Search

Dry torrefaction (DT) and wet torrefaction (WT) as pretreatment methods to prepare sawdust pellets shows great potential for enhancing the quality of biomass pellets. However, few studies have focused on the comprehensive comparison and evaluation of DT and WT. Herein, the effects of DT (200-280 ℃) and WT (180-240 ℃) on the physicochemical properties of sawdust and sawdust pellets were comprehensively investigated. The results showed that both pretreatment methods reduced the mass yield (92.67%-84.33% for DT and 93.42%-90.39% for WT) and energy yield (94.78%-90.78% for DT and 93.42%-92.20% for WT) of sawdust while increasing the higher heating value (17.79-18.73 MJ/kg for DT and 17.44-17.79 MJ/kg for WT). FT-IR indicated that WT had a significant effect on the degradation of cellulose and hemicellulose compared with DT samples. Thermogravimetric analysis revealed that DT and WT efficiently reduced the residue (9.16%-13.63% for DT and 10.22%-10.91% for WT) and improved the stability of sawdust compared with untreated sawdust (13.70%). Furthermore, sawdust pellets prepared by WT-180 and WT-200 exhibited enhanced hydrophobicity and pressure resistance. Comprehensive evaluation showed that WT-200 had the superior effect on the performance improvement of sawdust and sawdust pellets. Through the comparative analysis between DT and WT alongside the introduction of preliminary evaluation system proposed, this work offers insights into selecting appropriate pretreatment techniques to enhance the quality of biomass pellets and tackle logistics and transport challenges.

Magnesium alloys are widely used as biodegradable medical biomaterials due to their density and modulus of elasticity close to that of human bone. However, too rapid degradation in the physiological environment limits their application. In this paper, the non-toxic and easy alloying properties of liquid metal gallium are utilized to make it a coating material for biomedical Mg–Nd alloys, which is used to solve the problem of the rapid degradation rate of Mg alloys. The corrosion resistance of the Ga–Mg alloy layer was investigated by in vitro immersion in simulated body fluid (SBF) and electrochemical experiments, and a microhardness tester characterized the surface hardness. In addition, the phase transformation of the Ga–Mg alloy layer was systematically investigated in combination with XRD diffraction results. The results showed that by adjusting the alloying time of Ga with Mg–Nd in liquid metal, a “retarded layer” with high hardness, stability, and good corrosion resistance was obtained. This study is expected to expand the application of Mg alloy materials in medicine.

Although nanosilver particles are commonly used as oil lubrication additives, their mechanism for improving lubrication at the atomic scale remains unclear. This article explains how the performance of a pentaerythritol oleate lubrication system can be improved using silver nanoparticles through molecular dynamics simulation. Additionally, tribological tests were conducted using a reciprocating friction and wear testing machine. The relative concentrations and simulated shear conformation revealed that silver nanoparticles underwent deformation under shear stress and fractured at the interlayer slip. This resulted in the formation of a deposited film that spread over both the top and bottom Fe layers. We characterized the interaction between pentaerythritol oleate molecular chains and Fe layers by analyzing interfacial interaction energies, mean square displacements, and self-diffusion coefficients. Our findings indicate that the presence of silver nanoparticles improves both the adsorption of pentaerythritol oleate molecular chains onto the Fe layer and their diffusion behavior. The results of tribological tests indicate that adding silver nanoparticles significantly reduces friction coefficient and frictional wear across various lubrication conditions. The addition of silver nanoparticles at different loads and temperatures resulted in varying reductions in the coefficient of friction and wear. At a load of 20 N and a temperature of 298 K, the coefficient of friction decreased by 9%, and wear decreased by 31%. When the load was reduced to 2 N while maintaining a temperature of 298 K, the coefficient of friction decreased by 8% and wear decreased significantly by 84%. Finally, at a load of 20 N but with an increased temperature to 373 K, there was a larger reduction in the coefficient of friction (23%) compared to wear (50%). The film-formation mechanism of improved lubrication by silver nanoparticles was verified through tribological tests and simulations.

Hip prostheses generate higher frictional heat than natural joints at the joint head-socket interface during in vivoservice, resulting in higher temperatures of the contact surfaces and surrounding synovial fluid, which affects the frictional properties of the prosthetic material. In order to clarify the influence mechanism of frictional heat on the tribological behavior of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) for acetabular replacement, the tribological tests of three contact pairs were carried out under different synovial fluid temperatures in this research. Furthermore, the movement processes of the molecular chain structure of UHMWPE during friction were simulated by Materials Studio (MS), and the mechanism of oxidative degradation was discussed. The results show that the temperature of synovial fluid has a significant effect on the friction and wear resistance of UHMWPE and the lubrication characteristics of synovial fluid. At the same time, the action mechanism of the proteins in the synovial fluid that gradually precipitate with the temperature rise to participate in the friction process is related to the friction pair material and contact mode. The synergistic effect of temperature rise and friction will accelerate the oxidative degradation reaction of UHMWPE and form ketone and alcohol oxides on its surface, thus reducing its wear resistance.

