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• This study constructs the stakeholder collaboration model of DFCs, detailing the actions and collaborative relationships among stakeholders to provide services and support for families with dementia in LMICs. • The model is the first collaboration model built on the experience of elderly services and the development of DFCs in Nanjing, China. • The driving mechanism of DFCs clarifies the staged driving factors. The care for people with dementia (PwD) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is dominated by home care and supplemented sporadically by public care provided using public resources. In the context of community resources cannot meet the demand for high-quality services for PwD, dementia-friendly communities (DFCs) provide ideas for alleviating this situation by integrating resources from multiple stakeholders. However, there is still a considerable gap between the capacity of services and the demand of PwD. Based on the experience of elderly services and DFCs construction in Nanjing, China, this study developed a stakeholder collaboration model and clarified the collaborative relationship among stakeholders such as the government, communities, and medical institutions in meeting the needs of PwD. This work summarizes the partnerships and specific actions of stakeholders and highlights the importance of facilitating resource integration to provide comprehensive services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • The 3-D model has additional consideration on point-source discharge from individual drippers. • A semi-elliptic cylindrical wet bulb along drip lines matched well with cotton layout. • The wet front interferences among drippers require to optimize dripper spacing. • Too long irrigation intervals would result in elevating soil salinity in root zone. Abstract Two-dimensional (2-D) numerical models have been widely used to predict soil water-salt transport under mulched drip irrigation. However, conventional 2-D models often neglect the spatial variation of soil water-salt transport along drip lines and over-simplifies it by averaging values. This calls for a more robust model to better reflect the actual spatial and temporal variation of soil water-salt distribution in the field, especially in arid regions using brackish water with additional salt. In this study, mulched drip irrigation with brackish water was applied to a cotton field with loam soil in an arid region of southern Xinjiang, northwest China. The changes of soil water potential and total dissolved solid (TDS) of soil water over two irrigation events were intensively measured on hourly base to establish and calibrate a 3-D model, and another five irrigation cycles were monitored on daily base to validate the 3-D model. The mean absolute relative errors between measured and calculated soil water potential and TDS of soil water were 13.7% and 10.7% during hourly-based model calibration, even though there might be bias inevitably introduced by pre-determined sampling intervals and volumes. The calculated values during model validation were reasonably in line with the temporal patterns of soil moisture and TDS before and after irrigation at different irrigation cycles. This 3-D model was then applied to predict the spatial and temporal variations of soil water-salt transport during and after irrigation. Our results show that (1) the 3-D model with additional consideration on point-source discharge from individual drippers effectively reflected the wet front interferences along the drip lines. (2) A semi-elliptic cylindrical wet bulb together with relatively low salinity was formed along the drip lines, which matched well with the cotton layout (one mulch, two drip lines and four rows). However, the uneven overlapping of wet front interferences among individual drippers required to optimize the design of dripper intervals and irrigation regime to provide desirable soil water-salt conditions for cotton growth in this loam soil. (3) During the 96 h after irrigation, the TDS of soil water was always greatest in the dense root zone, increasing from approximately 3.8 g L−1 to 7.0 g L−1 as a result of root water uptake. Such localized re-salinization patterns demand repeated leaching in continued irrigation cycles to ensure cotton growth. Our study suggests that a smaller interspace between drippers with short but more frequent irrigation cycles would be much more helpful to timely and spatial-precisely meet plant water demanding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An isotropic four-equation model solver composed of a two-equation k - ε ∼ turbulence model and a two-equation k θ - ε θ ∼ heat transfer model was developed on OpenFOAM. • The thermal full-developed process of LBE in the CiADS-VHELP rod bundle lags behind the velocity full-developed stage and may occur between the 6th and 7th wire pitches. • The effects of flow rates and heat fluxes on the detailed thermal–hydraulic behavior of CiADS-VHELP rod bundles with seven pitches were quantitatively analyzed. Wire-wrapped rod bundles are candidate fuel assembly forms for the Lead–Bismuth Eutectic (LBE) cooled reactor of China initiative Accelerator Driven System (CiADS). The hydraulic experiment of the 19-rod bundle has been completed on the Visual Hydraulic Experimental Loop Platform (VHELP) of CiADS. It is necessary to study the thermal–hydraulic behavior of