a short time (

To explore expression of β-catenin and NF-κB signaling pathway in synovial tissue of rats with different degrees of knee osteoarthritis (KOA).Forty-eight SPF male rats weighed (200±20) g were randomly divided into three groups, namely model group (32 rats), sham operation group (8 rats) and control group (8 rats). KOA model rats were established by Hulth method, and 8 rats were killed at 2, 4, 8, 12 weeks respectively after modeling, in order to establish KOA model rats with moderate, early, mild and severe degree. Sham operation group was only cut off capsule of knee joint and suture to exclude interference factor, control group was untreated. Behavior, synovial hyperplasia and cartilage degeneration of rats among each group were observed. Expression of NF-κB and signaling pathway and β-catenin in synovial tissue of rats were detected by real-time PCR.KOA rat model was successfully established, and synovial hyperplasia was observed in KOA model at mild and early degree, and then gradually decreased; while cartilage degeneration in the early moderate and severe KOA model was significantly expressed, and gradually aggravated with time. The results of PCR showed that expression of β-catenin in 4-week group (8.57±0.46) and 8-week group (4.23±0.09) were higher than those in control group (On the RNA expression level, both of β-catenin and NF-κB signaling pathways are involved in synovial inflammation in KOA model rats, and they play a regulatory role in expression of IL-1β, degeneration of KOA.