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Background To study the characteristics of brachial plexus MRN in patients with NA, and to explore the clinical application value of MRN combined with Electromyography (EMG) in the diagnosis of NA. Methods The brachial plexus MRN images of 32 patients with NA were retrospectively analyzed and their characteristics were investigated. The accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of MRN, EMG and the combination of the two methods in the diagnosis of NA were compared. Results The main feature of MRN in patients with NA was that it was mostly located in the unilateral upper trunk, and the C5 nerve root was the most common. The main features of those involved nerves were the thickening and segmental stenosis of some involved nerves, and the signal intensity on the 3D reconstruction image was higher than that of the surrounding normal nerves. The diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of MRN for NA were higher than those of EMG. Combining MRN and EMG could improve the sensitivity and specificity of diagnosis. Conclusion MRN can visualize the morphological changes of involved nerves in patients with NA. The combined diagnosis of MRN and EMG can help clinicians diagnose NA more accurately.

Outcomes for patients undergoing chemoradiation for cervical cancer are dependent on adherence to radiation therapy (RT). In other diseases, quality of life (QoL) is associated with treatment adherence, but the association between QoL and RT adherence for patients with cervical cancer remains unclear.This prospective study included patients undergoing RT for cervical cancer from 2017 to 2021 at an urban safety net hospital. The Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Cervical Cancer Version 4 was used to assess QoL based on 5 subscales (physical, functional, social and emotional, and cervical-cancer specific). The survey was administered at radiation consult, then weekly during RT and at follow-up. Patient information was abstracted from the medical record. Radiation nonadherence was defined as missing ≥2 days of external beam RT. The Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Cervical Cancer Version 4 total and subscale scores were compared between adherent and nonadherent patients. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to control for confounding variables.Ninety-three patients were enrolled, completing 522 surveys. Median age at diagnosis was 46 years (interquartile range, 40-51); 76% of patients were Hispanic, and 12% were Black. Only 30% of patients were nonadherent with RT. A psychiatric comorbidity (P = .012) and symptomatic presentation (P = .027) were associated with decreased adherence. Baseline total QoL was higher in treatment-adherent than in nonadherent patients (median, 124.86; range, 48-160; 108.9, 46-150; P = .01). Higher baseline functional and physical subscale scores were associated with adherence (P.05). Change from baseline to lowest score during treatment in the emotional subscale was also associated with patient adherence (P.05). In multivariable analysis, higher baseline physical score, baseline total score, and change in emotional subscale score were associated with adherence (P.05).Poor QoL during chemoradiation for cervical cancer is associated with missed treatments. Physician assessment of a patient's well-being while they are undergoing RT is of utmost importance to improve adherence to treatment.

Pan-genomes from large natural populations can capture genetic diversity and reveal genomic complexity. Using de novo long-read assembly, we generated a graph-based super pan-genome of rice consisting of a 251-accession panel comprising both cultivated and wild species of Asian and African rice. Our pan-genome reveals extensive structural variations (SVs) and gene presence/absence variations. Additionally, our pan-genome enables the accurate identification of nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat genes and characterization of their inter- and intraspecific diversity. Moreover, we uncovered grain weight-associated SVs which specify traits by affecting the expression of their nearby genes. We characterized genetic variants associated with submergence tolerance, seed shattering and plant architecture and found independent selection for a common set of genes that drove adaptation and domestication in Asian and African rice. This super pan-genome facilitates pinpointing of lineage-specific haplotypes for trait-associated genes and provides insights into the evolutionary events that have shaped the genomic architecture of various rice species.

Quality is a complex trait that is not only the key determinant of the market value of the rice grain, but is also a major constraint in rice breeding. It is influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. However, the combined effects of genotypes and environmental factors on rice grain quality remain unclear. In this study, we used a three-factor experimental design to examine the grain quality of different

Motivated by the potential of objective neurophysiological markers to index thalamocortical function in patients with severe psychiatric illnesses, we comprehensively characterized key NREM sleep parameters across multiple domains, their interdependencies, and their relationship to waking event-related potentials and symptom severity. In 130 schizophrenia (SCZ) patients and controls, we confirmed a marked reduction in sleep spindle density in SCZ and extended these findings to show that only slow spindles predicted symptom severity, and that fast and slow spindle properties were largely uncorrelated. We also describe a novel measure of slow oscillation and spindle interaction that was attenuated in SCZ. The main sleep findings were replicated in a demographically distinct sample, and a joint model, based on multiple NREM components, predicted disease status in the replication cohort. Although also altered in patients, auditory event-related potentials elicited during wake were unrelated to NREM metrics. Consistent with a growing literature implicating thalamocortical dysfunction in SCZ, our characterization identifies independent NREM and wake EEG biomarkers that may index distinct aspects of SCZ pathophysiology and point to multiple neural mechanisms underlying disease heterogeneity. This study lays the groundwork for evaluating these neurophysiological markers, individually or in combination, to guide efforts at treatment and prevention as well as identifying individuals most likely to benefit from specific interventions.

