Search

Herein, high-purity Ti 2 (In x Al 1- x)C (x = 0–1) solid solutions were successfully synthesized. The crystal structure and actual composition of solid solutions were confirmed using XRD, SEM, and TEM analyses, and their formation mechanism was revealed by thermal analysis. On the In-rich side (x ≥ 0.5), primary Ti 2 InC first formed and then acted as a crystalline seed for the subsequent solid solutions, resulting in a cluster-like morphology. The lattice constants of Ti 2 (In x Al 1- x)C were found to well follow Vegard's law. The examined properties of Ti 2 (In x Al 1- x)C also greatly depended on their A-site compositions. Ti 2 AlC exhibited the highest hardness and elastic moduli, while the best corrosion resistance was achieved at Ti 2 InC, and all Ti 2 (In x Al 1- x)C displayed active dissolution in 0.5 M HCl solution. Thus, adjusting the In/Al ratio at A-site can yield a desired set of performances, which provides a good example for regulating the performance of MAX phases via A-site solid solution strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The majority of existing studies argue that rich people and the residents in high-income countries and regions have stronger willingness to pay (WTP) for environmental protection. Does such a rule hold true for China at the present stage? Previous studies pay little attention to this issue due to the lack of related data. Merging the micro data from the Chinese General Social Survey in 2010 (CGSS2010) with the macro data at the corresponding urban level of China, as well as two types of satellite monitoring data, this paper investigates the effect of income on residents’ WTP for environmental protection at both macro and micro perspectives based on the ordered Logit model. The results show that the rich do have stronger WTP for environmental protection. However, with the increase in residents’ income, the marginal WTP for environmental protection will decline, and a reversal occurs at the top income level. Therefore, the WTP does not always rise with the increase in income, and the middle-income class has the strongest WTP for environmental protection. Moreover, after controlling individual characteristics, residents’ WTP for environmental protection more depends on environmental pollution degree rather than urban average income level measured by both GDP per capita and the nighttime lights data from satellite monitoring. The residents in more polluted cities have stronger WTP for environmental protection. Therefore, it is not reasonable to improve people’s environmental preferences purely through economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High speed rail (HSR) services shorten space-time distances between cities and induce the reallocation of production resources between regions (cities). Based on the data of 25 cities in China's Yangtze River Delta region during 1995–2014, this paper uses the (continuous) difference-in-differences model to investigate the influence of HSR on urban service industry agglomeration. The results show that HSR has a positive effect on the urban service industry agglomeration of the cities located along the rail lines. Compared with cities not located along the rail lines, HSR does not weaken the service industry agglomeration of the medium and small-sized cities that are also situated along the rail lines and around the core city. The service intensity of HSR, which is measured by train service frequency, also exhibits a significant effect on the service industry agglomeration of those cities located along the rail lines. Higher levels of HSR service intensity have a greater effect on urban service industry agglomeration. In addition, we further subdivide the category of service industry into producer service, consumer service, and public service industries. We find that HSR has a significant impact on producer service industry agglomeration, but HSR's influences on consumer service industry and public service industry are insignificant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We investigate the health effect of household cooking fuel choice in China. • We use the Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS) data and the Probit model. • The use of solid fuels for cooking significantly impairs residents' health statuses. • Residents with rural "hukou" and those living in rural areas more rely on solid fuels. • Energy transition has additional benefits in mitigating inequality. Household use of solid fuels is a major source of indoor air pollution and poses health risks to users. Using Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS) data, this paper employs a Probit model to investigate the health effects of household cooking fuel choices. We also use the propensity score matching method to control for the self-selection problem of the research sample. The results show that the use of solid fuels for cooking significantly impairs residents' health statuses, and the potential self-selection problem overestimates the health risks associated with the use of solid fuels. In particular, we further examine the urban-rural gap in household cooking fuel choices and its health consequences. By defining residents' urban/rural identities based on their hukou statuses and residential areas, we find that residents with rural "hukou" and those living in rural areas are more dependent on