A novel magnetic agitating heater powered by a USB port has been developed and applied to synthesize silver colloid substrate for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) detection of sodium saccharin content on the tipping paper of cigarettes. The heater device allows the convenient synthesis of the Ag colloid, and the reaction can be completed on-site in 15 min under mild conditions. The on-site synthesis of SERS substrate effectively avoided the need for storage and concerns regarding the poor stability and short lifespan of colloid substrates. The results demonstrated that the substrate obtained with the device could achieve SERS detection of Rhodamine 6G (R6G) at as low as 10−9mol L−1while maintaining a stable intensity with a relative standard deviation (RSD) of 5.52% (n= 5). Using the prepared substrate at the optimal conditions, the limit of detection of sodium saccharin (SS) was 1 mg L−1. By introducing an internal standard KSCN, a linear relationship was observed between the relative intensity at 708 cm−1and the concentration of the SS in a range of 20–100 mg L−1(R2= 0.98). With the developed method, SS was directly extracted from the cigarette paper by immersing it in water, and the extracted solution was subsequently detected. The quantitative spike-recoveries were in the range of 95.5–116.7%, with RSD between 2.3–12.6%. The whole detection procedure including the on-site substrate preparation, took only about 30 min. This work opens new avenues for colloidal synthesis, and the detection method of SS on the cigarette paper also holds great promise in food safety applications.

Severe volume expansion will cause the gallium-based liquid metal cathode material to detach from the collector thus deteriorating performance. Here, we propose a strategy for preparing electrodes by anchoring the liquid metal with an intermetallic compound transition phase to avoid the problem of liquid metal shedding during cycling. The good reactive wetting between the CuGa2transition phase and gallium can firmly anchor the liquid metal to prevent the electrode material exfoliating from the collector. On the other hand, the unique two-dimensional layer structure of CuGa2can also limit the lithiation volume expansion of liquid gallium. Density functional theory (DFT) reveals the anchoring mechanism of the CuGa2transition layer to liquid gallium and the reaction mechanism of Li with CuGa2during the electrochemical reaction. As a result, O-GaSn/CF cathodes exhibit low resistance, fast ion diffusion, high reversible capacity, excellent rate performance and outstanding cycling stability.

BackgroundTranscatheter edge-to-edge mitral valve repair (TMVr) improves symptoms and survival for patients with heart failure with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (HFrEF) and severe secondary mitral regurgitation despite guideline-recommended medical therapy (GRMT). Whether TMVr is cost-effective from a UK National Health Service (NHS) perspective is unknown.MethodsWe used patient-level data from the Cardiovascular Outcomes Assessment of the MitraClip Percutaneous Therapy for Heart Failure Patients with Functional Mitral Regurgitation (COAPT) trial to perform a cost-effectiveness analysis of TMVr +GRMT versus GRMT alone from an NHS perspective. Costs for the TMVr procedure were based on standard English tariffs and device costs. Subsequent costs were estimated based on data acquired during the trial. Health utilities were estimated using the Short-Form 6-Dimension Health Survey.ResultsCosts for the index procedural hospitalisation were £18 781, of which £16 218 were for the TMVr device. Over 2-year follow-up, TMVr reduced subsequent costs compared with GRMT (£10 944 vs £14 932, p=0.006), driven mainly by reductions in heart failure hospitalisations; nonetheless, total 2-year costs remained higher with TMVr (£29 165 vs £14 932, p<0.001). When survival, health utilities and costs were projected over a lifetime, TMVr was projected to increase life expectancy by 1.57 years and quality-adjusted life expectancy by 1.12 quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) at an incremental cost of £21 980, resulting in an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of £23 270 per QALY gained (after discounting). If the benefits of TMVr observed in the first 2 years were maintained without attenuation, the ICER improved to £12 494 per QALY.ConclusionsFor patients with HFrEF and severe secondary mitral regurgitation similar to those enrolled in COAPT, TMVr increases life expectancy and quality-adjusted life expectancy compared with GRMT at an ICER that represents good value from an NHS perspective.

