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The carbonate chemistry in river-dominated marginal seas is highly heterogeneous, and there is ongoing debate regarding the definition of atmospheric CO 2 source or sink. On this basis, we investigated the carbonate chemistry and air-sea CO 2 fluxes in a hotspot estuarine area: the Changjiang Estuary during winter and summer. The spatial characteristics of the carbonate system were influenced by water mixing of three end-members in winter, including the Changjiang freshwater with low total alkalinity (TA) concentration, the less saline Yellow Sea Surface Water with high TA, and the saline East China Sea (ECS) offshore water with moderate TA. While in summer with increased river discharge, the carbonate system was regulated by simplified two end-member mixing between the Changjiang freshwater and the ECS offshore water. By performing the end-member mixing model on DIC variations in the river plume region, significant biological addition of DIC was found in winter with an estimation of −120 ± 113 μmol kg−1 caused by wintertime organic matter remineralization from terrestrial source. While this biological addition of DIC shifted to DIC removal due to biological production in summer supported by the increased nutrient loading from Changjiang River. The p CO 2 dynamics in the river plume and the ECS offshore were both subjected to physical mixing of freshwater and seawater, whether in winter and summer. In the inner estuary without horizontal mixing, the p CO 2 dynamics were mainly influenced by biological uptake in winter and temperature in summer. The inner estuary, the river plume, and the ECS offshore were sources of atmospheric CO 2 , with their contributions varying seasonally. The Changjiang runoff enhanced the inner estuary's role as a CO 2 source in summer, while intensive biological uptake reduced the river plume's contribution. [Display omitted] • Mixing of end-members drove the variation of carbonate system among seasons. • Winter biological DIC addition and summer DIC removal occurred in the rive plume. • The important role of freshwater inputs in CO 2 emissions from the Changjiang estuary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Detoxification effects of RKS and NS ceramsites process are monitored and analyzed. • Environmental impacts of RKS and NS ceramsites technology are evaluated by LCA. • Key materials and energy consumption are recognized and recommendations are proposed. Harmless treatment and reuse of municipal solid waste incinerator fly ash are challenging. Two reuse technologies of converting incinerator fly ash to ceramsites via rotary kiln sintering and non-sintering have been demonstrated in China. Field monitoring results reveal that the destruction efficiency of PCDD/Fs are both higher than 99% in two processes. The leaching rate of heavy metals in both ceramsite products, their pollutant emissions in production process meet the standards. Environmental impacts of two ceramsite products were compared using life cycle assessment approach. Rotary kiln sintering ceramsite has lower environmental impacts in most categories and delivers a smaller integrated impacts index than non-sintering ceramsite. For rotary kiln sintering ceramsite, transportation, electricity and curing agent in dust disposal are the most significant contributors to most of environmental impacts categories results, accounting for 33.7%, 29.0% and 24.6% to the integrated impacts index, respectively. For non-sintering ceramsite, curing agent and electricity contribute 69.6% and 15.8% to the integrated impacts index, respectively. Based on these life cycle assessment results, recommendations for current plant operation and new plants planning are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents chemical equations related to the article "A Three-Component One-Pot Synthesis of 2-Alkoxy-4-amino-N-arylthiazole-5-carboxamides" by J. Zhou and colleagues, published in the " Chinese Chemical Letters" in the 2014 issue.

Background: Brucella spp. is an important zoonotic pathogen responsible for brucellosis in humans and animals. Brucella abortus A19 strain is a widespread vaccine in China. However, it has a drawback of residual virulence in animals and humans. Methods: In this study, the BALB/c mice were inoculated with either 100 μL PBS(control group, C group), 109 CFU/mL inactivated B. abortus A19 strain (I group), 105 CFU/mL (low-dose group, L group) 106 CFU/mL live B. abortus A19 strain (high-dose group, H group), or 105 CFU/mL live B. abortus A19 strain combined with 109 CFU/mL inactivated B. abortus A19 strain (LI group). Mice were challenged with B. abortus strain 2308 at 7 week post vaccination. Subsequently, the immune and protective efficacy of the vaccines were evaluated by measuring splenic bacterial burden, spleen weight, serum IgG, interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), interleukin-4 (IL-4) percentage of CD4 + and CD8 + T cells of mice via bacterial isolation, weighing, ELISA and flow cytometry, respectively. Results: The splenic bacterial burden and spleen weight of the mice in group LI were mostly equivalent to the mice of group H. Moreover, Brucella-specific serum IgG, IFN-γ, IL-4, and the percentage of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells of the LI group mice were similar to those of the H group. In the subsequent challenge test, both vaccines conferred protective immunity to wild-type (WT) 2308 strain. In addition, the levels of IL-4 and IFN-γ, CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in these mice were similar to those of the mice in the H group. Conclusions: Combined immunization with low dose live vaccine and inactivated vaccine allowed to reduce the live B. abortus A19 vaccine, dose with an equivalent protection of the high-dose live vaccine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lightweight NiAl alloys are expected to replace high-density nickel-based superalloys, but their mechanical performance needs to be improved. In this work, NiAl–30Cr composites with a novel heterogeneous microstructure composed of fine NiAl matrix and Cr single-phase was successfully prepared. Nanoscale Cr particles with 15 nm in size precipitated in NiAl matrix are coherent with NiAl matrix owing to very low interplanar and interatomic spacing mismatch. Such a composite microstructure makes