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Background. Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is one of the most prevalent cancers with a poor prognosis. Immunotherapy, especially immune checkpoint blockade (ICB), is becoming a potential therapeutic choice for NPC patients. Thus, the identification of patients who could benefit from immunotherapy is clinically significant. Methods. The NPC expression profiles from GSE102349 were used to calculate the cell scores of the tumor microenvironment (TME). The consensus clustering method was utilized to identify the potential molecular subtypes among NPC samples. The hub genes were selected from subtype-specific genes by bioinformatics analysis. Machine learning models, including random forest (RF) and support vector machine (SVM) algorithms, were constructed to predict the immune subtype. Results. In the present study, we identified two TME subtypes among NPC patients. Patients with the S1 subtype have higher levels of immune cells, immune checkpoint genes, and prognosis. Using expression data profiles of NPC patients, we constructed machine learning models for predicting TME subtypes of NPC patients. This model consists of 8 genes (LCK, CD247, FYN, ZAP70, SH2D1A, CD3D, CD3E, and CD3G). Among them, LCK, FYN, SH2D1A, and CD3D were associated with better prognoses. Among the two constructed models, SVM exhibited a higher area under curve (AUC) of 0.977, when compared with RF (AUC = 0.966). The web server based on the constructed machine learning models will contribute to the identification of NPC patients likely to benefit from ICB therapies. Conclusions. This study identified NPC subtypes and provided an accurate model to select individuals who are most likely to respond to ICB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To the Editor, Recently in this journal, a study on risk factors for disease progression in hospitalised COVID-19 patients was reported [[1]]. 15 patients were included and general data were shown in Table 1. 12 patients had NRS2002 >= 3 points, of whom 6 had NRS2002 score = 3 points, 4 had NRS2002 score = 4 points, and 2 had NRS2002 score = 5 points. [Extracted from the article]

The Ti/TiAl metal-intermetallic laminates were fabricated by hot-pressing starting from the elemental Ti and Al foils. The final microstructures of laminates consist of alternating layers of ductile Ti and brittle intermetallic. The relationships between mechanical properties and layer sequence of Ti/TiAl laminates have been studied by examining the effects of solid solubility of Al in Ti layer, the volume fraction of intermetallic layer and the interlayer spacing. In these three cases, the samples with the best performance are obtained and among them the optimal sample is confirm with fracture strength 752 MPa, K IC 48 MPa·m 1/2 . In particularly, a novel theoretical formula of strength calculation is proposed according to the mixing rule of composites. The theoretically calculated results agree well with the experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ti/Ti-Al multilayered composites with different volume fractions of α-Ti layer were fabricated by hot press sintering. Microstructural observation indicates that the phase compositions in all the composites are α-Ti, Ti 3 Al, TiAl, TiAl 2 and TiAl 3 . The tensile strength and fracture toughness of Ti/Ti-Al multilayered composites are influenced by the volume fraction of α-Ti layer. The composite with 53 vol% Ti presents the highest tensile strength and suitable ductility at room temperature, and its fracture toughness can reach 47.6 MPa m , which is much higher than that of TiAl intermetallic alloy and Ti/Al 3 Ti composites. Fracture analysis reveals that a certain volume fraction of Ti layers can effectively prevent the crack propagation when the crack is extended to the interface, resulting in high tensile strength and acceptable ductility at the same time. The improvement of toughness is associated with crack deflection and crack bridging provided by the appropriate thickness of remaining α-Ti layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The number of satellite navigation signals in space grows dramatically as the number of global and regional navigation satellites constant increases. This phenomenon further aggravates an already crowded radio spectrum in-band and increases out-of-band (OOB) emissions. One feasible solution to the issue of signal compatibility is to design a spectrum-efficient modulation signal that has better navigation performance and backward compatibility with adjacent signals and services in operation. In this study, a time domain raised cosine (TDRC) pulse is introduced as an alternative waveform. A binary coded symbol (BCS) modulation family based on TDRC pulse called TDRC-BCS is also proposed as a candidate for future global navigation satellite system (GNSS). An extensive study on the multipath model analysis approach is also provided. The proposed modulation and existing modulations are then comprehensively evaluated. Theoretical analysis and simulation results show that TDRC-BCS signals offer superior navigation performance compared with existing modulations in terms of code tracking accuracy, multipath mitigation capacity, while maintaining comparable or better anti-jamming performance. These signals can also attain higher spectral efficiency and better backward compatibility with the existing GNSS signals. The proposed modulation scheme provides additional degrees of freedom for GNSS signal design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper mainly studies the association between non-binary low-density parity-check codes and high-order partial response continuous phase modulation, which prevents information loss in the mutual conversion of bit and symbol probabilities. Although the iterative detection and decoding technique applied in this system can obtain good performance/complexity tradeoff, the iterative process still encounters the problems of positive feedback and relatively large decoding delay, similar to other iterative coded modulation systems. The inhibitory effects of different extrinsic information exchange methods on positive feedback under different signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) conditions are investigated in this work to address this issue. Two dynamic iterative stopping algorithms, namely, cross entropy and hard decision aided combined with weighted extrinsic information exchange for cases with medium and high SNRs, are then proposed. Extrinsic information exchange between the demodulator and the decoder is conducted in the two algorithms through weighted processing. Iterative detection is subsequently performed based on two stopping criteria of dynamic iterative decoding. Theoretic analysis and simulation results for the Rayleigh fading channel show that the combination of weighted extrinsic information exchange and the two dynamic iterative stopping algorithms effectively resists positive feedback and improves the convergence of iterative detection and bit error rate performance. Such a combination also reduces the average iteration number to improve the real-time performance of iterative detection and decoding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