Herein, a new mechanism involving Lewis acid-oxygen vacancy interfacial synergistic catalysis for aniline N,N-diethylation with ethanol was proposed, and the SO42−/Ce0.84Zr0.16O2–WO3–ZrO2catalyst (SCWZ) with both Lewis acid sites and oxygen vacancies was synthesized by the hydrothermal method, which shows better catalytic activity than the reported solid acidic catalysts. Besides, the SO42−/ZrO2(SZ) and SO42−/WO3–ZrO2(SWZ) catalysts were also prepared and compared with SCWZ to investigate the synergistic effect of each component. The SO42−and WO3mainly generate Lewis acid by bonding with ZrO2, which is beneficial for the fracture of the N–H bond in aniline. The Ce0.84Zr0.16O2solid solution mainly plays a vital role in generating the oxygen vacancies as the interface active species, which can participate in stripping –OH from ethanol, then the carbocation will also be released, which only needs 1.3805 kcal/mol energy, calculated by density functional theory (DFT), to be input. In comparison, the traditional reaction mechanism needs the Brønsted acidic sites to promote the protonation of ethanol, then dehydration and subsequent formation of carbocation followed, and 108.6846 kcal/mol energy needs to be input, which is far higher than that of the new mechanism. The apparent activation energy (Ea) over SCWZ was measured by experiment to be 34.09 kJ/mol, which is much lower than that of SWZ (47.10 kJ/mol) and SZ (54.37 kJ/mol), illustrating comparatively preferable kinetics for SCWZ than that of SWZ and SZ. Besides, the conversion of aniline and selectivity to N,N-diethylaniline over SCWZ reach almost 100% and 73%, respectively. The SCWZ can be renewed for 4 times without rapid deactivation, and the longevity of SCWZ is longer than that of SWZ and SZ, as the loaded SO42−and tetragonal ZrO2are stabilized by Ce0.84Zr0.16O2and WO3, respectively.

Struvite crystallization for low-concentration ammonium wastewater provides a promising yet challenging way to recover nitrogen from bulk municipal wastewater. This research focused on the direct removal of low-concentration NH4+–N by fluidized bed reactor (FBR) with induced crystallization. NH4+–N (30 mg/L) was efficiently removed and Mg2+and PO43-were employed as the precipitation reagents. The maximum of 82.0% NH4+was removed when the pH was 10 and the stoichiometric ratio of [NH4+]:[PO43-]:[Mg2+] was 1:1.1:1. The rank of the influences of the three single factors on NH4+–N removal efficiency (%) was pH > P:N > Mg:N. The crystals achieved under optimal conditions were mainly struvite, while the addition of excess phosphate (N:P = 1:1.5) promoted the formation of crystals clusters instead of maintaining the typical orthorhombic structure, until Mg3(PO4)2·22H2O formed with an N:P ratio of 1:1.625. As most previous studies mainly focused on high-strength wastewater, this research demonstrated the potential of induced struvite crystallization by FBR for nitrogen recovery from low-strength ammonium wastewater treatment.

A colorless and high temperature resistant fluorinated polyimide (PI) film based on a novel cross‐linkable diamine monomer 4,4′‐diamino‐4″‐(2,3,5,6‐tetrafluoro‐4‐ethylenephenoxy) triphenylmethane (DFPTM) was successfully prepared. The special triphenylmethane backbone and the bulky tetrafluorostyrol pendant group in DFPTM gave the PI material eximious solubility in organic solvents, high tensile properties, good thermal stability, and excellent optical transparency (cutoff wavelength for 331 nm and light transmittance above 94% at 450 nm). Furthermore, the styryl could initiate self‐crosslinking reaction to form a dense three‐dimensional network structure by thermal curing. Hence, the cross‐linked PI film showed superior combination property (including excellent resistance to solvents). It's Tgincreased by 57.1–306.0°C, the 5% thermal weight‐loss temperature improved by 10.2% to 500.0°C, and the tensile strength enhanced by 17.5% to 39.7 MPa. Moreover, after thermal curing, the cross‐linked PI attained a lower elongation at break from 8.1 to 3.9%, and the thermal expansion coefficient reduced from 82.2 to 68.8 ppm/°C without obvious loss of optical transparency (cutoff wavelength for 347 nm and light transmittance remained 93.0% at 450 nm). An organosoluble and cross‐linkable polyimide (PI) film material derived from a novel diamine 4,4'‐diamino‐4″‐(2,3,5,6‐tetrafluoro‐4‐ethylenephenoxy) triphenylmethane (DFPTM) is successfully prepared. It is demonstrated that the obtained cross‐linked PI by curing at 260°C for 2 hr under vacuum exhibits superior balanced optical transparency and high‐temperature stability with transmittance for 93.0% at 450 nm, Tgto 306.0°C as well as T5%up to 500.0°C.