solid fuels for cooking, and thus they bear higher health risks from the use of solid fuels. Our findings suggest that urban-rural energy inequality in the household use of solid fuels is one main source of exacerbating urban-rural health disparities in China and that energy transition has additional benefits in mitigating inequality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glioblastoma (GBM), a mostly lethal brain tumor, acquires large amounts of free fatty acids (FAs) to promote cell growth. But how the cancer avoids lipotoxicity is unknown. Here, we identify that GBM upregulates diacylglycerol-acyltransferase 1 (DGAT1) to store excess FAs into triglycerides and lipid droplets. Inhibiting DGAT1 disrupted lipid homeostasis and resulted in excessive FAs moving into mitochondria for oxidation, leading to the generation of high levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), mitochondrial damage, cytochrome c release, and apoptosis. Adding N-acetyl-cysteine or inhibiting FA shuttling into mitochondria decreased ROS and cell death induced by DGAT1 inhibition. We show in xenograft models that targeting DGAT1 blocked lipid droplet formation, induced tumor cell apoptosis, and markedly suppressed GBM growth. Together, our study demonstrates that DGAT1 upregulation protects GBM from oxidative damage and maintains lipid homeostasis by facilitating storage of excess FAs. Targeting DGAT1 could be a promising therapeutic approach for GBM. • A high level of DGAT1 is associated with poor survival in individuals with GBM • DGAT1 prevents lipotoxicity in GBM by promoting lipid droplet storage of fatty acids • Inhibiting DGAT1 promotes tumor cell death in GBM via oxidative stress • Targeting DGAT1 strongly suppresses GBM growth in vivo in a mouse model Cheng et al. report that GBM is marked by upregulation of DGAT1, leading to the diversion of fatty acids into lipid droplets and thus preventing lipotoxicity. Inhibition of DGAT1 suppresses GBM growth, suggesting a possible therapeutic strategy to treat this devastating brain cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Converter dust is proposed as a novel additive to decompose PG to recover SO 2. • Addition of converter dust improves the SO 2 yield from 72.45% to 97.64%. • Addition of converter dust lowers the PG initial reduction temperature. • A process for SO 2 recovery from converter dust -coke reduction of PG is proposed. To further improve the decomposition ratio and sulfur dioxide mass yield of coke-reduced solid waste phosphogypsum (PG), converter dust (CD) is proposed as a novel additive. The effects of raw material ratio, time and temperature for roasting on the decomposition process of PG were inspected by simulation calculations and fluidized bed experiments. It turns out that the optimized reaction conditions are Fe 3 O 4 /Ca of 0.6, C/Ca of 0.4 at 1100 °C for 24 min, under which the PG decomposition ratio and SO 2 mass yield are 99.56 % and 97.64 %, respectively. The addition of CD is able to reduce the initial reaction temperature from 975 °C to 914 °C, and promote the release of SO 2. Kinetic analysis shows the mechanistic equation for this process is obtained as G(α) = [−ln(1 − α)]3/2, indicating that the decomposition reaction mechanism is a crystal nucleation and growth-controlled process. The chemical mechanism of the process is that coke and Fe 3 O 4 in the CD convert CaSO 4 to the intermediate CaS, and Fe 3 O 4 is oxidized to Fe 2 O 3. Then CaS and CaSO 4 continue to react with Fe 2 O 3 to form Ca 2 Fe 2 O 5 and SO 2. The presence of Fe 2 O 3 accelerations the rate of CaS and CaSO 4 roasting reaction and lowers the reaction temperature. Meanwhile, the self-decomposition of PG also produces CaO and SO 2. Finally, a process for SO 2 recovery from CD synergized with coke decomposition of PG is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the existing studies have paid much attention to the issue on the impacts of air pollution on public health, they fail to consider the spatial spillover effect and externality of air pollution as a significant influencing factor of public health, causing the biased results. This paper employs a spatial Durbin model (SDM) to investigate the impacts of both air pollution and its spatial spillover effect on public health in 116 cities of China over 2006–2012. We use the survey data of lung cancer mortality and respiratory diseases mortality from 161 sites of mortality censoring spots in China to measure public health and use the statistical data of industrial emissions of sulfur dioxide and soot from the corresponding cities to measure air pollution. Compared with the existing studies, from the perspective of the scale and scope of dataset, our dataset can be regarded as a big data sample in the fields of environmental and health economics. We estimate the direct and indirect effects of air pollution to distinguish the local and neighbors' impacts of air pollution on the mortalities caused by the two diseases. The empirical results provide the evidence for the adverse impacts of air pollution and its spatial spillover effect on public health. On average, an increase of ten thousand tonnes in industrial sulfur dioxide emissions in certain city will lead to an increase of 0.035 and 0.03 per ten thousand persons in local mortalities from lung cancer and respiratory diseases, respectively, and a total increase of 0.217 and 1.543 per ten thousand persons in the mortalities of all its neighbors from lung cancer and respiratory diseases, respectively. On an annual average, due to the air pollution, more than 200 billion RMB are spent on the medical treatment for curing health damages, and approximate hundred thousand lives were taken away. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China is currently facing huge challenges in mitigating water shortages and protecting water bodies. The inferior wastewater treatment of the country has become the main barrier impeding regional water pollution control and sustainable economic development. Therefore, creating an overview of the current performance and weaknesses of city-level wastewater treatment is crucial and beneficial for exploring the driving factors for improvement. This study employed the slack-based measure and improved Luenberger productivity indicator decomposition method to investigate wastewater treatment performance in Chinese cities from static and dynamic perspectives. Results showed that pollutants were the main factors leading to wastewater treatment inefficiency. The total factor productivity of wastewater treatment (WTFP) of Chinese cities demonstrated an increasing trend from a temporal perspective and distinct spatial heterogeneity. An in-depth decomposition revealed that the most influential factor leading to WTFP growth was efficiency improvement rather than technical progress, pollutants discharge reduction rather than intensification of inputs. Given the varied types of cities, corresponding optimal and differentiated strategies, including source-oriented controls and end-of-pipe-led regulations, were provided to improve the overall performance of wastewater treatment. The findings of this study can help decision makers design specific policies for wastewater governance, which would be beneficial for achieving the green and high-quality development targets. Unlabelled Image • Measure the total factor performance of wastewater treatment from a macro perspective • Evaluate both static and dynamic performance of wastewater treatment at a city-level • Integrate SBM and LPI for exploring driving forces and weaknesses of WTFP • Identify the implementation path by considering spatial heterogeneity [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives The purpose of this study was to examine the safety and efficacy of target embolization of aneurysms associated with ruptured brain arteriovenous malformations (BAVMs). Methods Ruptured BAVM patients who underwent endovascular treatment at our institution from January 2011 to December 2015 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were divided into aneurysm (AN) and nonaneurysm (non-AN) groups on the basis of the existence of BAVM-associated aneurysms or not. Demographics, angiographic characteristics, complications, and clinical outcomes were compared between 2 groups. Complication risk factors were analyzed for all objects. Patient outcomes were assessed with modified Rankin Scale (mRS). Results A total of 129 (male = 53) patients were included. In 31 (24.0%) patients, 33 aneurysms were observed, including 16 intranidal and 17 flow-related aneurysms. Of the 166 sessions of embolization performed, there were 13 (10.1% of patients, 7.8% per session) complications in all, including 2 hemorrhagic, 8 transient ischemic, and 3 permanent ischemic types. There was no statistical difference in terms of complication incidence rate between groups. A total of 12 patients (9.3% of patients, 3.3% per person-year) experienced postoperative hemorrhage during follow-up (mean = 3.4 years). The yearly postoperative hemorrhage incidence rate was 3.4% in the non-AN group and 2.0% in AN group. Excellent or good outcomes (mRS ≤ 2) were observed in 103 (91.2%) patients. Unfavorable outcomes (mRS ≥ 3) as a direct result of embolization remained in no patients. Conclusions Target embolization of aneurysms associated with ruptured BAVMs could significantly decrease postoperative rehemorrhage without increasing complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Sn whiskers growing from the surface of Ti 2 SnC/Sn-Bi sample were studied by a quantitative analysis method to reveal the whiskering laws. • The kinetics of whisker growth has been revealed, which enables the determination of the kinetic parameters controlling Sn whisker growth. • The TEM morphology of the root of the whisker demonstrates that Sn atoms feeding whiskers diffuse along the base plane of Ti 2 SnC. The extrusion of Sn whiskers from Ti 2 SnC phase, a layered ternary carbide ceramic MAX phase, has ultrafast whisker growth behaviors and good experimental repeatability. This makes MAX phase an ideal research platform for the investigation of metallic whiskers. This work aims at revealing the growth kinetics of Sn whiskers from Ti 2 SnC substrate, which still does not exist. By conducting a quantitative analysis on the whisker growth behavior, three stages of the growth of Sn whiskers on the Ti 2 SnC substrate are identified: nucleation, germination and saturation. Moreover, the function of volume change versus cultivation time is well fitted using the Avrami equation, implying that the growth of Sn whiskers from Ti 2 SnC substrate follows a general crystallization pattern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]