General high-order rogue waves of the KP equation with self-consistent sources (KPESCSs) are derived via the Hirota bilinear method, which are given in terms of determinants whose matrix elements have plain algebraic expressions. By means of the regulation of free parameters, the presentation of fundamental rogue waves and the second-order rogue waves is demonstrated by the density and the three dimensional figures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tensile and flexural properties of sintered Ti/Ti–Al intermetallics multilayered composites were investigated and compared with those of multilayered Ti 3 Al/TiAl composites and homogeneous Ti–Al intermetallics alloys in this paper. The experimental results indicate that the Ti/Ti–Al composites exhibit superior tensile and flexural strengths because of the unique metal/intermetallics multilayered microstructure. The multilayered Ti/Ti–Al composites also show a high level of damage-tolerant capacity at room temperature. It was found that the multilayered composites with remaining ductile metal layers (Ti layers) behave much stronger under flexural loading compared with tensile loading. The positive effect of metal/intermetallics multilayered structure on the remarkable improvement of bending deflection was interpreted by a simple theoretical model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this study, Al–Ni–Ce–Fe–Cu alloy powders with composition of Al87Ni8.5Ce3Fe1Cu0.5 (at%) were atomized and then subjected to mechanical milling for different hours. The consolidation of the mechanical milled powders was performed by using spark plasma sintering followed by hot extrusion. Microstructure analysis and mechanical properties test were employed to the powders and the bulk samples, respectively. XRD patterns and DSC curves indicated that amorphous and nanocrystalline microstructure was obtained after milling for 170h. Room temperature compression test showed that the as-extruded bulk sample made from 170h milled Al–Ni–Ce–Fe–Cu powders had fracture strength of about 780MPa, however, without any visible fracture deformation. In addition, the ductility can be significantly optimized by introducing 20wt% pure Al powder. The strengthening mechanisms of the bulk samples were discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Highlights: [•] A novel foils metallurgy route by heat treatment and spark plasma sintering is proposed. [•] Final microstructure depends on the SPS operating conditions. [•] Ti5Al11 appears in the novel processing methods. [•] Multilayered Ti/Ti–Al intermetallics compacts own the excellent strengths and toughness. [•] Effect of various microstructures on the strengths is elaborated. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In the present paper, we have developed an effective thermal-mechanical process for achieving both high strength and good ductility in a spark plasma sintered Al 2024 alloy. After conventional solid solution treatment, room temperature cold rolling and artificial aging at 175°C for 3h, the engineering yield strength and ultimate tensile strength of the Al2024 alloy are 529.6 and 583.1MPa, respectively, while maintaining a remarkable elongation to failure of 16.2%. The superior of the mechanical properties was discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Escherichia coli O157:H7 is an important foodborne pathogen that has become a major worldwide factor affecting the public safety of food. Bacteriophage has gradually attracted attention because of its ability to kill specific pathogens. In this study, a lytic phage of E. coli O157:H7, named FEC14, was isolated from hospital sewage. Transmission electron microscopy analysis showed that phage FEC14 had an isometric head 80 ± 5 nm in diameter and a contractile tail whose terminal spikes present an umbrella-like structure. Phage FEC14 revealed 158,639 bp double-stranded DNA, with the G+C content of 44.6%, 209 ORFs and four tRNAs. Genome DNA of FEC14 could not be digested by some endonucleases. Many of the features of phage FEC14 are very similar to those of the newly classified genus "Kuttervirus", including morphology, genome size and organization, etc. Phage FEC14 is proposed to be a new isolate of genus "Kuttervirus" within the family Ackermannviridae, moreover, the endonuclease resistance of phage FEC14, has priority over other genera of bacteriophages for its use in biocontrol of foodborne pathogens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare the effect of transabdominal preperitoneal (TAPP) inguinal hernioplasty with or without mesh fixation on chronic pain and quality of life of patients.Methods: One hundred patients with a simple oblique inguinal hernia were included and treated at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University from July of 2015 to July of 2016. Patients were randomly assigned to TAPP inguinal hernioplasty with mesh fixation (fixation group, n = 50) or without mesh fixation (non-fixation group, n = 50). Observation indices such as mean operative time, time to ambulation, hospitalization expense, and complications were recorded. The visual analog scale (VAS) was adopted for pain evaluation 2 days, 3 months, and 6 months postoperatively. The 36-item short-form health survey (SF-36) was adopted for life quality scoring 3 months postoperatively.Results: No recurrence or incisional infections were observed during follow-up in either group. The mean operative time, time to ambulation, and hospitalization expense of the non-fixation group were all significantly reduced compared to those of the fixation group. The VAS score 2 days, 3 months, and 6 months