VHELP 19-rod bundles, providing a reference for the safety design of CiADS. Since the wire structure forces the LBE coolant having low Prandtl number heat transfer characteristics to cross mixing in the channel, a turbulent heat transfer model that can simulate reasonably the Reynolds stress and Reynolds heat flux is needed in the numerical calculation. In the present work, an isotropic four-equation model, which considers the difference between the velocity field and the temperature field of LBE and allows simple zero-fixed-value boundary conditions to be imposed on the wall for turbulent kinetic energy k and its dissipation rate ε ∼ , temperature fluctuation k θ and its dissipation rate ε θ ∼ , was applied to investigate the heat transfer phenomenon of VHELP rod bundles in CiADS project. Firstly, the flow pressure drop characteristics with different Reynolds numbers of the VHELP rod bundles were studied. The pressure drop data predicted by the present isotropic four-equation model agrees with the Cheng and Todreas relation but is higher than the hydraulic experimental results of unheated wire-wrapped rod bundles for the CiADS-VHELP project. Finally, the effects of flow rates and heat fluxes on the detailed thermal–hydraulic behavior of VHELP rod bundles with seven pitches were quantitatively analyzed. This study can reference the design and experimental project of the LBE-cooled wire-wrapped fuel assembly in CiADS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on high–temperature sintering with SiC as the foaming agent, the technical potential of preparing foamed ceramics (FCs) from desalted sea sand at temperatures below 1000 °C was studied. Rapid melting of the ceramic bodies at elevated temperatures helped to seal more foaming gas, resulting in a large foaming volume for the FCs. If the interior of the ceramic bodies melted quickly during sintering, the foaming gas was trapped in situ, resulting in a homogenous FC pore structure. By coordinating the borax content and sintering temperature of the green bodies, the melting characteristics of the ceramic bodies could be optimised during sintering, usually producing a large foaming volume and a homogeneous FC pore structure. The FCs sintered from the green bodies with 25–35 wt% of borax at 900–1000 °C obtained high total/closed porosities of (68–75)%/(65–72)%, a relatively dense surface, a homogenous pore structure, and a relatively high compressive strength of 8.1–11.2 MPa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An experiment using holographic interferometry shows that the evolution of the concentration profile produced by the dissolution of a benzoic acid powder compact cannot be satisfactorily described by the traditional treatments of assuming fast solubility equilibrium at the solid surface or equating dissolution rate with the diffusion flux at the boundary. A physical model was developed which incorporates the solid-solution interface into the kinetic description of the dissolution process. This leads to a boundary condition in which the time-dependence of boundary concentration follows an exponential function. The resulting solution to the diffusion equation shows good agreement with experimental data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This phase II study is performed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of capecitabine combined with preoperative radiotherapy (RT) in Chinese patients with locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC).Methods: Between February 2007 and December 2008, 62 patients with LARC were treated with capecitabine (825 mg/m(2), twice daily) and concurrent RT (50.4 Gy/28 fractions). Patients underwent surgery after 6-8 weeks of combined therapy, followed by 4 cycles of adjuvant capecitabine (1,250 mg/m(2), twice daily on days 1-14, every 3 weeks). The primary endpoint was the rate of pathologic complete response (pCR).Results: Fifty-eight patients (93.5%) completed the preoperative chemoradiation course as initially planned. The most severe hematologic adverse event was leucopenia, which occurred with grade 2 intensity in 12 (19.7%) patients and grade 3 in 2 (3.3%) patients. Grade 3 diarrhea and hand-foot syndrome (HFS) were observed in one (1.6%) and two (3.3%) patients, respectively. However, no grade 4 toxicity was observed. There were no treatment-related deaths during this study. Of the 59 patients treated with surgery, all had radial margins (R0 resections). Among the 29 patients with the primary tumor ≤5 cm from the anal verge, 18 (62.1%) underwent sphincter-preserving surgical resections. pCR was found in eight patients (13.6%). The pathologic stage was lower than the initial clinical stage in 57.6% (34/59), 63.4% (26/41), and 81.4% (48/59) of the resected tumors for the primary tumor (T), lymph node (N), and combined TN categories, respectively. The estimate of disease-free survival and overall survival at 24 months were 80.6% (95% CI, 70.8-90.4%) and 92.5% (95% CI, 85.9-99.1%), respectively.Conclusion: Preoperative chemoradiotherapy with capecitabine and RT appears to be a safe, well-tolerated, and effective neoadjuvant treatment modality for LARC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Soil and nutrient redistribution caused localized land degradation. • The SOC and TN were halved on the sloped cropland compared to the nearby tree rows. • Atomic ratios of C:N:P differed as the slope curvatures diverted. • Minor