Flow electrode capacitive deionization (FCDI) is an emerging technology because of its distinctive benefits. However, the understanding of the effects of electrode mobility is limited. In this study, we designed a semi-flow electrode mode as an intermediate state between static and flow electrode modes. The advantages of FCDI were revealed because it could be considered as an extreme condition of the semi-flow mode with infinite time intervals and full volume replacement. It was demonstrated by the semi-flow electrode mode that deionization capacity was directly and proportionally recovered. A higher volume of fresh carbon slurry accounted for higher adsorption capacity as well as lower energy consumption. The timely regeneration of the FCDI electrode slurry enhanced the salt adsorption rate (3-fold) and reduced the specific energy consumption (4.5 ± 0.2 J mg−1Na in FCDI, 7.0 ± 1.4 J mg−1Na in the semi-flow electrode and 7.6 ± 0.8 J mg−1Na in the static mode) for the deionization condition of this study (500 mg Na per L, 1.2 V, 5 wt%). This research provides insights into the fundamental understanding of the FCDI technology, enhancing its performance viathe timely regeneration of electrode materials and maintaining the system in a high-efficiency deionization state.

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text.

Introduction: Zanubrutinib is a second-generation Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitor (BTKi) with enhanced specificity over the first-generation BTKi ibrutinib. Patients treated with zanubrutinib had a significantly longer progression-free survival (PFS) versus those treated with ibrutinib in the global, phase 3, randomized ALPINE trial in patients with relapsed/refractory (R/R) chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) or small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL) (NCT03734016).

Gallium oxide is one of the most promising anode materials for lithium‐ion batteries due to its high theoretical specific capacity and ability to maintain self‐healing behavior during the reaction process. However, the susceptibility to volume expansion during the alloying reaction, which affects cycling performance, and the unclear lithium storage mechanism limit the application of Ga2O3. For this purpose, α‐Ga2O3@ chitosan‐derived carbon nanocomposites (α‐Ga2O3@CS NPs) are synthesized by introducing biomass materials. Due to the capacity contribution of Ga2O3and the inhibition of biomass carbon on volume expansion, the composites exhibit excellent electrochemical performance. A high reversible capacity is shown in the long‐cycle test, with a discharge capacity of 505.1 mAh g−1after 130 cycles at 0.2 A g−1, with no significant decrease from the initial capacity. During the periodic rate performance test of 0.1–5 A g−1, the reversible discharge capacity of the electrode material is maintained at 482.2 mAh g−1when the current is restored to 0.1 A g−1. In addition, the lithium storage process of the electrode is investigated by in situ X‐ray diffraction, which, together with the low‐cost synthesis process, promotes the practical application prospect of Ga2O3. Lithium‐ion battery with α‐Ga2O3@CS nanoparticles (NPs) as anode is reported. Not only the self‐nitrogen doping of the material is realized, but also the volume expansion effect caused by the reaction process is effectively inhibited. In addition, the lithium storage process of α‐Ga2O3@CS NPs anode material is revealed by in situ X‐ray diffraction testing.

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text.

We studied the effects of photomask design, illumination time, and UV intensity on the formation of polymer walls, and speculated the related mechanism. According to the optimized condition, we make a flexible LCD cell with colorless polyimide substrate.

IMPORTANCE: In patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) at intermediate surgical risk, treatment with transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) or surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) results in similar 2-year survival. The effect of TAVR vs SAVR on health status in patients at intermediate surgical risk is unknown. OBJECTIVE: To compare health-related quality of life among intermediate-risk patients with severe AS treated with either TAVR or SAVR. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Between December 2011 and November 2013, 2032 intermediate-risk patients with severe AS were randomized to TAVR with the Sapien XT valve or SAVR in the Placement of Aortic Transcatheter Valve 2 Trial and were followed up for 2 years. Data analysis was conducted between March 1, 2016, to April 30, 2017. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Health status was assessed at baseline, 1 month, 1 year, and 2 years using the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ) (23 items covering physical function, social function, symptoms, self-efficacy and knowledge, and quality of life on a 0- to 100-point scale; higher scores indicate better quality of life), Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 (36 items covering 8 dimensions of health status as well as physical and mental summary scores; higher scores represent better health status), and EuroQOL-5D (assesses 5 dimensions of general health on a 3-level scale, with utility scores ranging from 0 [death] to 1 [ideal health]). Analysis of covariance was used to examine changes in health status over time, adjusting for baseline status. RESULTS: Of the 2032 randomized patients, baseline health status was available for 1833 individuals (950 TAVR, 883 SAVR) who formed the primary analytic cohort. A total of 1006 (54.9%) of the population were men; mean (SD) age was 81.4 (6.8) years. Over 2 years, both TAVR and SAVR were associated with significant improvements in both disease specific (16-22 points on the KCCQ-OS scale) and generic health status (3.9-5.1 points on the SF-36 physical summary scale). At 1 month, TAVR was associated with better health status than SAVR, but this difference was restricted to patients treated via transfemoral access (mean difference in the KCCQ overall summary [KCCQ-OS] score, 14.1 points; 95% CI, 11.7 to 16.4; P &lt; .01) and was not seen in patients treated via transthoracic access (mean difference in KCCQ-OS, 3.5 points; 95% CI, −1.4 to 8.4; P &lt; .01 for interaction). There were no significant differences between TAVR and SAVR in any health status measures at 1 or 2 years. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Among intermediate-risk patients with severe AS, health status improved significantly with both TAVR and SAVR through 2 years of follow up. Early health status improvement was greater with TAVR, but only among patients treated via transfemoral access. Longer term follow-up is needed to assess the durability of quality-of-life improvement with TAVR vs SAVR in this population. TRIAL REGISTRATION: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01314313