postoperatively of the non-fixation group were significantly lower than in the fixation group. The physical function, role physical, bodily pain, and general health in the non-fixation group were each significantly higher than in the fixation group. In contrast, vitality, social function, role emotional, and mental health showed no significant differences across groups.Conclusions: For patients with primary unilateral oblique inguinal hernia with a defect size less than 4.0 cm in diameter, TAPP inguinal hernioplasty without mesh fixation was safe and effective. Furthermore, this shortened the operative time, promoted early ambulation, decreased hospitalization expenses, alleviated postoperative pain, and improved quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A. Baumannii is an opportunistic nosocomial pathogen which has severe antibiotic resistance. However, the epidemiology is less clearly understood in Jilin province and China. Thus, 89 A. baumannii isolates from a single hospital in Jilin province between 2013–2017 were performed by MLST. In order to better understanding of the epidemiology of Jilin isolates, Chinese strains originated from other domestic regions and worldwide isolates in MLST database were analyzed by silico phylogenetic tools together. A total of 22 STs in Jilin were identified, and 10 STs were found to be novel. The top three predominant sequence types are ST195 (n = 34, 38.2%), ST208 (n = 14, 15.7%) and ST540 (n = 13, 14.6%). ST369 is predicted to be group founder and ST195, ST540 are subgroup founders of the majority STs in Jilin Province. Some newly discovered singletons showed close relationship with strains from other countries, which suggest that nation-cross transmission is one of important origin of Jilin strains. The majority of Jilin STs showed clonality and close relationship with the majorities from other regions of China. But occupation of individual STs in Jilin were different from that of other domestic regions. The aggregation trend and genetic relationship proved that predominant Jilin STs continue to mutate during transmission. Drug resistance facilitated transmission of Jilin A.baumannii isolates because more than 94% of isolates are resistant to at least one carbapenem and the STs with strong resistance to carbapenems usually has more isolates. In conclusion, high diversity and different occupation of STs, and occupation of novel STs proved that epidemiology of A. baumannii in Jilin has special regional characteristics, and drug resistance facilitated transmission of domestic strains and foreign strains. Highlights: 1. The epidemiology of A. baumannii in Jilin Province showed distinctive local characteristic. 2. Newly discovered sequence types (STs), the results of genetic relatedness and geographical distribution of all STs showed epidemiological research by multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) in single hospital is helpful to monitor and control nosocomial infection of A. baumannii. 3. The rate of carbapenems resistance among A. baumannii is about 94% in Jilin province (northeast China). Carbapenems resistance is a helpful factor for predominant STs spreading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lytic bacteriophage JC01 was isolated using a strain of Cronobacter sakazakii previously isolated from powdered infant formula (PIF). The complete genome sequence of phage JC01 was determined. The double-stranded DNA genome of phage JC01 is composed of 61,736 bp with a G + C content of 58.9%, and it contains 76 putative open reading frames (ORFs) without any tRNA genes. The predicted ORFs were classified into functional groups, including DNA manipulation, transcription, phage packaging, phage structure, host lysis, and hypothetical proteins. Based on overall nucleotide sequence comparisons, calculation of phage intergenomic similarities, and phylogenetic analysis, JC01 appears to be a novel bacteriophage infecting C. sakazakii. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ranging code is the core component of the signal transmission scheme in any global navigation satellite system (GNSS); its performance directly influences on the technical indexes of positioning accuracy, compatibility, interoperability, anti-interference, security, synchronization realization, and so on. Therefore, research on ranging codes could provide theoretical support for the improvement of the performance of ranging codes and extension of their design methods to future satellite navigation signal structures. In order to improve the balance in classical chaotic sequences, a novel ranging code is proposed in this paper and constructed by a series of the improved Logistic-map chaotic sequences with different initial values through weighted optimization, summation, and quantization. Then a comprehensive performance evaluation method based on the Welch bound including three main indexes has been introduced, namely the performance of acquisition, tracking, and robustness against interfering narrowband signals. Finally, the three indexes are combined in a cost function by weighting to evaluate the proposed code, coarse/acquisition (C/A), Gold, Weil, and Random as well as the conventional chaotic codes, and the corresponding weighted coefficients can be adjusted flexibly according to the user groups or application types. Theoretical analysis and simulation results over an additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel show that the proposed ranging code cannot only demonstrate excellent performance in acquisition and anti-narrowband interference while maintaining high quality in tracking performance as the C/A code but also significantly improve balance performance and strengthen reliability and security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MIL-125(Ti) is well known for having stable structure, tunable electron structure, and multiple active sites, which is commonly studied in the field of photocatalysis. In this work, a series of rare earth (RE) doped MIL-125(Ti) (RE=Ce, Pr, Tm, Dy, Eu, and Sm) are prepared via the one-step hydrothermal method. Notably, Pr-MIL-125 displays a significantly enhanced catalytic performance than other RE-doped MIL-125, resulting in a maximal CO and CH 4 yield of 13.30 and 0.87 µmol·g−1·h−1, respectively, which are 2.53-fold and 4.14-fold of the pristine MIL-125. The layered morphology endows Pr-MIL-125 with more active sites and facilitates the reaction of photoreduction CO 