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Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) accounts for nearly 90% of oral cavity malignancies. However, despite significant advances in the last four decades, little improvement has been achieved in the overall survival rates for OSCC patients. While gambogic acid (GA) is a potential candidate compound for treating a variety of malignancies, its anti-cancer impact on OSCC has not to be completely investigated. The tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) has been proven to play a crucial role in the prognosis of cancer patients. Although there are few reports on the T cell activation effect of GA, the regulation of GA on the TIME of OSCC has barely been studied yet. In this study, GA was applied to treat OSCC-bearing mice through in situ controlled release. First, GA-loaded mPEG 2000 -PCL micelles (GA-MIC) were prepared by the thin-film hydration method to improve the aqueous dispersibility of GA. Second, poly(D, l -lactide)-poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(D, l -lactide) (PLEL) was synthesized for thermosensitive hydrogel preparation. Third, GA-MIC was mixed with PLEL to form an injectable therapeutic hydrogel (GA-MIC-GEL). The anti-tumor and TIME regulation effects of GA-MIC-GEL on tumor-bearing mice were further examined. The results showed that the thermosensitive GA-MIC-GEL with sensitive sol-gel transition characteristics could form hydrogel at 37 °C within 24 s, facilitating the local delivery and sustained GA release. Biochemical, hematological, and pathological analysis proved that GA-MIC-GEL has good biological safety. Moreover, GA-MIC-GEL promoted an obvious regression of both primary and distant tumors on the OSCC mouse models. Mechanically, GA-MIC-GEL down-regulated the expression of PD-1, increased the frequency of cytotoxic T cells and reduced the immunosuppressive cellular components, which boosted the anti-tumor immunity of OSCC-bearing mice. The constructed thermosensitive hydrogel for local delivery of GA has provided a safe and effective strategy with great potential for OSCC therapy. Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) accounts for nearly 90% of oral cavity malignancies. OSCC has the characteristics of recurrent or metastatic, and there is no established treatment method. In this study, the use of thermosensitive hydrogel for the local delivery of gambogic acid (GA) can sustain the release and reduce the toxicity of GA, boost the anti-tumor immunity, and significantly enhance the anticancer effect in vivo. [Display omitted] • The use of thermosensitive hydrogel for the local delivery of gambogic acid (GA) can sustain the release and reduce the toxicity of GA. • The local delivery of GA by thermosensitive hydrogel significantly enhances the anticancer effect of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) in vivo. • GA triggers a systemic antitumor immune response in the treatment of OSCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the reliability of super-junction MOSFET under single-pulse Unclamped Inductive Switching (UIS) was simulated using Sentaurus TCAD software. Through simulation of etching source metal, it was proved that the conduction of parasitic bipolar transistor in parallel multi-cell structure is the main cause of temperature concentration leading to burnout. The method of reinforcing super-junction MOSFET is proposed by using the conduction of parasitic transistors as the criterion for evaluating UIS performance. In the proposed two-layer alternating PN column stack structure, the upper PN columns have a charge imbalance structure with a higher p-column concentration than the n-column. The simulation results show that the improved structure has higher avalanche energy and wider process variation range compared to the traditional structure. Compared with the traditional device, the improved device achieves a continuous avalanche duration of 1.3 × 10−3 s and an avalanche robustness of 8.24 joules (J) when the parasitic bipolar transistor is non-conductive, significantly reducing the process difficulty by increasing the P-base concentration deviation to 5.8 × 1017 cm−3 under the same avalanche duration range. • The UIS burnout mechanism of SIC super-junction MOSFET is mainly due to the uneven current and temperature distribution caused by parasitic transistor conduction, which leads to device burnout. • The UIS performance of the proposed silicon carbide layered super-junction MOSFET has been significantly improved. • The improved performance of UIS is mainly due to the hierarchical non-uniform structure which restrains parasitic transistor conduction without sacrificing breakdown voltage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high activity electrocatalysts with low cost are crucial for large-scale direct alcohol fuel cells (DAFCs) applications. In this study, the "self-doping-defects" mesoporous carbon (SDMC) as support of uniformly-dispersed Pd nanoparticles (Pd/SDMC) was prepared for high active electrooxidation by a simple route without additional surfactant and acid treatment. According to the mutually corroborated experimental and theoretical calculation results, our route can significantly increase the carbon defect, which is conducive to the anchoring and uniform distribution of Pd nanoparticles. Meanwhile, the uniquely and hierarchically mesoporous nanostructure of SDMC provides abundant pathways for mass transport in the electrooxidation reaction. Benefitting from the above advantages, Pd/SDMC exhibits superior activity than commercial Pd/C and previously reported carbon-based electrocatalysts. The mass activities and specific activities of Pd/SDMC toward ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR) are 3404.3 mA mg−1, 4.48 mA cm−2, respectively. The mass activities and specific activities of Pd/SDMC for ethylene glycol oxidation reaction (EGOR) are 4002 mA mg−1, 5.26 mA cm−2, respectively. We believe that the facile strategy to synthesis mesoporous carbon with "self-doping" defects would promote large-scale DAFCs applications in the future. • The mesoporous carbon with "Self-Doping" defects was prepared via a simple method. • Pd nanoparticles were uniformly dispersed on the SDMC by a simple method without surfactant. • The Pd/SDMC enhances the catalytic of EOR and EGOR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we have described a novel reaction between 1,4-enynyl-3-ols and alkyl bromides. The reaction was carried out in the presence of Ag 2 O, following a free radical 1,2-alkynyl migration pathway, which was confirmed through control experiments. This methodology offers several advantages, including high efficiency and a wide range of applicable substrates. A novel alkynylation/alkylation reaction between 1,4-enynyl-3-ols and alkyl bromides was herein described. The Ag 2 O-mediated transformation proceeded in a free radical 1,2-alkynyl migration pathway, which was verified by the control reactions. The methodology enjoyed priorities such as high efficiency and broad substrate scope. [Display omitted] • Alkynylation/alkylation reaction between 1,4-enynyl-3-ols and alkyl bromides. • A Ag 2 O-catalytic reaction. • A free radical 1,2-alkynyl migration reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An image moving target tracking algorithm based on three branches twin network was proposed. • A three-dimensional surface model of aggregate particles based on multi-view average