Novel anticoagulants, such as factor Xa inhibitors, have entered clinical practice as alternatives to warfarin for the prevention of stroke and systemic embolic event (SEE) in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). It is not known whether edoxaban, the fourth-to-market factor Xa inhibitor approved for this indication, will be cost-effective in Taiwan, where the cost of warfarin monitoring is prohibitive.

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text.

We successfully realized 14 inch flexible LCD display with FHD resolution. The LCD panel has the thickness less than 0.3 mm, which using new type of colorless PI as substrate. The flexibel LCD is IPS mode. The key technology includes the conbination of indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO) TFT, Color filter on Array substrate(COA)and Black Photo Spacer(BPS).

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text.

Bed expansion serves an important function in the design and operation of an upflow anaerobic reactor. An analysis of the flow pattern of expanded granular sludge bed (EGSB) reactors shows that most EGSB reactors do not behave as expanded bed reactors, as is widely perceived. Rather, these reactors behave as fluidized bed reactors based on the classic chemical reactor theory. In this paper, four bed expansion modes, divided as static bed, expanded bed, suspended bed, and fluidized bed, for bioreactors are proposed. A high-rate anaerobic suspended granular sludge bed (SGSB) reactor was then developed. The SGSB reactor is an upflow anaerobic reactor, and its expansion degree can be easily controlled within a range to maintain the suspended status of the sludge bed by controlling upflow velocity. The results of the full-scale reactor confirmed that the use of SGSB reactors is advantageous. The full-scale SGSB reactor runs stably and achieves high COD removal efficiency (about 90%) at high loading rates (average 40 kg-COD·m−3·d−1, maximum to 52 kg-COD·m−3·d−1) based on the SGSB theory, and its expansion degree is between 22% and 37%.

Self-made cation exchange resin supported nanoscale zero-valent iron (R-nZVI) was used to remove phosphorus in rainwater runoff. 80% of phosphorus in rainwater runoff from grassland was removed with an initial concentration of 0.72 mg·L−1phosphorus when the dosage of R-nZVI is 8 g per liter rainwater, while only 26% of phosphorus was removed when using cation exchange resin without supported nanoscale zero-valent iron under the same condition. The adsorption capacity of R-nZVI increased up to 185 times of that of the cation exchange resin at a saturated equilibrium phosphorous concentration of 0.42 mg·L−1. Various techniques were implemented to characterize the R-nZVI and explore the mechanism of its removal of phosphate. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) indicated that new crystal had been formed on the surface of R-nZVI. The result from inductive coupled plasma (ICP) indicated that 2.1% of nZVI was loaded on the support material. The specific surface area was increased after the load of nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI), according to the measurement of BET-N2method. The result of specific surface area analysis also proved that phosphorus was removed mainly through chemical adsorption process. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis showed that the new product obtained from chemical reaction between phosphate and iron was ferrous phosphate.

A self-developed sewer health assessment system using the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation and analytical hierarchy process was applied to give a comprehensive health condition evaluation on part of the local sewers in a southern Chinese city based on the sewer video data collected by a sewer inspection closed circuit television (CCTV) robot. Aside from the overall condition evaluation, the structure, function, and stability status of the sewer were also analyzed using the method. A comprehensive index Hwas proposed to give the overall health condition of pipes with different defects, and Ht, Hs, and Hfwere used to quantify the defects affecting the tightness, stability, and function of the pipe, respectively. Results show that 48% of the inspected pipes were in good condition (00.5), although most of the pipes were installed only within five years. Frequent sedimentation affects the function of the sewer, and deformation and joint damage affect the structure of the sewer.

Studies from the balloon angioplasty and bare metal stent eras have demonstrated that coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is cost-effective compared with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for patients undergoing multivessel coronary revascularization—particularly among patients with complex coronary artery disease or diabetes mellitus. Whether these results apply in the drug-eluting stent (DES) era is unknown.