2. Furthermore, the promoted photoactivities attributed to Pr ion dopant can act as electron transfer bridge and suppress charge recombination. This work would provide insight and guidance for designing RE-MOF based photocatalysts and enhancing the performance of photoreduction CO 2. [Display omitted] • The partial interval energy levels of Pr ion can act as the electron transfer bridge in Pr-MIL-125. • The layered morphology and the increase of absorption range endows Pr-MIL-125 with more active sites. • 0.01 Pr-MIL-125 exhibits the optimal photocatalytic performance of CO and CH 4 yield of 13.30 and 0.87 µmol·g−1·h−1, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • CoAlO oxides derived from CoAl-LDHs with various anions intercalation were prepared. • The interlayer anions affected the propane oxidation activity of CoAlO catalysts. • CoAlO-Ac with abundant Co3+ and O ads showed excellent propane oxidation activity. • The lattice distortion caused by interlayer anions promoted the oxygen migration. Constructing effective and stable non-noble metal catalysts is of great significance and prospect for catalytic oxidation of stable light alkanes at low temperature. Herein, the CoAlO oxide catalysts derived from the CoAl layered double hydroxides (LDHs) intercalated with CO 3 2–, CH 3 COO– (Ac), SO 4 2-, NO 3 – and citrate (CA) anions were prepared, and their catalytic performances for propane oxidation were investigated. Among all CoAlO catalysts, the CoAlO-Ac-3 catalyst (CH 3 COO– anion intercalation) exhibited better catalytic activity for propane oxidation (T 90 = 300 °C), with the highest reaction rate (2.79 × 10-7 mol g−1 s−1) and TOF value (0.13 × 10-3 s−1) at 240 °C. Characterization results revealed that the interlayer anions affected the valence distribution of metals and surface active oxygen species, and CH 3 COO– anion intercalation CoAlO-Ac catalyst showed the highest Co3+/Co2+ molar ratio and active oxygen species. Combining with Raman and in-situ DRIFTS results, the lattice distortion of catalyst caused by the interlayer anions promoted the migration of active oxygen species, thus accelerating the propane adsorption and activation. Meanwhile, CoAlO-Ac-3 catalyst exhibited excellent stability and water resistance for propane oxidation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A Fenton process that uses FeCl2 as the alternative catalyst was employed to deal with the biologically treated landfill leachate. Data obtained revealed that this Fenton process can provide an equivalent pollutant removal as the Fenton process that uses FeSO4 as catalyst. Central composite design (CCD) and response surface methodology (RSM) were applied to evaluate and optimize the four key factors, namely initial pH, Fe(II) dosage ([Fe2+]), H2O2/Fe(II) mole ratio ([H2O2]/[Fe2+] ratio) and reaction time, which affect the performance of the Fenton treatment. Chemical oxygen demand (COD) and color were selected as response variables. This approach provided statistically significant quadratic models, which were adequate to predict responses and to carry out optimization under the conditions studied. It was demonstrated that the interaction between initial pH and [H2O2]/[Fe2+] ratio has a significant effect on the COD removal, while the interaction between [H2O2]/[Fe2+] ratio and reaction time shows a large impact on color removal. The optimal conditions were found to be initial pH 5.9, [Fe2+]=9.60mmol/L, [H2O2]/[Fe2+] ratio=2.38, reaction time=5.52h. Under this optimal scheme, the COD and color in the effluent were reduced to 159mg/L and 25°, respectively, with an increase of BOD5/COD ratio from 0.05 to 0.21. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Treatment of a Fenton-treated leachate was carried out by denitrification of nitrate using an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) biofilm reactor and subsequent biofiltration of the residual COD using a biological aerated filter (BAF). Methanol was selected as the optimal external carbon source because of its good performance, low cost and simple operability. Central composite design (CCD) and response surface methodology (RSM) were used to evaluate the effect of three factors namely hydraulic retention time (HRT), nitrogen concentration and COD/N (C/N) ratio on denitrification performance. Process optimization matched well with the model prediction and allowed 94% reduction of COD and up to 98% removal of total nitrogen (TN). The 21-day biofiltration experiments in a BAF showed that an effluent with COD concentration below100mg/L and TN concentration less than 40mg/L was achieved. Our results indicated that the combination process of UASB-biofilter/BAF is effective for nitrate and residual carbon removal. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A laboratory testing of simultaneous removal of ammonium and sulfate (SRAS) was studied from an anammox process in an anaerobic bioreactor filled with granular activated carbon. Two different phases of experiment were investigated to start up the SRAS process, and final batch tests were performed to analyze the SRAS process. The experiment included an anammox process and an SRAS process. During the anammox process, the highest removal efficiency of ammonium and nitrite was up to 97 and 98%, respectively. After 160 days in the stationary phase of anammox process, the ratio of ammonium to nitrite consumption was approximately 1:1.15, which is much higher than 1:1.32 in the traditional anammox process. The extra electron acceptor, such as sulfate, was thought to react with ammonium by bacteria. Synthetic wastewater containing ammonium chlorine and sodium sulfate was used as the feed for the bioreactor in the second phase of experiment. During the SRAS process, the influent concentrations of ammonium and sulfate were controlled to be 50–60 and 210–240mgL−1 respectively. After start-up and acclimatization of this process for 60 days, the average effluent concentrations of ammonium and sulfate were 30 and 160mgL−1, respectively. The simultaneous ammonium and sulfate removal was detected in the reactor. In order to further validate the biochemical interaction between ammonium and sulfate, batch tests was carried out. Abiotic tests were carried out to demonstrate that the pure chemical action between ammonium and sulfate without microorganism was not possible. Biotic assays with different ammonium and sulfate concentrations were further investigated that high concentrations of ammonium and sulfate could promote simultaneous removal of ammonium and sulfate. And elemental sulfur and nitrogen gas as the products measured in the SRAS process helped to demonstrate the occurrence of new interaction between nitrogen and sulfur. The new process of SRAS in the inorganic condition, including simultaneous removal of ammonium and sulfate, and the appearance of elemental sulfur and nitrogen gas as the terminal products, widened the cycle approach between nitrogen and sulfur. