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In view of the risks induced by the inhibitory effects of applying impracticably large amounts of sewage sludge biochar (SSB) to the alkaline soil, this field study investigated the influence of moderate biochar amendments (0, 1500, 4500, and 9000 kg/hm2) on corn growth, alkaline soil properties, and the uptake of potentially toxic elements (PTEs). The results showed that applying more SSB would decrease the ammonium nitrogen concentration and increase the available phosphorus and potassium concentrations, which inhibited corn plant growth because of high background nutrient levels of the alkaline soil. When the alkaline soil was amended with 1500 kg/hm2 SSB, the dry weight of 100 niblets increased from 32.11 g in the control to 35.07 g. There was no significant variation in the total concentration of PTEs in the soil. The concentrations of Mn, Ni, Cu, and Zn in niblets decreased from 5.54, 0.83, 2.26, and 27.15 mg/kg in the control to 4.47, 0.62, 1.30, and 23.45 mg/kg, respectively. Accordingly, the health risk from corn consumption was significantly reduced. Furthermore, the combination of SSB and fertilizer improved corn growth and reduced the risk of consumption of PTEs. Therefore, considering the increase in corn fruit yield and the decrease in consumption risk, applying 1500 kg/hm2 of biochar to alkaline soils is a realistically achievable rate, which can broaden the utilization of SSB for remediation of different types of soil.

To develop new anti-inflammatory drugs for the prevention and treatment of acute kidney injury, a series of novel glycyrrhetic ureas were designed, synthesized and evaluated for anti-inflammatory activity using RAW264.7 cells. Compounds 5r-5u (2.04, 2.50, 3.25 and 2.48 μM, respectively) with acidic or neutral amino acid showed potent anti-inflammatory activity (IC50 = 2–3 μM for NO inhibition), amongst them, compound 5r also inhibited tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in a dose-dependent manner. In cisplatin-induced AKI mice model, compound 5r significantly reduced the level of pro-inflammatory factors, ameliorated the pathological damage of kidney tissue, and maintained the normal metabolic capacity.

A new type of two-stage compression refrigeration system with primary throttling intermediate complete cooling is proposed in this paper. The defrost cycle of this system is still a two-stage compression cycle, and the refrigeration system can provide two evaporation temperatures at medium temperature or low temperature. Studies have shown that R410A is best suited for this system; increasing the evaporation temperature of 2 °C can increase COP by 4.3%; lowering the condensation temperature of 2 °C can increase COP by 6.4%; the COP of the system decreases with the increase of cooling capacity of the low-temperature stage but increase with the increase of the cooling capacity of the medium-temperature stage and the range of the system COP when the cooling capacity changes is obtained.