On average, acute coronary syndrome patients treated with prasugrel experience fewer ischemic complications, but more bleeding, than those receiving clopidogrel. However, heterogeneity in treatment effects can alter the likelihood of benefits and risks of an individual patient. We developed predictive models of the benefits (reduced ischemic events) and risks (increased bleeding) to support targeting prasugrel to those who benefit most from treatment.

Patients with multivessel coronary disease treated with coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) have less angina than those treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI); however, there is uncertainty as to the mechanism of greater angina relief with CABG and whether more frequent repeat revascularization in patients treated with PCI could account for this treatment difference.

Abstract: When solving many practical problems, we not only need sample labels given by a clustering algorithm, but also rely on the recognition of far-near relations of clusters. Under the difficult condition of many clusters in a high-dimensional data set, the clustering visualization methods based on dimension reductions usually produce the phenomena, e.g., some clusters are overlapping, interlacing, or pushed away; as a result, the far-near relations of some clusters are displayed wrongly or cannot be distinguished. The existing inter-cluster distance methods cannot determine whether two clusters are far away or near. The geometric double-entity model method (GDEM) is proposed to describe far-near relations of clusters, and the methods such as the relative border distance, absolute border distance and region dense degree are designed to measure far-near degrees between clusters. GDEM pays attention to both the absolute distance between nearest sample sets and the dense degrees of border regions of two clusters, and it is able to uncover accurately far-near relations of clusters in a high-dimensional space, especially under the difficult condition mentioned above. The experimental results on four real data sets show that the proposed method can effectively recognize far-near relations of clusters, while the conventional methods cannot.

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is common and imposes a high risk of major systemic and limb ischemic events. The REduction of Atherothrombosis for Continued Health (REACH) Registry is an international prospective registry of patients at risk of atherothrombosis caused by established arterial disease or the presence of ≥3 atherothrombotic risk factors.

Herein, a room‐temperature liquid metal battery (LMB) with a solid lithium anode electrode and gallium–tin (Ga–Sn) alloy cathode electrode is reported. With the improved wettability of the electric collector and grain‐refined liquid metal droplets cathode, the aforementioned LMB exhibits good cyclic reversibility and negligible self‐discharge. The result shows that the assembled Li||Ga–Sn battery has a satisfactory specific capacity (409 mAh g−1) and high energy efficiency (up to 92%). The low melting point Ga–Sn alloy can construct fast kinetics for the redox reaction and improve the electrode reaction kinetics, imparting the Li||Ga–Sn system with high discharge voltage (0.77 V at 1C) and smaller polarization voltage at different current densities, which ensure the high Coulomb efficiency and good rate performance of the battery. Moreover, the battery stably cycles at 35 °C for 60 cycles at the 1C rate, with no significant capacity degradation. With good electrochemical performance, simple structure, easy maintenance, and high safety, this room‐temperature Li||Ga–Sn battery may be a promising choice for power grid energy storage applications. A room‐temperature liquid metal battery with a solid lithium anode electrode and gallium–tin (Ga–Sn) alloy cathode electrode is reported. The Li||Ga–Sn battery has fast reaction kinetics, a satisfactory specific capacity, high energy efficiency, good rate performance, and stable cyclic reversibility, which is a promising choice for power grid energy storage applications.

A room‐temperature liquid metal battery with a solid lithium anode electrode and gallium–tin (Ga–Sn) alloy cathode electrode is reported. The Li‖Ga–Sn battery has fast reaction kinetics, a satisfactory specific capacity, high energy efficiency, good rate performance, and stable cyclic reversibility, which is a promising choice for power grid energy storage applications. More details can be found in article number 2100330, Jin Hu, Kaijun Wang, and co‐workers.

Clay–humic complexes are commonly distributed in natural environments. They play very important roles in regulating the transport and retention of hydrophobic organic contaminants in soils and sediments. This study examined the structural changes of humic acid (HA) after adsorption by clay minerals and determined phenanthrene sorption by clay–humic complexes. Solid‐ and liquid‐state 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), for the first time, provided direct evidence for HA fractionation during adsorption on mineral surfaces, that is, aliphatic fractions were preferentially adsorbed by clay minerals while aromatic fractions were left in the solution. The ratio of UV absorbance of HA at 465 and 665 nm (E4to E6ratio), which is related to aromaticity, corroborated with the NMR results. For both montmorillonite and kaolinite, adsorbed HA fractions had higher sorption linearity (N) and affinity (Koc) than the source HA. The Kocof adsorbed HA for the clay–humic complexes could be up to several times higher than that of the source HA. This large increase may be contributed by the low polarity of the bound HA. Moreover, for each mineral, the Nvalues of adsorbed HA increased with increasing HA loading. It is believed that HA may develop a more condensed structure on mineral surface at lower HA loading level due to the stronger interactions between HA and mineral surface as a result of close contacts.