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In recent years, bidirectional encoder representation from transformers (BERT) models have achieved superior performance in hyperspectral images (HSIs). It can capture the long-range correlations between HSI elements, but the local space and spectral band information of HSI is insufficient. We propose a spatially augmented guided sequence BERT network for HSI classification study, referred to as SAS-BERT, which makes more effective use of HSI's spatial and spectral information by improving the BERT model. First, a spatial augmentation learning module is added in the preprocessing stage to obtain more significant spatial features before the input network and better guide the spatial sequence. Then a spectral correlation module was used to represent the spectral band features of the HSI and to establish a correlation with the spatial location of the images to obtain better classification performance. Experimental results on three datasets show that the method proposed achieves better classification performance than other state-of-the-art methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a non-binary low-density parity-check (NB-LDPC) coded high-order continuous phase modulation (CPM) system is designed and optimized to improve power and iterative efficiencies. Firstly, the minimum squared normalized Euclidean distance and the 99% double-sided power bandwidth are introduced to design a competitive CPM, improving its power efficiency under a given code rate and spectral efficiency. Secondly, a three-step method based on extrinsic information transfer (EXIT) and entropy theory is used to design NB-LDPC codes, which reduces the convergence threshold approximately 0.42 and 0.58 dB compared with the candidate schemes. Thirdly, an extrinsic information operation is proposed to address the positive feedback issue in iterative detection and decoding and the value of bit error rate (BER) can approximately be reduced by 5 × 10 − 3 . Finally, iteration optimization employing the EXIT chart and mutual information between demodulation and decoding is performed to achieve a suitable tradeoff for the communication reliability and iterative decoding delay. Simulation results show that the resulting scheme provides an approximately 3.95 dB coding gain compared to the uncoded CPM and achieves approximately 0.5 and 0.7 dB advantages compared with the candidate schemes. The resulting NB-LDPC-coded high-order CPM for a given code rate and spectral efficiency converges earlier into a turbo cliff region compared with other competitors and significantly improves power and iterative efficiencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the effects of three different intermittent mixing modes (top, middle and bottom) on the performance of solid state anaerobic digestion (SS-AD) process of pig manure, corn stover and cucumber residues in a stirred tank reactor (STR). Results showed the cumulative methane yields of reactors had similar values (P > 0.05) except for the unmixed reactor (CK), which had a very low methane production. Reactors of top-mixed (T1) had shortest technical digestion time (T 80) and more stable physicochemical characteristics than the other treatments. These findings indicated the three mixing modes had almost no effect on the cumulative methane yields, but affected the digestion process. The main bacteria in T1 reactor was Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1. However, Caldicoprobacter accounted for a relatively large proportion of the bacteria in middle-mixed (T2) and bottom-mixed (T3) which was consistent with the later methane production than T1. Methanosarcina was the dominant archaea in T1 reactor. Methanoculleus and Methanosarcina were the main microorganisms in top and bottom area of T2 and T3 reactor. Acidogenic (top area) and methanogenic zones (bottom area) were formed in all reactors respectively, by combining the physicochemical properties and microorganisms. Overall, T1 showed more advantages for methane production during SS-AD. • Partial mixing affected AD process rather than methane yields. • Reactors without any mixing failed with propionic acid inhibition. • Partial mixing resulted in the differently spatial distribution of microorganisms. • Mixing at top accelerated the methanogenesis process compared with others. • Acidogenic (top area) and methanogenic zones (bottom area) were formed in reactors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The management of the hernia sac is the core step of laparoscopic indirect inguinal hernioplasty. In this study, a randomized controlled trial was conducted to evaluate the clinical effect of laparoscopic total extraperitoneal inguinal herniorrhaphy (TEP) with hernia sac transection and complete sac reduction.Method: From May 2017 to May 2018, 70 patients aged 18-75 with primary indirect inguinal hernia in our hospital were randomly divided into a transected sac group (TS) and a completely reduced sac group (RS). The primary outcomes compared between the two groups were the hernia sac treatment time, operation time, and the incidence of seroma formation after operation. Secondary outcomes included acute pain, chronic pain (pain which lasted for at least 3 months), hospital stay, recurrence rate, and other complications.Result: There were no significant differences in baseline demographic characteristics including age, sex, hernia type, size of hernia defect, and follow-up time between the two groups. The times required for hernia sac separation and operation in the TS group were significantly shorter than in the control group (6.1 ± 2.3 vs. 25 ± 5.8 min for hernia sac separation, p < 0.01; and 35.10 ± 3.50 vs. 54.40 ± 4.20 min for operation, p < 0.01). There was no significant difference in hospitalization time, incidence of acute pain, seroma formation, or urinary retention between the two groups. During the 12-month follow-up period, chronic pain, early