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Background: Piriformis muscle mass is rare, which is particular for intrapiriformis lipoma. Thus far, only 11 cases of piriformis muscle mass have been reported in the English literature. Herein, we encountered one patient with intrapiriformis lipoma who was initially misdiagnosed. Case presentation: The patient is a 50-year-old Chinese man. He complained of osphyalgia, right buttock pain, and radiating pain from the right buttock to the back of the right leg. Both ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated a cyst-like mass in the right piriformis muscle. Ultrasonography-guided aspiration was performed on this patient first, but failed. He was then recommended to undergo mass resection and neurolysis of sciatic nerve. Surprisingly, final histology revealed the diagnosis of intrapiriformis lipoma. The patient exhibited significant relief of symptoms 3 days post-surgery. Conclusion: Diagnosis and differential diagnosis of radicular pain are potentially challenging but necessary. Atypical lipoma is prone to be misdiagnosed, especially in rare sites. It is notable for clinicians to be aware of the presence of intrapiriformis lipoma to avoid misdiagnosis and inappropriate treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a novel precast concrete composite wall connected by tooth groove and grouted sleeve was introduced, which is produced in factories by means of structure-insulation integrated prefabrication, and the prefabrication and assembly process were presented minutely. To verify the feasibility and reliability of this novel tooth groove and grouted sleeve connection method and explore the joint connection performance and the seismic performance of the precast concrete composite wall connected by tooth groove and grouted sleeve, low-cyclic reversed loading tests with an axial compressive ratio of 0.1 were performed on two full-scale precast concrete composite walls. Moreover, the failure mode, hysteretic curve, skeleton curve, stiffness degradation, displacement ductility, energy dissipation capacity, and reinforcement strain were comprehensively discussed. The research results showed that under the vertical axial load and low-cyclic reversed load, the distributed reinforcements in the wall panel only played a structural role, while the connecting reinforcements at horizontal joints can always effectively transfer stress without bond failure, and the tooth groove and grouted sleeve connection performance was reliable. In addition, the hysteretic curves of the precast concrete composite wall connected by tooth groove and grouted sleeve were full, showing good ductile deformation capacity and energy dissipation capacity. In general, the precast concrete composite wall connected by tooth groove and grouted sleeve not only possessed favorable seismic performance but also showed obvious advantages such as green energy saving, high assembly rate, and less on-site wet operation, which can be applied to practical engineering under reasonable design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to explore the horizontal joint connection performance of the innovative tooth groove connection and vertical reinforcement lapping in the reserved hole, five horizontal joint specimens were designed and constructed in this paper. Through the combination of monotonic horizontal load tests and finite element simulation analysis, the effects of axial compression ratio, vertical reinforcement connection degree, reserved hole type, mortar strength, and tooth groove depth on the horizontal joint connection performance of innovative tooth groove connections and vertical reinforcement lapping in reserved holes were comprehensively analyzed and discussed. The results indicated that the specimens were subjected to penetration failure at the tooth groove joint, but the vertical reinforcements and UHPC in reserved holes can effectively transfer the stress, ensuring satisfactory connection performance. With the increase in axial compression ratio and vertical reinforcement connection degree, the joint connection performance enhanced gradually, while the reserved hole type had little effect on the joint connection performance. In addition, it was found that increasing the mortar strength and the tooth groove depth can significantly improve the peak bearing capacity through finite element analysis. Finally, the optimization design suggestions for this innovative tooth groove connection and vertical reinforcement lapping in the reserved hole were given considering factors such as joint connection performance and