geomorphic features govern localized biochemical cycling of major nutrients. • Topography-specific conservation practices must be integrated to local land use policy. Erosion-induced land degradation in the northeastern China, the Chinese breadbasket, has become one of the biggest risks to national food security. Apart from depleting topsoil, incising gullies, and waterlogging depositional sites, slope-scale erosion also spatially redistributes soil nutrients and introduces localized soil degradation. This requires to systematically understanding topography-specific spatial distribution patterns of eroded soil compositions and the relative abundance of each nutrient at different topographic settings. In this study, topsoil at predetermined space intervals were collected from two adjacent but differently curved segments (convex vs. concave) on a sloped cropland in northeastern China. The spatial distributions of topsoil soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorous (TP), and the variations of their atomic ratios were compared. Our results show that: (1) Compared with the nearby undisturbed tree rows, the SOC and TN was halved on the investigated slope, demonstrating great degradation since the land use conversion. (2) The spatial distribution of topsoil nutrients were evidently topography specific, with the SOC being comparable at slope summit, but declining from 27.57 to 4.72 g kg−1 (depletion ratio of 0.17) at the convex segment meanwhile accumulating up to 34.71 g kg−1 (enrichment ratio of 1.26) at the concave segment. Similar but more deviated spatial patterns were also observed on the TN and TP. (3) The atomic ratios of C:N:P also differed as the slope curvatures diverted, by being more variable from 51:3:1 to 105:6:1 along the convex segment but rather stable between 74:5:1 and 89:5:1 along the concave segment. (4) The lower content of SOC and the heavier δ 13C along the convex segment suggest more advanced mineralization of C and thus greater susceptibility of C-limitation. Meanwhile, the slightly lower C:N ratios and the greater δ 15N along the concave segment indicate greater stability of C, more advanced mineralization of N and thus likely a N-limited process. Overall, our findings demonstrate the controlling influences of minor geomorphic features to on-site soil dislocation and localized degradation at slope scale. Apart from general soil conservation measures, topography-specific practices must also be integrated to local land use policy to effectively target localized land degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To develop multifunctional microwave absorbing (MA) materials for modern military system, the technical potential of preparing ceramic–based MA composites with carbon fibres (CFs) as absorber was studied. Near–net–shape preparation of the composites was achieved by sintering the green bodies with 3.5 wt% of CaCO 3 at 750 °C for 30 min followed by cooling at a rate of 18 °C/min, and the composites showed good CFs preservation owing to the prevention of CFs oxidation by the decomposition–derived CO 2 from CaCO 3 during sintering. As the CFs fraction increased from 0 wt% to 6.0 wt%, the composites remained essentially constant in density at 1.48–1.57 g/cm3, increased slightly in open porosity from 5.3% to 6.9%, increased in compressive strength from 54 MPa to 68 MPa, and showed the lowest mean reflection loss (RL) of –7.8 dB when the CFs fraction was 1.5 wt%. Double–layer design effectively improved the MA performance of the composites. The composites with the upper/lower–layer CFs fraction of 0.75 wt%/4.0 wt% had a mean RL of –14.7 dB, an effective absorption bandwidth of 9.2 GHz, and a minimum RL of –20.4 dB@13.2 GHz. The composites did not deteriorate in MA performance after annealing in air at 400 °C for 100 h, making them a promising MA material that is lightweight and temperature resistant up to 400 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To develop multifunctional microwave absorbing (MA) materials, foamed ceramics (FCs) with adequate MA performance that can withstand temperatures up to 1000 °C were prepared by sintering at 1200 °C with Si 3 N 4 as the foaming agent and steel wires (alloy designation 0Cr18Ni9) as the absorber. The FCs with 0.2 vol% wires of 100 μm diameter and 3.0–4.0 mm length showed excellent MA performance in the 8.0–18.0 GHz frequency range. The entire reflectivity–versus–frequency curve was below –10 dB and contained a mean reflectivity as low as –15.3 dB and a minimum reflectivity of –22.4 dB at 17.7 GHz, indicating that more than 97.0% of the 8.0–18.0 GHz microwave was absorbed and the 17.7 GHz microwave was absorbed by about 99.4%. The FCs exhibited a high total/closed porosities of 87%/85%, low density of 0.36 g/cm3, relatively high compressive strength of 6.3 MPa, low thermal conductivity of 0.124 W/mK, and microstructure with uniformly–distributed pores with diameters less than 0.5 mm. After 100 h of heat–treatment at 1000 °C, the FCs remained largely unchanged in MA performance and physical–mechanical properties owing to their almost unchanged wire distribution, phase composition, and foam structure, implying that the FCs are a promising multifunctional MA material with the advantages of light weight, thermal insulation, and temperature resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • The dynamic coupling between gas flow processes is considered in the shale gas flow