recurrence, and other complications were not found in either group.Conclusion: Both the hernia sac transection technique and the complete sac reduction technique are safe and reliable. The hernia sac transection technique is a simple and effective hernia sac treatment method. It reduces the operation time and does not increase seroma or acute or chronic pain. It is valuable and likely to be popularly applied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate the role of percutaneous transhepatic cholangial drainage (PTCD) combined with percutaneous endoscopic jejunostomy (PEJ) in maintaining the nutrition state in patients with advanced ampullary neoplasms.Materials and Methods: Sixty patients who suffered from advanced ampullary neoplasms and could not tolerate internal drainage operation or biliary stent placement were enrolled. After PTCD, PEJ was implemented, and then the enteral nutrient solution + bile were instilled through PEJ tube for enteral nutrition support. Before and 1, 2, 3, and 4 weeks after surgery, the body weight, bilirubin, liver function, nutritional status, and immunologic function indexes were detected and compared.Results: All patients had successfully completed PTCD combined with PEJ, and no serious complication occurred. The body mass index of the patients from 4 weeks after surgery was significantly higher than before (P < 0.05). From 2 weeks, both serum total bilirubin and direct bilirubin levels were significantly lower than before (P < 0.05). From 1 week, both alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase levels were significantly lower than before (P < 0.05); from 2 weeks, the level of gamma-glutamyl transferase was significantly lower than before (P < 0.05). From 1 week, the levels of albumin, transferrin, and prealbumin were significantly increased compared with before (P < 0.05), and serum CD3+ cell content, CD4+ cell content, and CD4+/CD8+ ratio were significantly improved compared with before (P < 0.05).Conclusion: PTCD combined with PEJ is a safe and effective method for maintaining nutrition state in patients with advanced ampullary neoplasms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the performance of co-digesting cucumber residues, corn stover, and pig manure at different ratios. Microbial community structure was analyzed to elucidate functional microorganism contributing to methane production during co-digestion. Results show that mixing cucumber residues with pig manure and corn stover could significantly improved methane yields 1.27–3.46 times higher than mono-feedstock. The methane yields decreased with the cucumber residues increasing when the pig manure ratio was fixed at 4 and 3, and was opposite at ratio 5. The optimal mixture ratio was T2 with the highest methane yield (305.4 mL/g VS) and co-digestion performance index (1.97). The main microbiological community in T2 was bacteria of Firmicutes (44.6%), Bacteroidetes (32.5%), Synergistetes (3.8%) and archaea of Methanosaeta (37.1%), Methanospirillum (18.2%). The mixture ratios changed the microbial community structures. The adding proportion of cucumber residues changed the community composition of the archaea, especially the proportion of Methanosaeta . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pyrrolidinium-based ionic liquids (ILs), such as PYR 13 TFSI, PYR 14 TFSI, and PYR 1(2O1) TFSI, exhibit high thermal and electrochemical stability with wide electrochemical windows as electrolytes for application to rechargeable Li–O 2 batteries. In this work, several fundamental properties of three ILs are measured: the ionic conductivity, oxygen solubility, and oxygen diffusion coefficient. The oxygen electro-reduction kinetics is characterized using cyclic voltammetry. The performances of Li–O 2 batteries with these IL electrolytes are also investigated using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and galvanostatic discharge–charge tests. The results demonstrate that the PYR 1(2O1) TFSI electrolyte battery has a higher first-discharge voltage than the PYR 13 TFSI electrolyte and PYR 14 TFSI electrolyte batteries. Both PYR 13 TFSI- and PYR 1(2O1) TFSI-based batteries exhibit higher first-discharge capacities and better cycling stabilities than the PYR 14 TFSI-based battery for 30 cycles. A theoretical analysis of the experimental results shows that the diffusion coefficient and solubility of oxygen in the electrolyte remarkably affect the discharge capacity and cycling stability of the batteries. Particularly, the oxygen diffusion coefficient of the IL electrolyte can effectively facilitate the electrochemical oxygen electro-reduction reaction and oxygen concentration distribution in the catalyst layers of air electrodes. The oxygen diffusion coefficient and oxygen solubility improvements of IL electrolytes can enhance the discharge–charge performances of Li–O 2 batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conclusion: The large conductance Ca2+-activated K+ channels (BK) expression is decreased in the cochleae of age-related hearing loss (AHL) mice. BK channel may be associated with AHL. Objective: AHL is the most common among elderly persons. BK channels act as sensors for membrane voltage and intracellular Ca2+ and are essential for hearing. To investigate the distribution of BK channel in the cochleae of C57BL/6J mice, and the relationship between the expression of BK channel and the etiology of AHL. Methods: BK expression was studied in the cochleae of C57BL/6J mice at various ages (4, 12, 26, 52 weeks). The expressions of BK at the protein and mRNA levels were detected by immunofluorescence technique, western blot and quantitative real time PCR. Results: In comparison with 4-week-old mice, BK expressions in the cochleae at 12, 26 and 52 weeks of age were significantly and gradually decreased at both the protein and the mRNA levels. The immunofluorescence technique showed the BK channel was located in the hair cells and cells of the spiral ganglion, spiral ligament and stria vascularis and its expression also decreased with aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, spinel cobalt oxide (Co3O4) nanostructure has received great interest because of its enhanced gas sensing properties and it offers many opportunities in the sensing field. In the research reported in this paper, spinel Co3O4 compounds with various morphologies were prepared by a simple solvothermal process and then applied for gas detection. The