construction assembly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rebar corrosion is the primary cause of the durability degradation of reinforced concrete (RC) structures, where non-uniform corrosion is the typical pattern in engineering. This study experimentally and numerically investigated the tensile degradation properties of non-uniform corroded rebars. Corrosion morphology was accurately determined by three-dimensional (3D) laser scanning techniques, studying the characteristics of longitudinal non-uniform corrosion. The results showed that the non-uniformity of corrosion increased with an increase in corrosion levels. From tensile tests, the differences in nominal stress–strain curves among rebars with similar average corrosion levels indicated that corrosion non-uniformity has appreciable effects on the tensile behavior of rebars. The residual load-bearing capacity of corroded rebars was dominated by the reduced critical cross-section, while residual ductility was associated with the cross-section loss throughout the entire length of rebars. The degradation relations of nominal yield and ultimate strength, ultimate strain, and elongation after fracture were better correlated to the maximum cross-section loss than to the average volume loss. Additionally, numerical calculation based on the cross-sectional areas of corroded rebars was conducted to evaluate the tensile behavior of non-uniform corroded rebars. Equivalent distribution models simulating the longitudinal non-uniform corrosion were proposed, on the basis of probability characteristics of cross-sectional areas, for practical application of the numerical method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using high strength wire (HSW) as a longitudinal reinforcement in UHPC can make full use of the outstanding properties of UHPC. In this paper, the flexural test was carried out on normal rebar-reinforced UHPC (NRRU) and HSW reinforced UHPC (HSWRU) slabs. The cracking resistance, failure modes, bearing capacity and deformation characteristics of specimens were investigated. The test results indicated that both HSWRU and NRRU specimens exhibited excellent flexural performance under concentrated loads. Fewer inclined cracks and a slower cracking development process were observed for HSWRU specimens, and brittle failure did not occur during the whole loading process. As compared to HSWRU specimens, the cracking and ultimate load of NRRU specimens increased by 24.64% and 85.47%, respectively, due to a higher reinforcement ratio. Then the theoretical method available for flexural capacity and ductility calculation was proposed, and the feasibility was substantiated through test results. In addition, the traditional deformation ductility coefficient was found to be 30% conservative against the applied energy ductility coefficient. Finally, the extensive parametric analysis revealed that the increase of the reinforcement ratio and the strength of the steel rebar significantly enhanced the ultimate capacity, while the ductility coefficient was obviously weakened. Inversely, those two factors had little impact on the cracking capacity. Moreover, section height was found to be beneficial for both the flexural capacity and ductility of specimens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, constant‐amplitude fatigue tests were first performed on two types of reinforced concrete beams containing corroded reinforcements and carbonized concrete (involving corroded reinforcements). Then, the stiffness degradation behavior and the failure modes of these beams were analyzed. The results show that the stiffness of a beam first rapidly decreased and then slowly decreased under constant‐amplitude fatigue loading. In addition, the corrosion ratio of the reinforcement could affect the failure mode, and fatigue failure occurred in the compression zone of the concrete. Subsequently, a degradation equation of the bending stiffness for a damaged beam and a deflection equation that considers fatigue loads and accumulated damage were proposed. Furthermore, a staged linear curve for predicting the fatigue life of a reinforced concrete beam within certain corrosion ratio ranges was developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research objects of this paper were the prefabricated concrete components produced by four enterprises in China, and the dimension deviation data of more than 1400 prefabricated concrete components are measured with high-precision 3D photogrammetry technology. The nonparametric Kruskal–Wallis test was carried out for the size deviation of the same type of components