model. • The heterogeneity and anisotropy are considered in the Knudsen diffusion coefficients. • The temporal scale analysis of the model is presented. • The development efficiency under different well rate variation is discussed. Abstract Shale gas is one of the world's strategic energy reserves. The microscopic pores and the fracture structure of the shale rocks play an important role in shale gas flow. An effective reservoir simulation must account for the heterogeneity and anisotropy of the microscopic pore structure as well as the dynamics between the gas flow and the gas diffusion processes. In this study, the time lag effect, the dynamic coupling of gas flow and diffusion as well as the heterogeneity and anisotropy of the pores are taken into account in order to properly model shale gas production on a large scale. The effect of these variables on the temporal scale analysis of the wellbore gas pressure is presented, as the reliable estimate of wellbore pressure would allow better prediction of the duration of well shut-in periods. Gas production under the intermittent operation scheme at different temporal scales is discussed. The results showed that the well startup is composed of five stages, while the well shut-in is composed of only three stages. The crossflow stage is prolonged by the dynamic coupling. The heterogeneity, anisotropy and dynamic coupling phenomena are accurately presented on the temporal scale diagram. Moreover, the impact of time lag on the gas pressure is better captured by the dynamic coupling between the gas flow and the gas diffusion. The proposed model better simulates actual shale reservoirs and, hence, would be helpful in selecting suitable production rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Influence of soil properties on rill erosion is not adequately considered. • Study of timely changes in rill morphology and flow require advanced techniques. • Rill network requires more investigations to help prevent erosion at large scales. • Controlled experiments are case-specific and should be systematically integrated. • Rill erosion models are often simplified and require more knowledge on processes. Rill erosion is a small-scale but universally occurring phenomenon. Given its potential to concentrate into larger-scale erosion and its non-negligible contributions to soil loss, substantial research has been dedicated to understanding its processes. In this article, we conducted a holistic review of the major achievements in rill erosion research over the past few decades, mainly from the following perspectives: 1) Hydraulic parameters to describe rill development; 2) morphological indicators to represent rill morphology; 3) commonly used measuring methods for rill morphology and rill flow; and 4) advantages and limitations of rill erosion modelling. In each of the perspectives, we also identified the challenges faced by current rill erosion research. Concrete suggestions on the pressing needs to help advance rill erosion research in the future are further presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Supercritical water gasification technology is widely used in the conversion of organic waste because of its clean and efficient characteristics. As a high polymer, plastic may undergo complex processes such as depolymerization and gasification in supercritical water, and its optimal operating conditions have rarely been reported. In this paper, the experiments of high impact polystyrene (HIPS) plastic supercritical water gasification were carried out at a reaction temperature of 500–800 °C, a reaction time of 1–60min, a feed concentration of 2–10 wt% and a reaction pressure of 22–25 MPa. The effects of different operating conditions on gas, liquid and solid products were studied. It was found that the novel phenomenon that carbon microspheres with uniform specifications on the surface of solid residue. Mechanism analysis results showed the plastic depolymerized to form the oligomer, monomer and its derivatives, which were subsequently cracked and gasified, or polycondensed into a nuclear to form carbon microspheres at a certain critical concentration of nucleation. With the gasification reaction proceeds, carbon microspheres with a smoother surface and a more uniform size are formed with a diameter of about 0.8–1.5 μm. The experimental results showed that increasing the reaction temperature, time and reducing the feedstock concentration significantly improved the gasification performance of the plastic, but the change of reaction pressure had little effect on the gasification performance. Finally, it was found that under the optimal gasification reaction conditions, the plastic carbon conversion rate reached 94.48 wt%. Highlights • Supercritical water gasification of plastic was carried out in a quartz tube reactor. • The effects of different operating conditions on gasification were investigated. • The novel carbon microspheres were found on the surface of the solid residue. • The optimal plastic gasification operating conditions were found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of dynamic bonds-based nanocomposites with excellent mechanical properties and multi-stimulated self-healing capabilities is critical for the design of high-performance self-healing materials. In this study, dynamic nanocomposites based on carboxyl-functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotube (CNT -COOH) fillers