structure, morphology and surface characteristics of the as-obtained products were characterized using X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscope, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry analysis. These analyses revealed that the morphologies of the Co3O4 nanostructures could be accurately controlled by employing different solvents. To highlight their potential application, gas sensors based on the as-synthesized products were fabricated to test their sensing performances. The test data indicated that the needle-shaped Co3O4 compounds had a superb kinetic response and excellent selectivity towards some pollutant volatile organic compounds at an operating temperature of 170 °C, especially ethanol. As such, these hierarchical Co3O4 needle-shaped microspheres are a promising candidate for a high-performance gas sensing material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-assembly mesoporous ZnO/Co 3 O 4 microspheres have been successfully synthesized through a facile solvothermal method without any alkali source combined a post-annealing process. The structure, morphology and surface characteristics of the special microspheres were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET). It was found that the ZnO/Co 3 O 4 microspheres with diameter of about 0.5–1.5 μm were composed of abundant nanoparticles with an average size of 40 nm. Gas-sensing properties made clear that the response of mesoporous ZnO/Co 3 O 4 microspheres sensors was as high as 38–43 which was about 5 times higher than pure ZnO gas sensors toward 50 ppm ethanol at 275 °C. The remarkable improvement in gas-sensing properties of the porous ZnO/Co 3 O 4 microspheres was attributed to their unique mesoporous structure and the extension of the electron depletion layer via the formation of p–n heterojunctions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ferromagnetic nanoparticles (NPs) prepared by conventional routes usually lead to large particle sizes because of their easy aggregation nature, and the low loading amount greatly limits their application in reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP). In this contribution, well dispersed Ni nanoparticles with small diameter of 7 nm are supported on mesoporous silica SBA-15 through a facile in situ decomposition and reduction strategy. It is found that the as-prepared Ni/SBA-15 can be used as a catalyst and exhibits a high specific surface area (461 m2 g−1) and ultra-high loading amount of Ni particles (574 μg mg−1). The well-dispersed and high-loading Ni NPs make the Ni/SBA-15 exhibit excellent catalytic performance in 4-NP reduction, superior to any Ni NPs supported catalysts reported so far and many noble metal supported catalysts. In particular, the magnetic behaviour of Ni/SBA-15 makes it easy to recycle for reuse. This novel synthetic strategy may pave the way for the preparation of other metal nanoparticles supported on different kinds of amorphous silica with high loading capacity and high dispersion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a facile approach for the formation of magnetic core–shell iron oxide@silica@nickel-ethylene glycol (Fe3O4@SiO2@Ni-L) microspheres. The structure and morphology of Fe3O4@SiO2@Ni-L are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and nitrogen sorption isotherm. The composite possesses a high specific surface area of 382 m2 g−1. The obtained core/shell structure is composed of a superparamagnetic core with a strong response to external fields, which are recovered readily from aqueous solutions by magnetic separation. When used as the adsorbent for uranium(vi) in water, the as-prepared Fe3O4@SiO2@Ni-L multi-structural microspheres exhibit a high adsorption capacity, which is mainly attributed to the large specific surface area and typical mesoporous characteristics of Fe3O4@SiO2@Ni-L microspheres. This work provides a promising approach for the design and synthesis of multifunctional microspheres, which can be used for water treatment, as well as having other potential applications in a variety of biomedical fields including drug delivery and biosensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) has been known to be able to play a protective role in the cochlea. The aim of this study was to investigate whether geldanamycin hydrosoluble derivative 17-(dimethylaminoethylamino)-17-demethoxygeldanamycin (17-DMAG) has the ability to induce Hsp70 up-regulation to protect hair cells from kanamycin-induced ototoxicity in vitro . The organ of Corti (OC) explants were isolated from mice at postnatal day 3–5. Then, the explants were exposed to kanamycin with or without pre-incubation with 17-DMAG. The expression of Hsp70 was assessed by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction, ELISA, and immunofluorescent staining. The surviving hair cells were examined by phalloidin labeling and were counted. We found that Hsp70 expression in the explants after pre-incubation with 17-DMAG was significantly increased at both mRNA and protein levels. Immunofluorescent staining showed that Hsp70 was mainly located in the auditory hair cells. Compared with kanamycin group, the loss of hair cells was inhibited significantly in 17-DMAG + kanamycin group. Our study demonstrated that 17-DMAG induces Hsp70 in the hair cells, and has a significant protective effect against kanamycin ototoxicity in vitro . 17-DMAG has the possibility to be a safe and effective anti-ototoxic drug. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a study of uranium (VI) adsorption in aqueous solutions by magnetic oxine (ferroferric oxide/oxine composite). Batch experiments of uranium (VI) adsorption were conducted, investigating the significance of solution pH, contact time, ionic strength, and temperature on uranium sorption efficiency. The results suggest that maximum adsorption capacity is 125 mg g −1 when the initial uranium (VI) concentration is 50 mg L −1 at 298 K, displaying a mass transport property of the magnetic oxine for the removal of uranium (VI). The sorption was strongly dependent on pH and independent of ionic strength, indicating that the sorption was mainly dominated by inner-sphere surface complexation. The experimental data are analyzed using sorption kinetic models, revealing that the process follows a pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The thermodynamic parameters show that the process is endothermic and spontaneous. We demonstrate a fast, efficient