Molecular dynamics of humic acid in solution are rarely investigated. Thus, the objective of this study is to determine proton correlation time and segmental mobility of humic acids in solution. Proton spin-lattice relaxation time (T1) was determined for humic acids in DMSO-d6and 0.5 MNaOD at NMR frequencies of 300 MHz and 600 MHz; the correlation times were then estimated for aliphatic protons, protons associated with oxygen-containing functionalities, and aromatic protons. Results suggest that proton correlation times of humic acids in solvents were in the order of 10−10seconds, which were near the T1minimum at 600 MHz. Carbohydrate was identified as the largest and the most immobile component in humic acids, whereras aliphatic and aromatic fragments were relatively smaller and more mobile. The relaxation measurement is a useful approach for investigating the segmental mobility of humic acids in aqueous solution.

Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy is used frequently for structural characterization of humic substances (HS). However, the study of relaxation phenomena of HS, including spin-lattice and spin-spin relaxation, has received little attention. The present study investigated proton spin-lattice relaxation times (T1) of humic acids (HA) in deuterated 0.5 M sodium hydroxide (NaOD) and dimethylsulfoxide (d6-DMSO) at various concentrations, temperatures, and pHs. The two HAs used were extracted from an Amherst peat soil and a New Hampshire peat soil. Overall, the proton T1s of humic acids used in this study ranged from 0.3 to 0.8 s in d6-DMSO, and from 0.26 to 2.3 s in 0.5 M NaOD/D2O. Aromatic protons had much longer T1than aliphatic protons in 0.5 M NaOD; however, both proton types exhibited similar T1values in d6-DMSO. These results indicate that humic acids might have different conformations in the two solvents. Proton T1generally decreased with increasing HA concentration. Only protons from methyl and methylene/methine groups exhibited a slight T1increase, with a temperature increase from 20 °C to 60 °C, with protons from other functional groups displaying a reduced T1, except for aromatic protons of New Hampshire HA in 0.5 M NaOD. Moreover, both HAs demonstrated distinct T1changes in alkaline solution as pH decreased. The proton T1values and their changes with environmental conditions can further the interpretation of segmental mobility and molecular conformation of dissolved HAs in different solvents.

Low-strength municipal wastewater is considered to be a recoverable nutrient resource with economic and environmental benefits. Thus, various technologies for nutrient removal and recovery have been developed. In this paper, powdered ion exchange resin was employed for ammonia removal and recovery from imitated low-strength municipal wastewater. The effects of various working conditions (powdered resin dosage, initial concentration, and pH value) were studied in batch experiments to investigate the feasibility of the approach and to achieve performance optimization. The maximum adsorption capacity determined by the Langmuir model was 44.39 mg/g, which is comparable to traditional ion exchange resin. Further, the effects of co-existing cations (Ca2+,Mg2+,K+) were studied. Based on the above experiments, recovery of ammonia as struvite was successfully achieved by a proposed two-stage crystallization process coupled with a powdered resin ion exchange process. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffractometry (XRD) results revealed that struvite crystals were successfully gained in alkaline conditions (pH = 10). This research demonstrates that a powdered resin and two-stage crystallization process provide an innovative and promising means for highly efficient and easy recovery from low-strength municipal wastewater.

The effects of anions (ClO4–, Cl–, Br–, and I–) on CO selectivity in organic electrolytes have been studied. A gallium electrode with a low CO faradic efficiency was chosen to reveal the anion effects on CO2conversion. We found that the CO2reduction in a tetrabutylammonium chloride (Bu4NCl) solution exhibited more than 2 times higher CO faradic efficiency than that in the commonly used tetrabutylammonium perchlorate (Bu4NClO4) solution. Also, Tafel plot measurement results showed that the presence of Cl–promoted an electron-transfer process, thus enhancing the reaction rate of CO2reduction. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results further revealed that the solvated Cl–form the Ga–Cl bonds on the Ga surface. Electrons could flow from the electrode to the adsorbed Cl–and then flow to the CO2, resulting in the restriction of CO2near the Ga electrode. In the reaction, CO2was converted to a CO2•–radical by receiving an electron, which flowed from Cl–to CO2via the Cl–―C bond. The obtained CO2•–further combined with CO2to form the adduct of (CO2)2•–. After the second electron reaction, (CO2)2•–was converted to CO.