principle and scale invariant feature transformation algorithm was proposed. • The changing laws of coordination number, contact force chain, velocity, displacement and fabric anisotropy of particles along with the gradation, nominal maximum particle size, friction coefficient between particle contact interfaces, and elastic modulus were revealed. Under traffic dynamic load, the microscopic mechanical properties and the fabric anisotropic evolution of open graded gravel permeable base directly determine the ability of open graded gravel permeable base to resist external loads and maintain stability in service. Firstly, this article constructed a discrete element numerical model for open graded gravel permeable base, and verified the accuracy of the model through experiments. Then, the effects of gradation, nominal maximum particle size, friction coefficient between aggregate particles, and effective elastic modulus of aggregate on the microscopic mechanical properties, migration behavior, and the fabric anisotropic evolution of open graded gravel aggregate particles were studied in sequence. The research results indicate that the proposed image moving target tracking algorithm based on the three branches twin network can achieve precise tracking and measurement of particle microscopic migration behavior. The method proposed in this study for constructing a three-dimensional surface model of gravel particles based on the principle of multi view averaging and the scale invariant feature transformation algorithm can achieve rapid numerical reconstruction of the three-dimensional morphology of gravel particles at a low cost. The internal aggregate particles of intermediate grade gravel are more likely to form a stable network force chain topology structure that can effectively resist external loads. As the maximum nominal particle size increases, the topological structure of the contact force of gravel particles becomes sparse, and the proportion of strong contact force increases. Increasing the friction coefficient of the contact interface between aggregate particles can to some extent hinder the migration behavior of aggregate particles inside the graded gravel. As the effective elastic modulus of the aggregate increases, the internal network strong contact force chain topology of open graded gravel gradually forms. Under external loads, the migration speed and displacement of the aggregate particles inside open graded gravel decrease, and the degree of internal normal contact force and branch vector anisotropy also decrease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Phospholipids and neutral lipids extracted from egg yolk were added to chicken meat. • GC–MS showed key volatiles significantly increased when phospholipids were added. • Sensory profiling showed an increase in chicken meat aroma. • Addition of neutral lipids had very little impact on the volatile profile or aroma. • Addition of egg yolks phospholipids can be applied to improve chicken meat aroma. Abstract Lipids, particularly phospholipids, are known to play a significant role in the characteristic aroma of the different meat species. Both neutral lipids and phospholipids were extracted from egg yolk and added to minced chicken (1% w/w) prior to cooking in water at 100 °C for 20 min. Sensory analysis of the broths showed that the addition of phospholipids significantly increased the chicken meat aroma whereas the addition of neutral lipids did not. GC–MS analysis showed a significant increase in most of the lipid-derived volatile components when the phospholipids were added, especially 2,4-decadienal, which is a characteristic odour impact compound in chicken. There were very few significant changes in the volatile profile when the neutral lipids were added. These data provide direct evidence that the addition of phospholipids can enhance chicken meat aroma, and addition of egg yolk phospholipids could be applied to improve chicken meat aroma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The dynamic response and design optimization of clamped sandwich panels comprising two aluminum alloy face-sheets and a layered-gradient closed-cell aluminum foam core subjected to air-blast loading were examined in this study. The numerical approach was first validated by blast test results of sandwich panels with monolithic aluminum foam cores, and then the dynamic responses of layered-gradient core sandwich panels were briefly discussed in terms of deflection response and energy absorption. Two surrogate model methods (i.e., response surface method – RSM, and radial basis function – RBF) were adopted to construct objective response functions, and the single-objective adaptive response surface method (ARSM) and multi-objective genetic algorithm (MOGA) were used for the defined optimization problem. The optimization results show the trade-off relationships among the maximum energy absorption, minimum structural mass and minimum deflection, and the advantage of "Pareto front" in such design circumstances. Furthermore, the applicability and accuracy of RSM and RBF agent models in the multi-objective design optimization (MDO) of sandwich panels with layered-gradient foam cores under air-blast loading were also compared and revealed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF) has been widely used in information retrieval, computer vision, and face recognition because it captures the underlying intrinsic structure of data by using its parts-based representations in the low dimensional space. In this paper, we first propose a novel semi-supervised least squares NMF (SLSNMF) method. This SLSNMF uses hyperplanes to separate the labelled points from different classes and minimizes the least squares loss. By considering the maximum margin principle, the discriminative abilities of clustering representations are greatly enhanced. We further present a graph-based least squares NMF (GLSNMF) method by incorporating the local manifold regularization into SLSNMF. Clustering experiments on five popular databases verify the effectiveness of our proposed SLSNMF and GLSNMF compared to the other state-of-the-art methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel copper-catalyzed cross-dehydrogenative coupling reaction of α -amino carbonyl compounds with nitromethane to synthesis of ( Z )-nitroalkene derivatives has been established. ( Z )-Nitroalkene derivatives are achieved through the cleavage of sp 3 CsbndH bonds and formation of CsbndC double bond, with mild reaction conditions and excellent stereoselectivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• PC is the most abundant class in egg yolk PLs, and it is very efficient in generating odorants. • Linoleic acid is the predominant PUFA in egg yolk PLs, and its corresponding predominant hydroperoxide is 9-HPOD. • 9-HPOD is the precursor of 2,4-decadienals, the key odorants of chicken meat and fried foods. • Egg yolk PLs are an ideal precursor of lipid-derived odorants, especially for chicken meat and fried foods. Egg yolk phospholipids (PLs) have been demonstrated to generate large quantities of lipid-derived odorants, especially the fatty note odorants. Recently, egg yolk PLs have been successfully used in chicken meat and fried foods to improve aroma. This review comprehensively summarizes the properties of egg yolk PLs as precursors of fatty note odorants, including their classes, extraction, identification, oxidation, decomposition and odorant formation, applications, considerations