produced by different enterprises. The distribution characteristics of geometric parameters of typical components of prefabricated structures in China, such as beams, columns, wall boards, and composite slabs, were analyzed by using the probability statistical method. The Kolmogorov–Smirnov goodness-of-fit method was used to test the cumulative distribution function of dimension deviation, and the size distribution of fabricated components was studied. The results showed that there was no significant difference in the size deviation of the same-type component produced by different enterprises, and the range of geometric parameter uncertainty random variables was small, which was between 0.99 and 1.02. Also, the fluctuation was small, the coefficient of variation was below 0.0093, and the variability of component size deviation was small. The transverse dimension of the component shows a positive deviation, the vertical dimension of component shows a negative deviation, and the dimension deviation of prefabricated concrete components follows the normal distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the influence of corroded steel bars on seismic performance of reinforced concrete (RC) columns, eight full-scale RC columns were designed and fabricated, which were composed of one uncorroded RC column, three RC columns with longitudinal reinforcement corrosion and four stirrup-corroded RC columns. The electrochemical test was conducted to accelerate the corrosion of steel bars in RC columns, and the low-cyclic repeated loading tests on RC columns with corrosion-damaged steel bars were carried out. The seismic behavior indicators, including the hysteretic curves, skeleton curves, displacement ductility coefficient, stiffness degradation curves and energy dissipation capacity of corroded RC columns and uncorroded columns, were compared and discussed. The experimental results show that with the increase in steel bars corrosion degree, the pinch phenomenon of the hysteretic curve gradually increases, and the energy dissipation capacity, stiffness and plastic deformation capacity of specimen reduce significantly. The ductility and energy dissipation coefficient decreased by 20% and 36%, respectively, when the stirrups corrosion ratio of specimen reaches 15.2%, and a shear failure surface was formed in the plastic hinge zone at the foot of the columns, which leads to the change of failure mode from ductile bending failure to shear failure with poor ductility under the ultimate load for corroded columns. The influence of stirrup corrosion on the failure mode of specimens is remarkable, but the effect of longitudinal reinforcement corrosion is negligible for specimens with the corrosion ratio within 14.7%. The adverse effects caused by over 15.2% stirrup corrosion should be considered in seismic design of structures in seismic zone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes an innovative assembly technique using large-diameter bars anchored in several single-row, widely spaced grouted sleeves at the keyway-type horizontal joint to realize an indirect vertical connection between adjacent precast concrete (PC) walls, which has the advantages of high efficiency and ease of construction. To examine the effect of vertical connection strength (rebars' diameter at horizontal joints) on the seismic performance of PC shear walls, quasi-static cyclic loading tests on five full-size wall specimens, including one cast-in-place specimen and four PC specimens with grouted sleeve connections, are carried out. Seismic performance indicators in terms of failure modes, hysteresis characteristics, energy dissipation, ductility, and stiffness degradation of PC walls are investigated and compared with those of the cast-in-situ wall. Meanwhile, the method for predicting the bearing capacity of PC walls with large-diameter rebars is developed. The results show that the failure modes of cast-in-situ and precast walls are controlled by bending instead of shear, but there is an obvious difference in the crack propagation between the two types of walls. Carrying capacity, ductility factor, stiffness, and energy dissipation of PC walls are significantly enhanced by increasing the connection strength, by 44.1%, 23.9%, 72.1%, and 24.0%, respectively, when the connection strength reaches around 90%. Particularly, the PC wall's seismic performance is comparable to that of the cast-in-situ wall when the connection strength is 90%. The calculated results are well-matched with the experimental results, the proposed calculation method reliably predicts the bearing capacity of PC walls with