Given a large cohort of “similar” cases one can construct an efficient statistical inference procedure by learning from the experience of others (also known as “borrowing strength” from the ensemble). But, it is not obvious how to go about gathering strength when each piece of information is fuzzy—part of a massive database of heterogeneous cases. The danger is that borrowing information from irrelevant cases might heavily damage the quality of the inference! This raises some fundamental questions for big data inference: When (not) to borrow? Whom (not) to borrow? How (not) to borrow? These questions are at the heart of the “Problem of Relevance” in statistical inference – a puzzle that has remained too little addressed since its inception nearly half a century ago [Efron and Morris, J. Am. Stat. Assoc, 67, 337 (1972)]. A new modelof large-scale inference is developed to tackle some of the unsettled issues that surround the relevance problem. Through examples, it is demonstrated how our new statistical perspective answers previously unanswerable questions in a realistic and feasible way.

The ZnO composite photocatalyst has recently been an effective tool for the removal of organic pollutants during water treatment. However, it is still a great challenge to fabricate cost-effective ZnO composite photocatalyst with high photocatalytic efficiency. The composites, hemp stem derived biochar-supportedZnO nanoparticles, were prepared by adjusting the molar ratio of biochar/ZnO.This study presents the synthesis of the composites, biochar-supported ZnO nanoparticles, by adjusting the molar ratio of biochar/ZnO with hydrothermal method. The composite, biochar-supported 3D flower-shaped ZnO nanoparticles with a preferred crystal plane (002), exhibited the excellent degradation efficiency of methylene blue (MB) under UV-visible light when the molar ratio of biochar/ZnO is 1:0.5. The chemical bond Zn-O-C formed at the interface between the biochar and ZnO nanoparticles, and this facilitates a lower recombination rate of the e-/h+pairs originated from the stimulation of ZnO nanoparticles, which was also supported by the results of transient photocurrent response and the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The synergetic effect of biochar and ZnO consequently lead to the higher degradation efficiency of the composite than that of pure ZnO. Moreover, trapping experiments further confirmed the contribution of the active radicals (h+, •O2-, OH•) in the degradation of MB. In addition, the essential role of porous biochar with a high specific surface in the cooperatively catalytic mechanism was also discussed in detail. This research offers a revealing insight into the design and fabrication of ZnO photocatalysts that applied in the purification and remedy of environment.

The influences of flow patterns (mixed-flow and plug-flow) and fermentation pretreatment on aerobic granular sludge (AGS) formation with various substrate availability levels were investigated by running four identical laboratory-scale sequencing batch reactors (R1-R4), comparing two anaerobic feeding strategies and three kinds of substrates. R1 achieved faster granulation with a fast influent fill step followed by a modified anaerobic mixed-flow phase, but the AGS showed poorer stability with a cracked structure and a high suspended solids concentration in the effluent. The anaerobic plug-flow feeding mode (with influent fed slowly from the bottom) in R2 provided deeper penetration depth for the substance to reach the core of AGS and accordingly strengthen AGS stability. An acidogenic up-flow sludge bed reactor was introduced as a pretreatment to improve the AGS performance by enhancing glucose pre-fermentation (R4). AGS fed with mixed volatile fatty acids (VFA) after glucose fermentation showed similar performance compared with the reactor fed with acetate in the aspects of stability, structure, size distribution and nitrogen removal efficiency, and 74% similarity in the microbial community. For actual wastewater with low VFA concentrations, fermentation treatment was suggested as a promising pretreatment for stable AGS granulation and operation.

China has the world’s largest and still growing wastewater sector and water market, thus its future development will have profound influence on the world. The high-speed development of China’s wastewater sector over the past 40 years has forged its global leading treatment capacity and innovation ability. However, many problems were left behind, including underdeveloped sewers and sludge disposal facilities, low sustainability of the treatment processes, questionable wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent discharge standards, and lacking global thinking on harmonious development between wastewater management, human society and the nature. Addressing these challenges calls for fundamental changes in target design, policy and technologies. In this mini-review, we revisit the development history of China’s municipal wastewater management and identify the remaining challenges. Also, we highlight the future needs of sustainable development and exploring China’s own wastewater management path, and outlook the future from several aspects including targets of wastewater management, policies and technologies, especially the new concept WWTP. Furthermore, we envisage the establishment of new-generation WWTPs with the vision of turning WWTP from a site of pollutant removal into a plant of energy, water and fertilizer recovery and an integrated part urban ecology in China.

•The AD of FW treatment improved with different biochars was studied.•Biochar significantly increased maximum production rates of biomethanation.•LBC was slightly superior to CBC at OLR of 6.0 gVS/L−d.•Methanothrixwas the predominant methanogen in R1 and R2.

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text.

BACKGROUND:Anticoagulation in AF patients involves consideration of the benefit of stroke risk reduction versus increased bleeding risk. The impact of bleeding events on health state utility has not been clearly understood.