and future prospects in the food industry. Most likely, phosphatidylcholine (PC) is the most abundant class in egg yolk PLs, and PC is more efficient than phosphatidylethanolamine in generating fatty note odorants; moreover, the predominant polyunsaturated fatty acid is linoleic acid, and its corresponding predominant hydroperoxide is 9-hydroperoxy-10,12-octadecadienoic acid during autoxidation, which is the precursor of 2,4-decadienals and 2,4-nonadienals, the key fatty note odorants. Therefore, egg yolk PLs could be an ideal precursor of fatty note odorants for chicken meat and fried foods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study performed quasi-static and dynamic compressive and splitting tensile tests on unsaturated polyester polymer concrete (UPPC) at four different curing ages (6 h, 3 days, 7 days, and 28 days). We examined a total of 136 specimens, specifically 24 cubic specimens and 12 cylindrical specimens for quasi-static tests and 45 cylinders and 55 FBD specimens for dynamic compressive and tensile tests, respectively. The experimental results indicated that UPPC exhibited rapid strength enhancement in the early stages of curing, and the natural curing condition-treated cubic specimens exhibited 6-h compressive and splitting tensile strengths of 40 MPa and 6.5 MPa, respectively, which was almost the 50–60% of the 28-day strengths. The UPPC is also sensitive to the strain rate, such that both the compressive and splitting tensile strengths exhibited significant increases following an increase in the strain rate. Conversely, the strain rate sensitivity decreased with the curing age. We deemed the CEB-FIP equation for normal cement concrete to be inadequate for estimating the strain rate sensitivity of UPPC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An accurate tire-pavement noise prediction model is highly needed by transportation agencies and pavement designers during the porous asphalt mixture design to reduce the tire-pavement noise which has been recognized as a dominant contributor to the overall traffic noise. In this paper, the surface texture level and distributions of porous asphalt mixture are acquired by a recently developed program named as 2-Dimensional Image Texture Analysis Method (2D-ITAM). The acoustic absorption coefficient of porous asphalt mixture is calculated using a proposed sound absorption model based on the micro-structure of porous asphalt mixture. Also, a prediction model correlating the tire-pavement noise level with macro-texture and short wavelength of mega-texture of pavement is established using a multivariate non-linear regression analysis. This prediction model is validated through laboratory experiment demonstrating its effectiveness of predicting the tire-pavement noise level. The model is anticipated to serve as an improved tool which could be considered by practitioners in an optimized porous asphalt mixture design incorporating the evaluation of noise produced by asphalt pavement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report an in - situ electrochemical surface enhanced IR reflection absorption spectroscopic (SEIRAS) study of carbon monoxide electro-oxidation reaction (COR) of CO dissolved in alkaline supporting electrolyte (CO sol ). With judiciously chosen concentration of OH − , we were able to observe for the first time the vibrational band of the weakly adsorbed CO w in an alkaline solution and identify it as the active reaction intermediate for the COR of CO sol , as in the acidic media. With the help of deuterium labeling, we were also able to confirm spectroscopically, again for the first time, the previously proposed CO-adsorption-promoted-OH-adsorption hypothesis. We proposed a reaction mechanism accordingly that consists of (1) CO-adsorption-promoted OH adsorption, (2) formation of weakly-bound CO w from CO sol , and (3) the oxidation of CO w by a surface-anchored weakly-hydrogen-bound species. We believe that the synergistic actions of these elemental chemical processes are the reasons for the observed unusually high activity of COR of CO sol in an alkaline solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bioproducts are chemicals derived from renewable biological resources and have the potential to replace petrochemicals in the future to tackle the arising environmental problems. Among them, lactic acid (LaA) is attracting significant focus from both academia and industry due to its wide application in our daily life. In this study, lactic acid is produced from the chemo-catalytic converting the glucose over the homogeneous ErCl 3 catalyst in an aqueous solution. The highest LaA yield of 97% was obtained at a full glucose conversion on this homogeneous catalyst at 260 °C through process optimization. Furthermore, the techno-economic analysis (TEA) was leveraged for the concept design of LaA biorefineries. Three parameters, namely the selling price of LaA, the price of glucose, and the catalyst recyclability were identified for the overall profit. Therefore, this work highlights the notable ability of TEA for the concept design or simulation to screen the promising biorefinery industrial process, and intuitively provide us with the internal rate of return of a certain chemical process. Thus, this work is supposed to provide the feasibility of LaA acid production from a chemo-catalytic process from both the technical and scientific points of view. [Display omitted] • A high lactic acid yield was obtained on the ErCl 3 homogeneous catalyst. • The potential of using converting glucose to lactic acid was analyzed. • Concept design and tech-economic analysis were performed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Catalytic converting the lignin-derived bio-oil to liquid fuel is one promising methodology to reduce the dependence on petroleum-based fuel while easing the atmospheric carbon dioxide burden. Hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) is one commonly used method to convert and upgrade bio-oil from biomass. In the present work, a Ru-promoted MoFeP/Al 2 O 3 catalyst was prepared and evaluated the HDO performance by converting two model compounds, guaiacol and anisole with a batch reactor at 250 °C. This catalyst shows a quite good HDO performance over the two model compounds, in which, oxygen was removed from the phenolic and hydrocarbons were produced as the product. Kinetic studies were also performed to build the reaction network and elucidate the reaction pathway of guaiacol and anisole HDO reactions. The primary, secondary, and tertiary products can be identified for the HDO reactions. A better understanding of HDO chemistry from the fundamental study can lead to more efficient catalysts for the target products. [Display omitted] • A highly active Ru-MoFeP/Al 2 O 3 was proposed in HDO reaction. • Reaction network of guaiacol and anisole HDO reaction were proposed. • Primary product, secondary or tertiary products can be identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poly (d,l-lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA) based microspheres have been extensively used as controlled drug release systems. However, the burst effect has been a persistent issue associated with such systems, especially for those prepared by the double emulsion technique. An effective approach to preventing the burst effect and achieving a more ideal drug release profile is to improve the drug distribution within the polymeric matrix. Therefore, it is of great