large-diameter rebars. The assembly technique can be safely applied to multi-story PC wall panel structures in seismic zones. • A novel assembly method using large-diameter bars and single-row grouted sleeve connections was proposed. • Quasi-static tests on five PC walls examined how the vertical connection strength affected PC walls' seismic performance. • Relationship curves of connection strength and the ductility factor, and the lateral capacity of PC walls, were obtained. • A method for predicting the lateral capacity of PC walls with large-diameter rebar connections was developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autophagy plays a key role in supporting cell survival against chemotherapy-induced apoptosis. In this study, we found the chemotherapy agent SN-38 induced autophagy in colorectal cancer (CRC) cells. However, inhibition of autophagy using a small molecular inhibitor 3-methyladenine (3-MA) and ATG5 siRNA did not increase SN-38-induced cytotoxicity in CRC cells. Notably, another autophagy inhibitor chloroquine (CQ) synergistically enhanced the anti-tumor activity of SN-38 in CRC cells with wild type (WT) p53. Subsequently, we identified a potential mechanism of this cooperative interaction by showing that CQ and SN-38 acted together to trigger reactive oxygen species (ROS) burst, upregulate p53 expression, elicit the loss of lysosomal membrane potential (LMP) and mitochondrial membrane potential (∆ψm). In addition, ROS induced by CQ plus SN-38 upregulated p53 levels by activating p38, conversely, p53 stimulated ROS. These results suggested that ROS and p53 reciprocally promoted each other's production and cooperated to induce CRC cell death. Moreover, we showed induction of ROS and p53 by the two agents provoked the loss of LMP and ∆ψm. Altogether, all results suggested that CQ synergistically sensitized human CRC cells with WT p53 to SN-38 through lysosomal and mitochondrial apoptotic pathway via p53-ROS cross-talk. Lastly, we showed that CQ could enhance CRC cells response to CPT-11 (a prodrug of SN-38) in xenograft models. Thus the combined treatment might represent an attractive therapeutic strategy for the treatment of CRC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SRC-3 is widely expressed in multiple tumor types and involved in cancer cell proliferation and apoptosis. Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors are promising antitumor drugs. However, the poor efficacy of HDAC inhibitors in solid tumors has restricted its further clinical application. Here, we reported the novel finding that depletion of SRC-3 enhanced sensitivity of breast and lung cancer cells to HDAC inhibitors (SAHA and romidepsin). In contrast, overexpression of SRC-3 decreased SAHA-induced cancer cell apoptosis. Furthermore, we found that SRC-3 inhibitor bufalin increased cancer cell apoptosis induced by HDAC inhibitors. The combination of bufalin and SAHA was particular efficient in attenuating AKT activation and reducing Bcl-2 levels. Taken together, these accumulating data might guide development of new breast and lung cancer therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two model compounds, 3-Phenyl-3,4-dihydro-2H-1,3-benzoxazine (PA) and 6,8-dimethyl-3-(2,4,6-trimethyl-phenyl)-3,4-dihydro-2H-1,3-benzoxazine (s-PA), were successfully synthesized and purificated. Compared with PA, s-PA also catalyzed the polymerization of BADCy even though there was no phenolic hydroxyl in its final ring-opened structures. It was confirmed that the real mechanism of benzoxazine catalyzing the polymerization of cyanate ester is the nucleophilic addition reaction of the oxygen anion on ring-opened benzoxazine to the positively charged carbon atom on cyano group. The catalytic effect also contains the contribution from the phenolic hydroxyl, but it is a secondary factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Life Cycle Assessment was used to evaluate the environmental impacts associated with the treatment of wastewater in a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Kunshan, China. CMLBaseline 2000 method was used for life cycle impact assessment using SimaPro 7.0 software. The goal of this Life Cycle Assessment study was to assess the environmental benefits and drawbacks of this WWTP in comparison with other WWTPs using different advanced treatment processes. Construction phase, operation and maintenance phase, sludge landfilling, and the transportation of chemicals to the WWTP were all taken into consideration. The LCA results of Kunshan WWTP taking renewable energy (wind power) as the energy source proposed that enhancing the effluent quality will decrease the environmental. Environmental impacts in terms of green taxes were also represented. The study revealed very different impacts for the three plants, drawing attention to the importance of the choice of the treatment process. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Gong, Y. and Luo, X., 2020. Design of dynamic diffusion simulation system for atmospheric pollutants in coastal cities under persistent inverse temperature. In: Yang, Y.; Mi, C.; Zhao, L., and Lam, S. (eds.), Global Topics and New Trends in Coastal Research: Port, Coastal and Ocean Engineering. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 103, pp. 526–529. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. The prediction of the dynamic diffusion of atmospheric pollutants in coastal cities under continuous inverse temperature is the key to establish the dynamic treatment of atmospheric pollutants. In view of the low accuracy of the traditional nonlinear feature estimation simulation method, a continuous inverse temperature simulation model for the dynamic diffusion of atmospheric pollutants in coastal cities under continuous inverse temperature is proposed. A self-similar regression model is constructed for the statistical information of atmospheric pollutant dynamic diffusion in coastal cities under continuous inverse temperature, and a multi-scale decomposition and factor analysis are carried out for the time series of atmospheric pollutant dynamic diffusion in coastal cities under continuous inverse temperature. The simulation results show that the model has high accuracy and good convergence in the simulation and prediction of atmospheric pollutant dynamic diffusion in coastal cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• FCN-411 had a manageable safety profile. • FCN-411 showed antitumor activity in EGFR TKI-treated, EGFR -mutated advanced NSCLC. • Patients without EGFR T790M achieved a greater ORR than those with this mutation. There are no approved epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) for EGFR -mutated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) without EGFR T790M mutation after progression on first- or second-generation EGFR-TKIs. We conducted this phase I, open-label, multicenter, dose-escalation/dose-expansion study to evaluate the safety, tolerability, antitumor activity, and pharmacokinetics of FCN-411, a TKI targeting EGFR, HER2, and HER4 , in patients with EGFR -mutated advanced NSCLC whose disease had progressed during treatment of EGFR-TKIs. Adult patients with stage IIIB–IV NSCLC harboring EGFR mutations (exon 18/19/20/21) who had progressed on prior EGFR-TKIs were enrolled. In the dose-escalation phase, patients received 4 mg, 8 mg, 12 mg, and 16 mg FCN-411 once daily until the maximum tolerated dose (MTD). In the dose-expansion phase, patients received FCN-411 at the recommended phase II dose (RP2D) continuously in 21-day cycles. The primary endpoints were safety, tolerability, MTD, and RP2D. From July 23, 2018 to September 29, 2020, 77 patients were enrolled, including 30 with EGFR T790M mutation in tumor tissues. The cut-off date was February 1, 2021. No dose-limiting toxicities were observed. The most common grade ≥ 3 treatment-emergent adverse events among all patients were diarrhea (8; 10.4%) and dermatitis acneiform (7; 9.1%). Ten of 67 evaluable patients achieved confirmed partial response, with an objective response rate (ORR) of 14.9% (95% confidence interval [CI], 8.3–24.0); the ORR was 33.3%, 14.0%, 0, and 25.0% at 4 mg, 8 mg, 12 mg, and 16 mg, respectively. Besides, the ORR in patients without and with EGFR T790M mutation was 20.5% and 7.4%, respectively. Moreover, 39 patients achieved stable disease across all doses, and the disease control rate was 73.1% (95% CI, 60.9–83.2). Median progression-free survival was 4.1 (95% CI, 2.9–5.3) months. Median duration of response and overall survival have not been reached. FCN-411 was well tolerated and demonstrated preliminary antitumor activity in patients with EGFR -mutated NSCLC after progression on EGFR-TKIs, especially in those without EGFR T790M mutation. The RP2D was defined as 8 mg once daily. Future studies are warranted. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03420079. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The plastid acetyl coenzyme carboxylase (ACCase) Trp 1999 Leu mutation was identified in a Beckmannia syzigachne population resistant to fenoxaprop-p-ethyl. The pattern of cross-resistance for the Trp 1999 Leu mutation is still ambiguous. In this paper, mutant homozygote (1999Leu/Leu, RR) and wild type (1999Trp/Trp, SS) B. syzigachne plants with the same genetic background were purified from the JS-26 population using the dCAPS method. The activity of ACCase in RR and SS was determined. Then, the cross-resistance pattern to ACCase inhibiting herbicides of the Trp 1999 Leu mutation was determined using the whole-plant method. ACCase activity showed that the Trp 1999 Leu mutation decreased ACCase sensitivity to fenoxaprop-p-ethyl by 2.73-fold. A dose-response experiment indicated that the Trp 1999 Leu mutation conferred high resistance to quizalofop-p-ethyl (20.29-fold), metamifop (12.22-fold) and pinoxaden (18.60-fold), moderate resistance to fenoxaprop-p-ethyl (8.20-fold) and sethoxydim (6.38-fold), low resistance to cyhalofop-butyl (2.73-fold) and no resistance to clodinafop-propargyl (1.42 fold) and clethodim (1.59-fold). This is the first report of the role of Trp 1999 Leu in fenoxaprop-p-ethyl resistance and of the patterns of cross-resistance to ACCase-inhibiting herbicides in B. syzigachne. Unlabelled Image • A novel W 1999 L mutation in ACCase was identified in fenoxaprop resistant Beckmannia syzigachne. • W 1999 L mutation resulted in 2.73-folds decrease on ACCase sensitivity to fenoxaprop-p-ethyl. • W 1999 L mutation mutation conferred moderate to high or no to low resistance to APPs with two-rings or one-ring aromatic moiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acanthospermum hispidum D.C. was particularly susceptible to fluazifop-P-butyl, an aryloxyphenoxypropionate herbicide, and the primary action site for the herbicide was shoot apical meristem, which is also the main site of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) biosynthesis and action. Membrane lipid peroxidation caused by increasing levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was considered as an action mechanism of fluazifop-P-butyl in A. hispidum . To further clarify the ROS inducing mechanism of fluazifop-P-butyl in the plant, the interactions between fluazifop-P-butyl and auxin compounds IAA or 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) were studied. Haloxyfop- P -methyl, an AOPP herbicide which is inactive on A. hispidum , was used for comparison. The results showed that the growth inhibition and malondialdehyde or H 2 O 2 increases induced by fluazifop-P-butyl on A. hispidum were reversed by IAA or 2,4-D. The IAA content was decreased but the contents of three IAA oxidation metabolites, indole-3-methanol, indole-3-aldehyde and indole-3-carboxylic acid were increased by fluazifop-P-butyl in A. hispidum , but not by haloxyfop- P -methyl. The growth of A. hispidum was not inhibited by three IAA oxidative compounds. Moreover, the activities of IAA oxidase and peroxidase were increased by fluazifop-P-butyl but not by haloxyfop- P -methyl, and the increase was reversed by IAA or 2,4-D. We suggest that there is an antagonistic effect between fluazifop-P-butyl and IAA or 2,4-D, and the IAA oxidation may be involved in the action mechanism of fluazifop-P-butyl in A. hispidum . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acanthospermum hispidum DC, an Asteraceae weed species, was very susceptible to fluazifop-P-butyl, but tolerant to other aryloxyphenoxypropionate herbicides, such as haloxyfop- P -methyl. However, other Asteraceae weeds including Bidens pilosa were all tolerant to fluazifop-P-butyl. Membrane lipid peroxidation by increasing the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was proposed as an action mechanism of fluazifop-P-butyl in A. hispidum . To further clarify the primordial action site of fluazifop-P-butyl in this species, the effects on chlorophyll fluorescence characteristics and cytohistology of apical meristems were studied. Chlorophyll fluorescence characteristics (CFC) in sensitive A. hispidum seedlings were markedly affected by 10 μM fluazifop-P-butyl, with the dark fluorescence yield (Fo), maximal fluorescence yield (Fm), maximal PS II quantum yield (Fv/Fm), effective photosystem II (PS II) quantum yield [Y(II)], and quantum yield of regulated energy dissipation [Y(NPQ)] declining, quantum yield of nonregulated energy dissipation [Y(NO)] rising, but these measures were not affected in Bidens pilosa . The effects of fluazifop-P-butyl on chlorophyll fluorescence properties were observed on the growing point before the mature leaves by about 4–6 h. Haloxyfop- P -methyl, a control herbicide, had no effects on CFC of either A. hispidum or B. pilosa . In addition, damage to apical meristem cells of A. hispidum was observed at 6 HAT prior to changes in chlorophyll fluorescence parameters suggesting