and convenient material for the removal of uranium (VI) from aqueous solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we have developed a facile route for the fabrication of a manganese dioxide–iron oxide–reduced graphite oxide magnetic nanocomposite (MnO2–Fe3O4–rGO). The as-obtained nanomaterial (MnO2–Fe3O4–rGO) was characterized using transmission electron microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, vibrating sample magnetometry, and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area measurements. The MnO2–Fe3O4–rGO composite shows extraordinary adsorption capacity and fast adsorption rates for the removal of uranium(vi) in aqueous solution. The influence of factors including the dosage of the MnO2–Fe3O4–rGO composite used, pH of aqueous solution, and temperature were investigated. The thermodynamic parameters, including Gibbs free energy (ΔG°), standard enthalpy change (ΔH°) and standard entropy change (ΔS°) for the process, were calculated using the Langmuir constants. The results show that a pseudo-second-order kinetics model can be used to describe the uptake process using a kinetics test. Our present study suggests that the MnO2–Fe3O4–rGO composite can be used as a potential adsorbent for sorption of uranium(vi) as well as for providing a simple, fast separation method for the removal of uranium(vi) ions from aqueous solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To determine the best chemical reduction of graphene oxide film with hydriodic acid that gives maximum energy and power density, we studied the effect of two reducing systems, hydriodic acid/water and hydriodic acid/acetic acid, on the morphology and electrochemical features of reduced graphene oxide film. Using acetic acid as solvent results in high electrical conductivity (5195 S m −1 ), excellent specific capacitance (384 F g −1 ) and good cyclic stability (about 98% of its initial response after 4000 cycles). Using water as a solvent, results in an ideal capacitive behavior and excellent cyclic stability (about 6% increase of its initial response after 2100 cycles). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A theoretical research on the low-energy structures, binding energies, and Raman spectra of the (N2)n (n=3–6) complexes has been systematically explored. Similar to the water trimer, the energetically lowest-lying structure of the nitrogen molecule trimer is a C3h-symmetric cyclic structure. However, different from the water tetramer and pentamer being simple ring structures, the lowest-lying structures of the tetramer and the pentamer are pyramidal structures with C3 and C4 symmetry. Additionally, the hexamer prefers the Ci-symmetric bipyramidal structure rather than the prism structure that is the most stable of the water hexamer. Moreover, the binding energy and the Raman spectrum for each complex are also predicted. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Underwater wireless sensor networks (UWSNs) have emerged as a promising technology to monitor and explore the oceans instead of traditional undersea wireline instruments. Traditional routing protocols are inefficient for UWSNs due to the specific nature of the underwater environment. In contrast, Opportunistic Routing (OR) protocols establish an online route for each transmission, which can well adapt with time-varying underwater channel. Cross-layer design is an effective approach to combine the metrics from different layers to optimize an OR routing in UWSNs. However, typical cross-layer OR routing protocols that are designed for UWSNs suffer from congestion problem at high traffic loads. In this paper, a Cross-Layer-Aided Opportunistic Routing Protocol (CLOR) is proposed to reduce the congestion in multi-hop sparse UWSNs. The CLOR consists of a negotiation phase and transmission phase. In the negotiation phase, the cross-layer information in fuzzy logic is utilized to attain an optimal forwarder node. In the transmission phase, to improve the transmission performance, a burst transmission strategy with network coding is exploited. Finally, we perform simulations of the proposed CLOR protocol in a specific sea region. Simulation results show that CLOR significantly improves the network performances at various traffic rates compared to existing protocols. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hollow spheres of SnO 2 (Tin oxide) have been successfully synthesized by using a one-step calcined method and the products were uniform after heating SnO 2 crystals at 500 °C for an hour, the range of diameter is from 300 to 900 nm. We successfully used only one reagent (stannous octoate) without any catalyst or surfactant to synthesize SnO 2 crystals, in which was fast, simple and reproducible. Gas sensors based on these SnO 2 microspheres exhibited excellent selectivity, fast response, and good selectivity to 1–300 ppm ethanol vapor at 320 °C. It has shown great sensitivity at a low concentration (1 ppm) and operating temperature pointing out that the SnO 2 microsphere is an ideal potential material for ethanol sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The methane yield mainly decreased with increasing TS content and F/I ratio. • The TS content of 10% was mostly affected by an increased F/I ratio. • The K h and R max decreased with increasing TS content and F/I ratio. • A TS content of 30% had the highest net present value and internal rate of return. • SS-AD were financially attractive especially at a lower F/I ratio. This study investigated performance and stability of increasing total solids (TS) content (10–30%) and feedstock-to-inoculum (F/I) ratios (1, 2) on anaerobic co-digestion of agricultural wastes. The cumulative methane yields generally decreased with the increasing TS content except for the TS content of 30% at F/I ratio of 1 and TS content of 10% at F/I ratio of 2. This was consistent with the maximum methane production rate (R max) and rate of the hydrolysis (K h) stage in reactors. The pH, VFAs and NH 4 +-N content were positively correlated with increasing TS contents and F/I ratios. Economic analysis results indicated the net present value generally increased with increasing TS contents and TS content of 30% at F/I ratio of 1 had the highest net present value (5.7 million US$) and internal rate of return (41.9%). This indicated solid-state anaerobic digestion was financially attractive under analyzed conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]