NiAl–30Cr exhibit high strength and high toughness. The yield strength (1207 MPa), ultimate compressive strength (2307 MPa), product of strength and plasticity (29.3 GPa%), and fracture toughness (10.76 MPa m1/2) of NiAl–30Cr increased by 96.6%, 85.6%, 55.1% and 19.7% respectively at room temperature compared to the corresponding ones of NiAl. At 1000 °C, the yield strength (144 MPa) of NiAl–30Cr was 85.9% higher than that of NiAl. Solution strengthening and precipitation strengthening were the key strengthening mechanisms at room temperature. The enhancement in toughness was attributed to grain refinement, increased crack propagation paths, weakened Ni–Al covalent bonding and coordinated deformation of Cr single-phase and NiAl matrix. By contrast, the main strengthening mechanism at 1000 °C is the solid solution Cr atoms hindering dislocation climbing and the stable interface bonding between the Cr nanoprecipitation phase and the NiAl matrix. This work provides new ideas for preparing high-strength and tough NiAl alloy. • NiAl–30Cr consists of NiAl and Cr single-phase, which can coordinate deformation. • Coherent Cr nano-precipitates distribute in NiAl matrix, and interface is stable. • The yield strength increased by 96.6% and 85.9% at 25 °C and 1000 °C. • The strengthening and toughening mechanisms are revealed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As recent studies have described an association between vitamin D and allergic rhinitis, we hypothesized that vitamin D pathway-related genes may be candidate genes for susceptibility to allergic rhinitis. Thus, we sought to evaluate whether polymorphisms in the vitamin D receptor (VDR) and CYP2R1 genes are associated with mite-sensitized persistent allergic rhinitis (PER) in a Han Chinese population. A hospital-based case-control study consisting of 519 patients with mite-sensitized PER and 447 healthy controls was conducted. Five single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in VDR and CYP2R1 were selected for genotyping. The genotype and allele frequencies of rs9729, rs2228570, rs1544410, and rs731236 in VDR as well as rs2060793 in CYP2R1 were not significantly associated with susceptibility to mite-sensitized PER. After stratification analyses, however, both the CT and CT/TT genotypes of rs2228570 in VDR exhibited a significantly decreased risk (CT: adjusted odds ratio (OR)=0.58, 95% confidence intervals (CI)=0.37-0.91; CT/TT: adjusted OR=0.61, 95% CI=0.40-0.93) of mite-sensitized PER, while the AA genotype of rs2060793 in CYP2R1 exhibited a significantly increased risk (adjusted OR=1.85, 95% CI=1.03-3.34) of PER in the age subgroup of <16 years old. Both the AG and AG/GG genotypes of rs731236 in VDR exhibited a significantly decreased risk (AG: adjusted OR=0.43, 95% CI=0.21-0.89; AG/GG: adjusted OR=0.46, 95% CI=0.23-0.94) of PER in the female subgroup. Analysis of the locus-locus interactions of VDR and CYP2R1 revealed two models that involved combined SNPs of VDR and CYP2R1 were statistically significant (P<0.05). Our data suggest that age and gender may have an impact on the association of three SNPs (rs2228570, rs731236, and rs2060793) in genes of the vitamin D pathway with the risk of mite-sensitized PER in this Chinese population. The VDR and CYP2R1 variants may be involved in genetic interactions in the pathogenesis of PER. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies indicated that oxidative stress was involved in phosgene-induced acute lung injury (ALI) and many antioxidants had been used to prevent ALI. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) had been used to protect ALI induced by various types of oxidative stress. Considering the limited information of NAC on phosgene-induced ALI, the purpose of this study was to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of phosgene-induced ALI and the protective effects of NAC. This study discovered that intraperitoneal administration of NAC significantly alleviated phosgene-induced pulmonary edema, as confirmed by decreased lung wet to dry weight ratio and oxidative stress markers. The content of -γ-glutamyl--cysteinyl-glycine (glutathione; GSH) and the ratio of the reduced and disulfide forms (GSH/GSSG), significant indicators of the antioxidative ability, were apparently inhibited by phosgene exposure. However, both indicators could be reversed by NAC administration, indicating that dysregulation of redox status of glutathione might be the cause of phosgene-induced ALI. The nuclear factor (NF)-E2–related factor 2 (Nrf2), which has been proven to up-regulate the expression of glutathione reductase (GR), was obviously decreased by phosgene exposure. However, NAC administration elevated Nrf2 expression significantly. In conclusion, these data provided the first evidences showing that it was the transcriptional factor Nrf2 that connected phosgene-induced ALI with GSH metabolism. NAC protected against oxidative stress through acting on this newly disclosed Nrf2/GR/GSH pathway, by which NAC elevated the biosynthesis of protective GSH to repair and reconstitute the defense system destroyed by phosgene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A comprehensive analysis of the microstructure, compression performance and work hardening capacity of an in situ ceramic-reinforced NiAl matrix composite through the integration of combustion synthesis and hot pressing was investigated. The results showed that the grain size of the composite containing 5 vol% TaC ceramic particles was refined by 64%. Meanwhile, there was a small lattice mismatch between NiAl matrix and TaC ceramic particles, which also means that the low-energy interface between the NiAl and TaC contributed to the stability of the interface combination. Furthermore, the yield strength, maximum compression stress and strength-ductility balance of the composite were increased by 31%, 26% and 15%, respectively. This paper focuses on the mechanical properties and mechanism of a NiAl matrix composite with 5 vol% in situ TaC ceramic particles at room temperature. • The microstructures of NiAl alloy are significantly refined by in-situ nano-TaC particles. • The NiAl composite reinforced by nano-TaC exhibits high yield strength and work hardening capacity. • The main strengthening mechanisms of the nanocomposite are grain refinement, thermal mismatch. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]