that the primary action site of fluazifop-P-butyl in this species is in the apical meristem and the effects on CFC may be the results of secondary action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to find a proper treatment method for a sewage sludge disposal pit, field and laboratory investigation were conducted on the geotechnical properties of the sludge at the Changan landfill in Chengdu, China. The field investigation included borehole sampling, cone penetration tests and vane shear tests. The laboratory study involved the measurements of volume–mass relation, hydraulic conductivity, compressibility, coefficient of consolidation and shear strength for the borehole samples taken from the field. The field investigation revealed that the sludge in the disposal pit could be subdivided into three layers, i.e., top crust layer, middle fluid-like layer and deep soft plastic layer. The vane shear strength for the sludge was less than 1kPa at the fluid-like layer, and 1 and 3kPa at the deep soft plastic layer, being significantly lower than that of soft clay. Laboratory test results demonstrated that the sludge was high in organic content (18.5% to 51.8%) and water content (from 210% to 790%), and both of them exhibited a decreasing trend with depth. The variation in the organic content indicated a difference in the degree of biodegradation for the sludge at locations. The consolidation property and shear strength of the sludge exhibited a non-linear relationship to the applied consolidation pressure. The coefficient of consolidation of sewage sludge, decreasing with increasing consolidation pressure, was in an order of 10−5 cm2/s to 10−6 cm2/s, being 1–2 order lower than that of soft clay. The friction angle for the sludge increased from 10° for the pressure range from 0 to 100kPa to 15° for the pressure range from 100 to 400kPa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Chemoradiotherapy with fluorouracil and cisplatin (PF) has shown greater clinical efficacy for local advanced oesophageal cancer but with high rate of acute toxicities. We designed the CRTCOESC study to evaluate the effect and safety of capecitabine with or without oxaliplatin versus PF with chemoradiotherapy in Chinese patients with oesophageal cancer. Methods We this randomised, open-label, multicentre trial in nine cancer centres in Henan province, China, in Chinese patients with biopsy-proven squamous oesophageal cancer (T2-4N0-2M0). We randomly assigned patients (1:1:1) to receive single capecitabine, capecitabine plus oxaliplatin, or PF, and every patient received daily radiation of 50 Gy in 2 Gy dose per fraction. Patients were stratified by different regimens cycles. Both grade 3–5 acute toxicities and 2-year overall survival were the primary endpoint, with a planned accrual of 249 patients to detect a decrease in grade 3–5 acute toxicities from 40% to 20%. Interim analysis of acute toxicities and overall response was planned for the first 120 patients. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials, number NCT02025036 . Findings Between October, 2014, and December, 2016, we accrued 128 patients, of whom 118 were eligible. 86 patients finished at least 16 weeks' follow-up and were included in the interim report (n=24 capecitabine group, n=37 capecitabine plus oxaliplatin group, and n=25 PF group). Pretreatment characters (age, gender, weight, performance status, clinical stage, lymphonodus status, and pathology grade) did not differ between the groups. Incidence of grade 3–5 acute toxicities was 25% in the capecitabine group, 32% in the capecitabine plus oxaliplatin group, and 64% in the PF group (p=0·03); the incidence was significantly lower in the capectitabine groups than the PF group (capectitabine vs PF p=0·041; capecitabine plus oxaliplatin vs PF p=0·022) and did not differ between capectitabine and capecitabine plus oxaliplatin (p=0·738). 56 patients had finished 1-year follow-up (n=12 capecitabine group, n=26 capecitabine plus oxaliplatin group, and n=18 PF group). The 1-year overall survival was 75% in the capecitabine group, 92% in the capecitabine plus oxaliplatin group, and 76% in the PF group (p=0·166). Nine patients died in total: three patients in the capecitabine group, two patients in the capecitabine plus oxaliplatin group, and four patients in the PF group. Interpretation Compared with PF, chemoradiotherapy with single capecitabine with or without oxaliplatin showed lower incidence of acute toxicities and similar 1-year overall survival. Funding National Natural Science Foundation of China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]