importance to establish a rapid and robust tool for screening and optimizing the drug distribution during pre-formulation. Transition Temperature Microscopy (TTM), a novel nano-thermal and imaging technique, is an extension of nano-thermal analysis (nano-TA) whereby a transition temperature is detected at a localized region of a sample and then designated a color based on a particular temperature/color palette, finally resulting in a coded map based on transition temperatures detected by carrying out a series of nanoTA measurements across the surface of the sample. In this study, we investigate the feasibility of applying the aforementioned technique combined with other thermal, imaging and structural techniques for monitoring the drug microstructure and spatial distribution within bovine serum albumin (BSA) loaded and nimodipine loaded PLGA microspheres, with a view to better predicting the in vitro drug release performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polycarbonate (PC) has been widely applied in aerospace and railway industries, and it is imperative to improve its fire safety related properties, especially heat release properties. Particularly, the MARHE value (maximum average rate of heat emission) directly obtained from the cone calorimeter (CONE) test is a comprehensive property that is presented in the EN45545-2 standard developed by the EU. In order to study the effect of flame retardants on the MARHE of polycarbonate, four flame retardants with different flame retardant mechanisms were used to prepare low heat release PC. CONE was used to characterize the heat release performance of PC, focusing on exploring the factors affecting MARHE and the method of preparing low heat release materials. The flame-retardant mechanism of PC was studied by SEM and TG/DTG. Meanwhile, the flame retardant index (FRI) is calculated as a reference for the flame retardant performance of PC. Results show the MARHE of HPCTP/PC is reduced by 31.12%, and it is confirmed that MARHE is influenced by time to ignition (TTI), peak heat release rate (PHRR), total heat release rate (THR), and the shape of the peak. Mica-RDP/PC materials were prepared based on the conclusions of MARHE derivation. RDP and Mica play a typical synergistic flame-retardant mechanism, with MARHE reductions from 20.31% to 20.00% of the single-component systems to 31.39%. All FRI values of PC materials are in the range of Good flame retardancy. This study provides a feasible way for the deep understanding and wide application of MARHE and the improvement of the fire safety performance of PC. • Analyzing influencing behavior to MARHE, studying flame-retardant mechanism via CONE and carbon residue. • Mathematical derivation for MARHE to further guide experiment, MARHE drops by 31% via synergistic effect, and all FRI values are in good. • To meet the requirements of EN45545-2 for MARHE on low heat release PC material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, the effect of the blending ratio on the capacity, energy density, and cycling performance of Ni-rich (LiNi 0.8 Co 0.1 Mn 0.1 O 2) (NCM) and Li-rich (Li 7/6 Mn 1/2 Ni 1/6 Co 1/6 O 2) (LR) cathode materials was investigated. The optimally blended cathode exhibited capacity retentions of 80.7% and 76.9% after 200 cycles at 25 °C within 2–4.6 V and 100 cycles at 55 °C within 2–4.5 V, respectively, showing higher cycling stability and flatter voltage decline than pure NCM and pure LR cathodes. Additionally, the optimized cathode exhibited the smallest increase in charge-transfer resistance (R ct) and highest Li-ion diffusion coefficient (D Li +) among all tested samples after high-temperature cycling. This study highlights the unique electrochemical properties of blended cathode materials and demonstrates their high structural stability in Li-ion batteries (LIBs). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a green and efficient enrichment method for the four majors active diterpenoid components: pimelotide C, pimelotide A, simplexin, and 6α,7α-epoxy-5β-hydroxy-12-deoxyphorbol-13-decanoate in the buds of Wikstroemia chamaedaphne was established using macroporous resin chromatography. The adsorption and desorption rates of seven macroporous resins were compared using static tests. The D101 macroporous resin exhibited the best performance. Static and dynamic adsorption tests were performed to determine the enrichment and purification of important bioactive diterpenoids in the buds of W. chamaedaphne. Diterpenoid extracts were obtained by using D101 macroporous resin from the crude extracts of W. chamaedaphne. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis demonstrated that most of the diterpenoids were enriched in diterpenoid extracts. These results confirmed that diterpenoids in the buds of W. chamaedaphne could be enriched using macroporous resin technology, and the enriched diterpenoid extracts showed more efficient activation of the latent human immunodeficiency virus. This study provides a novel strategy for discovering efficient and low-toxicity latency-reversing agents and a potential basis for the comprehensive development and clinical application of the buds of W. chamaedaphne. [Display omitted] • A green and simple method for enrichment of daphnane-type and tigliane-type diterpenoids from Wikstroemia chamaedaphne was determined by a macroporous resin chromatography technology. • The content of four main diterpenoids was increased to 21.45 % from 9.35 % in the diterpenoid extract. • Twenty-five diterpenoids were identified qualitatively in diterpenoids extracts by LC-MS/MS. • The fold of change of activating latent HIV of diterpenoids extracts were enhanced to 21.13 from 10.41 at 0.1 μg/mL compared with crude extracts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biochar is becoming an environmentally friendly material for remediation of heavy metal contaminated soils and improving food safety. A field trial over four rice seasons was conducted to investigate the use of biochar and low Cd accumulating cultivars on Cd uptake in a heavy metal contaminated soil. Wheat straw derived biochar was applied at 0, 20 and 40 t ha − 1 . Two rice cultivars with differing Cd accumulation abilities were selected in each season. The results showed that both biochar and low Cd affinity cultivars significantly reduced rice grain Cd accumulation. Biochar had no significant effect the first season but thereafter consistently reduced rice grain Cd by a maximum of 61, 86 and 57% over the next three seasons. Zn accumulation in the rice grains was not decreased by biochar application, although available soil Zn was sharply reduced (35–91%). Indica conventional rice cultivars had much lower Cd, but higher Zn and lower Cd/Zn ratios in the grain than indica hybrid cultivars. Biochar was more effective for mitigating grain Cd accumulation in low Cd affinity cultivars than in high affinity cultivars. Soil pH was sustainably increased (up to nearly 1 unit) while available Cd significantly decreased by a maximum of 85% after biochar addition. The translocation of Cd from rice roots to shoots was reduced from 20 to 80% by biochar. Low uptake affinity cultivars combined with biochar reduced late rice grain Cd concentration and Cd/Zn ratios by 69–80% and 72–80%, respectively. It indicated that the management of combining biochar and low Cd affinity cultivars should be an efficient way to remediate Cd contaminated rice paddies and reduce health risk associated with consuming rice from these soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a simple, rapid and facile one-pot wet-chemical co-reduction method is developed for synthesis of bimetallic Au–Pt alloyed nanochains supported on reduced graphene oxide (Au–Pt NCs/RGO), in which caffeine is acted as a capping agent and a structure-directing agent, while no any seed, template, surfactant or polymer involved. The as-prepared nanocomposites display enlarged electrochemical active surface area, significantly enhanced catalytic activity and better stability for methanol and ethylene glycol oxidation, compared with commercial Pt–C (Pt 50 wt%), PtRu–C (Pt 30 wt% and Ru 15 wt%) and Pt black. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The metal-organic framework Ni-MOF-74 was synthesized and then characterized by XRD, SEM, and N 2 adsorption techniques. The unary isotherms of CO 2 , CH 4 , C 3 H 6 , and C 3 H 8 on Ni-MOF-74 were measured by means of a volumetric method. The Langmuir–Freundlich model appropriately describes the adsorption equilibrium data. The selective separations of two mixtures CO 2 /CH 4 and C 3 H 6 /C 3 H 8 on Ni-MOF-74 were experimentally investigated by a breakthrough-column technique. Simulations of transient breakthroughs for the two mixtures agree well with the experimental data. In addition, with the inclusion of intra-crystalline diffusion into the simulations, the quality of the simulated breakthrough curves are improved and agree better with the experimental data. The results indicate that Ni-MOF-74 might be a candidate for the removal of C 3 H 6 from C 3 H 6 /C 3 H 8 mixtures and for the efficient separation of CO 2 from CH 4 . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to investigate the Rayleigh–Bénard convection of Al 2 O 3 /water nanofluids in a cavity considering the sedimentation, thermophoresis, and Brownian motion. For this purpose, a numerical simulation is carried out using finite volume method to obtain the flow patterns and heat transfer characteristics of nanofluid flow inside the cavity. The results are presented for volume fractions up to 4%, Rayleigh numbers between 10 4 and 8 × 10 4 where the temperature difference between top and bottom walls is between 2 and 10 °C. To validate the numerical solution, comparisons are made between the numerical results and experimental data available in the literature. The comparisons unfold that the results of numerical work are in a good agreement with the previous experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Single crystalline flower-like Bi2S3 nanostructures were successfully synthesized via a simple, facile and green hydrothermal method, with the assistance of D-penicillamine. The products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and found their morphologies mainly depend on the ratios of Bi3+ to D-penicillamine, as well as the reaction temperature and time. And the possible growth mechanism has been discussed in some detail. In addition, the as-prepared Bi2S3 nanoflowers show good hydrogen storage ability. This strategy can be potentially expanded to prepare other metal chalcogenides materials. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Highlights: [•] Biochar treatment at 20–40tha−1 reduced rice Cd by 20%–90% from metal polluted rice fields. [•] Grain Cd under biochar treatment fell in a safe level by 0.4mgkg−1 in soils with Cd in range 0.16–4.83mgkg−1. [•] Biochar amendment caused Cd immobilization primarily due to the liming effect by biochar. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• ST2 was highly expressed on mDCs and pDCs from patients with AR. • Allergen inhalation to patients with AR could upregulate the ST2 expression, as well as type 2 immune-related genes. • ST2+mDCs might have the potential to elicit allergic inflammation in response to IL-33. The diversity of immune responses in allergic diseases is critically mediated by dendritic cells (DCs), including myeloid and plasmacytoid DCs. Allergen inhalation increased the release of IL-33 from patients with allergic rhinitis (AR), which affecting the downstream cells by binding to its receptor (ST2). However, the effects of inhaled allergens on the expression of ST2 by DCs and IL-33 on the function of mDCs are unknown. The levels of ST2+mDCs and ST2+pDCs in the blood from patients with AR and healthy subjects were examined using flow cytometry. Moreover, the patients were challenged using the allergens and the levels of ST2+mDCs and ST2+pDCs were investigated at different time points. We found that there were higher levels of ST2+ mDCs and ST2+ pDCs in patients with AR, and these levels were further increased 0.5 h after allergen inhalation. Additionally, the type 2 immune response was upregulated after challenge. IL-33 treatment increased the expression of ST2 on mDCs. Our study demonstrated that ST2 was upregulated on DCs after allergen inhalation and that mDCs responded directly to IL-33 through ST2, suggesting that the IL-33/ST2 axis might play an important role in the pathogenesis of allergic rhinitis by DCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The influence of adsorbed sulfide (S2− ads) on CO monolayer electro-oxidation reaction (CMOR with M for monolayer to emphasize that oxidation always starts with a saturated CO coverage) on carbon-supported Pt nanoparticles (Pt/C NPs) was investigated using electrochemical and in situ ATR-SEIRAS (attenuated total reflection-surface enhanced IR absorption spectroscopy) techniques. An enhanced kinetics of CMOR on the S2− ads-Pt/C was observed by potentiodynamic CO stripping and potentiostatic CO oxidation analyses. Electrochemical impedance measurements revealed a weakened bonding of oxygen-containing species with the S2− ads-Pt/C surface as compared with the clean Pt/C surface, which we believe was the main reason for the observed enhanced CMOR by the S2− ads. The in situ SEIRAS data showed the existence of both linear- and bridge-bonded CO (COL and COB respectively) in all samples and that the sulfide adsorption increased substantially the fraction of the former on the available Pt sites and facilitated the conversion between them. Our results also indicate that the frequently observed pre-CMOR current arises most likely from oxidation of weakly-bonded CO rather than from reactions taking place at defect sites. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The effect of the commonly used 55,000 M w (PVP55) and a heavier chain of 360,000 M w (PVP360) on commercial 40wt% Pt/C were probed using electrochemical methods and in situ SEIRAS experiments during the MOR and related gaseous CO oxidation. The polymer-modified samples exhibited an enhanced long-term CO tolerance with a small hindrance to the intrinsic activity of Pt/C. Increased water adsorption in the presence of polymer was observed to coincide with the oxidation of adsorbed CO and was related to the desorption of the surface-bound carbonyl of PVP via in situ SEIRAS. The notable differences between the adsorbate trends are indicative of adsorbed polymer interactions with the surface, but more interestingly is the strong dependence of the polymer molecular weight M w that led to qualitatively different behavior. Understanding the effects of adsorbed PVP on electrocatalytic reactions is of fundamental and practical importance due to its widespread use in synthesized NPs targeted for fuel cell applications. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: CO hydrogenation is carried out on Co/CNT and CoRe/CNT catalysts at 483K, 1.85bar, H2/CO=10. The study addresses a fundamental understanding of the effects of reaction conditions (syngas pressure, temperature and GHSV) and Re promotion on the Co activity and selectivity by SSITKA. A systematic SSITKA study was performed to gain a better understanding of the surface reactions at different conditions by measuring the surface concentrations of CO and CH x intermediates on Co. The TOFs of CO conversion and methane formation are found to be sensitive to H site coverage, which is affected by the competitive adsorption between H2 and CO. Higher temperature mainly increases the reaction rate constant, which changes more significantly as compared with the site coverage of the H and CO. CO pressure and temperature have more significant effect on the methane selectivity than H2 pressure. Re has little effect on the TOF and selectivity of the Co/CNT catalyst. SSITKA experiment reveals that both NCO and increase slightly with Re promotion. The surface coverage of CO is about ten percent higher on the Re promoted sample, suggesting that Re might be able to enhance CO adsorption a little bit. However, Re promotion does not change the intrinsic site activity and apparent activation energy. The apparent activation energy for methane formation is found to be about 118kJ/mol for both promoted and unpromoted catalysts. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This article presents an approach for pedestrian detection and tracking from infrared imagery. The GMM background model is first deployed to separate the foreground candidates from background, then a shape describer is introduced to construct the feature vector for pedestrian candidates, and a SVM classifier is trained based on datasets generated from infrared images or manually. After detecting the pedestrian based on the SVM classifier, a multi-cues fusing algorithm is provided to facilitate the task of pedestrian tracking using both edge feature and intensity feature under the particle filter framework. Experimental results with various Infrared Video Database are reported to demonstrate the accuracy and robustness of our algorithm. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We report an investigation of the formation mechanism of a gold (Au) thin-film electrode made by electroless deposition for in situ electrochemical (EC) attenuated-total-reflection surface enhanced infrared adsorption spectroscopy (ATR-SEIRAS). The Au thin film was generated via galvanic electroless deposition from [Au(S2O3)2]3− precursor and consisted of ∼46nm Au nanoparticles (NPs) deposited on Si infrared window. The observation of v(Au–S) (263cm−1) and v(S–S) (454cm−1) on the freshly deposited Au film using surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) confirmed that the initial adsorbed sulfur species was S2O3 2−. Subsequent acid-treatment broke the S–S bond and yielded Au surface-bound atomic sulfur species. EC stripping of them led to the formation of (bi)sulfate identifiable by in situ EC ATR-SEIRAS. A sulfur coverage of 0.5 was estimated. We also discovered that square-wave treatment of the Au film led to significant surface reconstruction and much enhanced oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity. We attribute the latter to the reconstruction-caused new sites that could stabilize better the adsorbed ORR intermediates for facilitating the subsequent reaction step(s). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Titanium dioxide (TiO2) of the anatase phase has recently attracted much attention as a novel transparent conducting oxide (TCO) due to its rich availability, high refractive index with low absorption in the solar spectrum. While it has been found that Nb is a dopant to obtain low resistivity (~10−4 Ωcm), other metals such as Ta, W etc., are also considered as potential effective dopants. In this paper, we carried out a parallel study on Nb- and Ta-doped TiO2 anatase films both theoretically by first principles calculation and experimentally by sputtering deposition and optical/electrical characterizations. The Nb-TiO2 films deposited on glass by co-sputtering at room temperature were amorphous, and the films crystallized into an anatase structure after vacuum-annealing, with the measured resistivity values comparative to the reported. The Ta-TiO2 films were deposited similarly, and the structure and properties were compared with the Nb-doped ones. Results showed that better performance was found in Nb-TiO2 films than that in Ta-TiO2 films. Theoretical calculations indicate that the larger lattice distortion by substitution of Ta for Ti is the dominating factor to suppress crystal growth and weaken the ability of electron mobility. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The CO2 capture properties of a new nanocrystalline CaO-based mixed oxide (CaCeZrO x ) were studied in both TGA and a fixed bed reactor. The kinetics of CO2 capture at dry conditions was compared between these two reactors. The application of the new CO2 acceptor in sorption enhanced steam methane reforming was studied by a fixed-bed reactor in the presence of 40wt% nickel hydrotalcite catalysts. Experimental results show that the new CO2 acceptor, CaCeZrO x has a significantly improved CO2 capture capacity and cyclic reaction stability compared to natural dolomites, because of the large pores and stable backbone structure. It has also been observed that the sorption enhanced steam methane reforming in the fixed bed reactor produces more than 95% H2 in a single-step process. Increase in production of hydrogen and higher CO2 capture capacity are also observed with an increase in the residence time of methane. Steam has a significant effect on the stability of the acceptors, but not very much on the kinetics and capacity of CO2 capture. The capacity of CO2 capture on the acceptors in the SESMR process cannot be predicted by the independent CO2 capture kinetic study on acceptor alone. A synergy effect between the sorption enhanced reactions and CO2 capture on the CO2 capture capacity was observed on the all solid CaO based CO2 acceptors. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Titanomagnetite concentrates and pre-oxidized titanomagnetite concentrates were reduced isothermally at 1000–1200°C by pulverized coal. XRD, SEM and EDS were used to characterize the samples. The influence of reduction conditions on the metallization degree of the samples, such as reduction temperature, C/Fe molar ratio, pre-oxidation and additives were studied. It was found that the pre-oxidation and additives played a considerable role in the metallization degree of titanomagnetite concentrates. During the pre-oxidation of titanomagnetite concentrates in air, the magnetite was oxidized to hematite and ilmenite was oxidized to hematite–ilmenite solid solution, hematite and TiO2. The pre-oxidation destroyed the crystal lattice of raw titanomagnetite concentrates and formed pores in the particles, which accelerated the reduction process. The effect of different additives on the metallization degree of pre-oxidized titanomagnetite concentrates was also discussed. The results show that when 1.5wt.% Na2CO3 is used as an additive, the metallization degree of pre-oxidized titanomagnetite concentrates reaches 96.4%, after heating for 1h at 1200°C. The final reduced sample was composed of metallic iron, pseudobrookite solid solution and TiO2. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Objective: A self-organizing map (SOM) is a competitive artificial neural network with unsupervised learning. To increase the SOM learning effect, a fuzzy-soft learning vector quantization (FSLVQ) algorithm has been proposed in the literature, using fuzzy functions to approximate lateral neural interaction of the SOM. However, the computational performance of FSLVQ is still not good enough, especially for large data sets. In this paper, we propose a suppressed FSLVQ (S-FSLVQ) using suppression with a parameter learning schema. We then apply the S-FSLVQ to MRI segmentation and compare it with several existing methods. Methods and materials: The proposed S-FSLVQ algorithm and some existing methods, such as FSLVQ, generalized LVQ, revised generalized LVQ and alternative LVQ, are compared using numerical data and MRI images. The numerical data are generated by a mixture of normal distributions. The MRI data sets are from a 2-year-old female patient who was diagnosed with retinoblastoma of her left eye, a congenital malignant neoplasm of the retina with frequent metastasis beyond the lacrimal cribrosa. To evaluate the performance of these algorithms, two criteria for accuracy and computational efficiency are used. Results: Comparing S-FSLVQ with FSLVQ, generalized LVQ, revised generalized LVQ and alternative LVQ, the numerical results indicate that the S-FSLVQ algorithm is better than the other algorithms in accuracy and computational efficiency. Moreover, the proposed S-FSLVQ can reduce the computation time and increase accuracy compared to existing methods in segmenting these ophthalmological MRIs. Conclusions: The proposed S-FSLVQ is a good competitive learning algorithm that is very suitable for segmenting the ophthalmological MRI data sets. Therefore, the S-FSLVQ algorithm is highly recommended for use in MRI segmentation as an aid for supportive diagnoses. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Bubble growth in a vertical narrow channel under different system pressures (1–10bar) was photographically studied. It was found that bubble growth rates and bubble sizes decrease with increasing system pressures. It was also found that bubbles grow at nucleate sites and begin to shrink due to condensation after departing from nucleate sites under lower system pressures (1–3bar). However, bubbles keep growing along the heating wall under higher system pressures (6–10bar). All bubble growth curves under different system pressures can be predicted by power curve model in the present study. A theoretical analysis on the effect of system pressure on bubble growth shows that the latent heat needed for a bubble with unit volume and the heat transfer on the heating wall are quite different under different system pressures, which results in distinct difference in bubble growth under different system pressure. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The mechanism of bubble growth has been of particular interest for decades due to its significant contribution to understanding boiling heat transfer. In present work, a visualization experiment was carried out to analyze the bubble growth in a vertical rectangular narrow channel by using water as working fluid under 1 and 3bar system pressure. The bubble growth in various experimental conditions was obtained by analyzing the recorded pictures. Results show that bubble growth and bubble size are significantly affected by mass flux, heat flux and system pressure, and also by the nucleation site density. To obtain a well prediction for bubble growth, a dual model is proposed in this paper. This model is comprised of a linear model for the inertia controlled stage of bubble growth and a power law model for the heat diffusion controlled stage of bubble growth, and the prediction of the dual model agrees well with the experimental result with an error less than ±15%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Of concern is the following Cauchy problem for fractional integro-differential equations with time delay and nonlocal initial condition where , , is a generator of a solution operator on a complex Banach space , the convolution integral in the equation is known as the Riemann–Liouville fractional integral, representing the delay property, is a function, and is an operator defined from into for some which constitutes a nonlocal condition. The local existence and uniqueness of mild solutions for the Cauchy problem, under various criteria, are proved. Moreover, we present an existence result of the global solution. Also an example is given to illustrate the applications of the abstract results. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Density functional theory calculations are performed to investigate the C diffusion through the surface and subsurface of Ag/Ni(100) and reconstructed Ag/Ni(100). The calculated geometric parameters indicate the center of doped Ag is located above the Ni(100) surface owing to the size mismatch. The C binding on the alloy surface is substantially weakened, arising from the less attractive interaction between C and Ag atoms, while in the subsurface, the C adsorption is promoted as the Ag coverage is increased. The effect of substitutional Ag on the adsorption property of Ni(100) is rather short-range, which agrees well with the analysis of the projected density of states. Seven pathways are constructed to explore the C diffusion behavior on the bimetallic surface. Along the most kinetically favorable pathway, a C atom hops between two fourfold hollow sites via an adjacent octahedral site in the subsurface of reconstructed Ag/Ni(100). The “clock” reconstruction which tends to improve the surface mobility, is more favorable on the alloy surface because the c(2×2) symmetry is inherently broken by the Ag impurity. As a consequence, the local lattice strain induced by the C transport is effectively relieved by the Ag-enhanced surface mobility and the C diffusion barrier is lowered from 1.16 to 0.76eV. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We report the solubility of carbon dioxide in four physical solvents and compare our data to predicted phase behavior using the conductor-like screening model for real solvents (COSMO-RS) formalism. The solubility data are presented in pressure-composition (Px) diagrams as well as Henry''s law coefficients on a wt% basis at 298.15K. The oligomers presented in this study are poly ethylene glycol di-methyl ether (PEGDME), perfluoro polyether (PFPE), poly di-methyl siloxane (PDMS), and poly propylene glycol di-methyl ether (PPGDME), which is a new solvent designed for this application by our group. These oligomers had 2–5 repeat units. We assess these four oligomers for capturing CO2 from high-pressure streams. The COSMO-RS formalism is able to qualitatively and to some extent quantitatively describe solubilities of CO2 in each of the oligomers. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: First-principles calculations based on density functional theory (DFT) have been used to investigate the reaction mechanism of dry methane reforming on Ni(111). The most energetically favorable adsorption configurations of the species involved in this process are identified and the transition states for all the possible elementary steps are explored by the dimer method. Then, the related thermodynamic properties at 973.15K are calculated by including the zero-point energy correction, thermal energy correction and entropic effect. It is found that CO2 dissociates via a direct pathway to produce CO and O dominantly, and atomic O is revealed to be the primary oxidant of CH x intermediates. Based on this information, two dominant reaction pathways are constructed as both the CH and C oxidation are found to be likely. The reaction network begins with the dissociation of CO2 and CH4, and then the generated CH and C are oxidized by atomic O to produce CHO and CO, followed by the CHO decomposition to finally generate CO and H2. As for these two reaction pathways, the oxidation step is predicted to determine the overall reaction rate under the current investigated conditions, while the CH4 dissociation is found to be the rate-limiting step at lower temperatures. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We investigate the Hawking radiation of ()- and ()-dimensional black holes in the Horava–Lifshitz gravity with fermion tunnelling. It turns out that the Hawking temperatures are recovered and are in consistence with those obtained by calculating surface gravity of the black holes. For the ()-dimensional black holes, the Hawking temperatures are related to the fundamental parameters of Horava–Lifshitz gravity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objective: To determine the spermicidal activity of antisemen antibodies in the hamster model.Design: Prospective, controlled study.Setting: Advanced preclinical sciences center.Animal(s): Subgroups of 10 and 14 golden hamsters.Intervention(s): Ex vitro and in vivo treatment of sperm with antisemen antibodies or normal rabbit serum.Main Outcome Measure(s): The EC(50) value of antisemen antibodies, the time required for 50% motility loss of progressively motile spermatozoa exposed to antisemen antibodies, the average sperm mitochondrion fluorescence intensity, the rate of fertilization, and the scoring of histologic changes in the hamster vaginal tissue.Result(s): The EC(50) value of antisemen antibodies was found 70 microg/mL, and the time required for 50% motility loss of progressively motile spermatozoa exposed to antisemen antibodies (at 70 microg/mL) was 5 minutes; for the experimental and control groups, the average fluorescence intensities of sperm mitochondria were respectively 180.28 +/- 82.24 and 309.74 +/- 148.37, the fertilization rates in vitro were 0.09% and 45%, the rates of fertilization with intrauterine sperm injection were 0 and 15.0%. There was a significant difference between two groups. None of the four hamsters that received antisemen antibodies in gel-polyoxyl-40-stearate had epithelial disruption characteristic of inflammation.Conclusion(s): Antisemen antibodies possess appreciable spermicidal potential, which may be explored as an effective constituent of spermicide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The objective of this work was to gain a better understanding of the influence of Sn on the dispersion of Pt in platinum supported SBA-15 catalysts and thereby on the dehydrogenation of propane (DHP) activity, selectivity to propylene, coking and catalyst stability. To this end, DHP over Pt-SBA-15 and Pt-Sn-SBA-15, prepared by incipient wetness impregnation (IW), was studied at 793K by means of tapered element oscillating microbalance (TEOM) coupled with on-line gas-chromatography. This allowed us to determine simultaneously the comprehensive information from a single catalysis experiment. The catalysts were characterised by N2-physisorption, transmission electron microscopy (TEM-EDXS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and H2-chemisorption, which revealed that the presence of Sn results in higher Pt dispersion by the formation of Pt–Sn alloy. It is evident from TEOM studies that after 220min on stream the amount of coke formed is almost three times higher over Pt-Sn-SBA-15-IW than on its counterpart Pt-SBA-15-IW, albeit the former exhibits considerably higher propane conversion, superior selectivity to propylene and stability than the latter. It is demonstrated that propane conversion and coke formation on the catalysts can be correlated with Pt particle size. A modified drain-off effect is proposed to explain the superior selectivity and stability of the bimetallic than the monometallic catalyst. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In the present study, an evaporative cooling test system consisting of an elliptical-heat exchanger was examined. Tests were conducted for various airflow rates of 52, 68, 81, 96 Cubic Meter per Minute (CMM), sprinkler water flow rates of 30, 40, 50 Liter per Minute (LPM), and hot water flow rates of 18, 22, 28 LPM. The sprinkle nozzle types and outside wet-bulb temperatures were also investigated. The convective heat transfer of the sprinkle water film outside the tubes and the mass transfer between air and water film on tube bundles were probed. The film thickness and sprinkle water picture were studied using high-speed cameras and image processing techniques. The results show that the mass transfer performance of the evaporative cooler was enhanced with the growth of the airflow rate. When the sprinkler water flow rate rose to 50 LPM, the heat-mass transfer coefficient of the evaporative cooler decreased since the water film on the tube was thickened. The low hot water flow rate at the tube side (18 LPM) resulted in a superior performance due to a high local temperature and improved local mass transfer. The experimental data were used to obtain empirical correlations for the heat coefficient of the liquid film and mass transfer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Carbon content and surface area of the products were significantly reduced under CO 2. • The vaporization of Cu was accelerated with MgCl 2 at 900 °C under CO 2. • The removal of Zn under CO 2 was lower than that under N 2. • The composition of P bearing phases could be affected by CO 2 at 900 °C. • Pyrolysis under CO 2 enhanced P recovery and reduced bioavailability in the product. Although swine sludge (SS) contains a high level of phosphorus (P) and has the potential to be used as an ideal source to produce P-rich biochar, it has a high heavy metal content, especially Cu and Zn, which limits its use. Herein, the influences of temperature, MgCl 2 addition, and carrier gas on the removal of Cu and Zn and P recovery during SS pyrolysis were studied. The results indicated that the removal efficiencies of Cu and Zn exhibited different tendencies in the presence of CO 2 and N 2. The removal of Zn in N 2 was higher than that in CO 2 and increased at elevated temperatures; moreover, it was sensitive to chloride addition at 800 and 900 °C during pyrolysis under CO 2. The atmosphere had a significant effect on Cu removal. The maximum removal efficiency was only 27.91 % when SS was treated under N 2 , which remarkably increased after chloride addition under CO 2 at 900 °C, reaching 85.96 %. Additionally, the mineral phase compositions and transformations treated under different process conditions were investigated. Ca 5 (PO 4) 3 Cl and Mg 3 (PO 4) 2 were the main P-bearing phases in the sludge treated with chloride addition, irrespective of the atmosphere, except for the product obtained at 900 °C under CO 2 , in which Mg 3 (PO 4) 2 was replaced by Ca(PO 3) 2. The gradual transformation from magnesium phosphate to calcium phosphate during pyrolysis affected P recovery and bioavailability. Pyrolysis under CO 2 resulted in a higher P recovery rate and lower bioavailability in the products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]