and a crosslinked polyurea (CPU) matrix were prepared through a facile two-step method involving in situ photo-induced polymerization and hot compression. Herein, the effect of CNT -COOH concentration on the properties of the resulting CPU@CNT nanocomposites was studied. The proposed novel method promoted the formation of a strong interfacial bond between the CNT -COOH and CPU. The dynamic nanocomposites exhibited excellent and rapid photo-induced self-healing abilities and regained their mechanical properties after damage. This can be attributed to the synergistic effect of the dynamic exchange reactions in the CPU matrix and the efficient photo-thermal effect of the fillers. The nanocomposite prepared using 1% CNT -COOH exhibited excellent toughness (up to 36.57 ± 1.28 MJ m−3), high stretchability (ca. 607 ± 50%), high tensile strength (7.36 ± 0.51 MPa), efficient photo-thermal shape memory effect, and good recyclability. Therefore, the facile method demonstrated in this study paves a way for the design of high-performance nanocomposites with rapid self-healing properties for sensing and flexible electronic applications. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This study is the first to illuminate the protective effect of metformin on 5-Fu-induced chemotherapy oral mucositis(CIOM). • Metformin protects CIOM by inhibiting Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress(ERS). • Metformin attenuates 5-Fu-induced-apoptosis by ERS and NF-κB. Metformin (Met) is a first-line and essential treatment for type 2 diabetes, with anti-inflammatory effects. It has been reported Met could inhibit NF-κB activity and down-regulate the release of inflammatory factors. However, whether Met has a protective effect on chemotherapy-induced oral mucositis(CIOM) is unknown. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the protective effect of Metformin(Met) on chemotherapy-induced oral mucositis(CIOM) and further explore its possible mechanism. 5-Fu was used in the C57BL/6 mice to establish the model of CIOM. Our results showed Met could significantly improve 5-Fu-induced mucosal damage, apoptosis, ROS and releasing of inflammatory factors in the tongue tissue. In addition, Met could inhibit 5-Fu-induced high expression of endoplasmic reticulum stress(ERS)-related proteins GRP78 and CHOP. Further studies showed that the protective effect of ERS inhibitor 4-PBA on CIOM was similar to Met. Moreover, Met inhibited the phosphorylation of NF-κB in tongue tissue, independent of AMPK phosphorylation. The protective effect of PDTC, an inhibitor of NF-κB, on tongue tissue was similar to that of Met. This study confirmed the protective effect of Met on 5-Fu-induced CIOM, which was achieved by inhibiting ERS and reducing the activity of NF-κB. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Transcriptional changes accompany induced resistance of plants against insect feeding, and monitoring transcriptional reorganization triggered in response to herbivory is an essential step for deciphering the molecular basis of the resistance. To isolate up-regulated genes in tea leaves under mild infestation of green leafhopper (Empoasca vitis Göthe), a subtractive cDNA library was constructed using the suppression subtractive hybridization strategy. Subsequent differential screening, DNA sequencing analyses, and real-time PCR analyses identified 21 unique genes up-regulated by leafhopper feeding from the library. Among the genes likely to be directly involved in defense, those encoding pathogen-related protein and type 2 ribosome-inactivating protein were found in the subtractive library. In addition, genes involved in the CBL (calcineurin B-like)–CIPK (CBL-interacting protein kinases) pathway, cell wall fortification, secondary metabolite synthesis, water transport, and oxidative stress protection were identified in our experiment. Besides, a number of genes that have not been previously associated with defense responses against insects were isolated. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Aim of the study: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a topical Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) compound Tangzu Yuyang Ointment (TYO) for treatment of chronic diabetic foot ulcers. Materials and methods: This multi-center, prospective, randomized, controlled and add-on clinical trial was conducted at seven centers in the China mainland. Fifty-seven patients with chronic diabetic foot ulcers of Wagner''s ulcer grade 1–3 were enrolled in this study. Patients who were randomly assigned to the control group (n =28) received standard wound therapy (SWT), whereas those randomized to the treatment group (n =28) received SWT plus topical TYO. Only 48 patients who finished 24 weeks of observations were entered for data analysis. Results: The TYO and SWT groups were comparable for baseline characteristics. Ulcer improvement was 79.2% in the TYO group and 41.7% in the SWT group (P =0.017) at 12 weeks, and 91.7% vs. 62.5% (P =0.036) at 24 weeks. The number of ulcers that were completely healed at 4, 12 and 24 weeks was similar in both groups, as were the numbers of adverse events. Healing time was 96±56 days (n =19) in the TYO group and 75±53 days (n =14) in the SWT group (P =0.271). Conclusion: TYO plus SWT is more effective than SWT in the management of chronic diabetic foot ulcers and has few side-effects. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]