Neuroblastoma (NB) is the most common extracranial solid tumor in early childhood. Despite intensive multimodal therapy, nearly half of children with high-risk disease will relapse with therapy-resistant tumors. Dysregulation of MAPK pathway has been implicated in the pathogenesis of relapsed and refractory NB patients, which underscores the possibility of targeting MAPK signaling cascade as a novel therapeutic strategy. In this study, we found that high expressions of RAF family kinases correlated with advanced tumor stage, high-risk disease, tumor progression, and poor overall survival. Targeted inhibition of RAF family kinases with the novel small molecule inhibitor agerafenib abrogated the activation of ERK MAPK pathway in NB cells. Agerafenib significantly inhibited the cell proliferation and colony formation ability of NB cells in vitro, and its combination with traditional chemotherapy showed a synergistic pro-apoptotic effect. More importantly, agerafenib exhibited a favorable toxicity profile, potently suppressed tumor growth, and prolonged survival in NB mouse models. In conclusion, our preclinical data suggest that agerafenib might be an effective therapeutic agent for NB treatment, both as a single-agent and in combination with chemotherapy.

Co-benefits are used to reflect multiple important benefits that could be achieved by a single policy or measure. In recent years, researches on co-benefits have developed rapidly in various fields, but there is limited research associated with eco-industrial development. In order to investigate the driving forces of co-benefits in the field of eco-industrial development, this study established an emergy-based hybrid model for such a research objective. In order to verify this model, Suzhou industrial park in China has been selected as a case study. The results showed that co-benefits achieved in 2015 through eco-industrial development-based strategies in Suzhou industrial park were more than that were in 2010. Waste reutilization environmental efficiency effect was the most significant positive driving forces, while energy consumption efficiency effect had the least impact on generating co-benefits in Suzhou industrial park. Policy implications such as strengthening eco-industrial network and further industrial structure promotion are proposed.

Soil pollution by heavy metals is a major concern in China and has received much attention in recent years. Aiming to investigate the status of heavy metal pollution and the safety of vegetables in the soil of wastewater-irrigated facilities, this study investigated the distribution and migration characteristics of heavy metals in vegetable–soil systems of facilities in a typical sewage irrigation area of the Xi River, Shenyang City, northern China. Health risks due to the fact of exposure to heavy metals in the vegetable soil of facilities and ingrown vegetables through different exposure pathways were evaluated. Spatial interpolation and a potential ecological risk assessment were applied to evaluate the soil quality. Bioaccumulation factors (BCFs) were used to analyze the absorption and transportation capacity of Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn by different parts of different vegetables. The results showed that the average concentration of Cd exceeded the standard values by 1.82 times and accumulated by 11 times, suggesting that Cd poses the most severe pollution among the four metals in the soil of facilities in the Xi River sewage irrigation area. In the city, a significant accumulation of Cd in the soil was identified with different spatial distributions. Cd also contributed the most in terms of the estimated potential ecological risk index, while the impacts of the other three metals were relatively small. The concentrations of heavy metals were mostly lower than the limit set by the corresponding Chinese standards. Various BCFs were observed for the four metals in the order Cd > Zn > Cu > Pb. Vegetables also demonstrated different BCFs in the order of leaf vegetables > Rhizome vegetable > Solanaceae vegetable. The magnitude of the noncarcinogenic risk for all four heavy metals was less than one for all three exposure routes and did not cause significant noncarcinogenic health effects in humans. However, the carcinogenic risk of Cd from some vegetables via dietary intake was considered higher. Protection measures should be taken to implement better pollution control and land use planning.

With fast development and urbanization, Chinese cities are facing several challenges including issues of environmental pollution, climate change, resource depletion and landfills shortage. Waste recycling is one effective way to respond these challenges. Under such a situation, this paper aims to evaluate energy saving and carbon reduction potential of recycling wastes by taking Shanghai, the biggest city in China, as a case study. Results show that 8.7 Mt standard coal (tce) and 16.81 Mt CO2 could be reduced under current recycling system in Shanghai. And recycling of waste steel and nonferrous metals were the two dominant contributors, accounting for about 44% and 42% of energy saving, and 60% and 33% of CO2 reduction, respectively. If the recycling rates of main recyclable wastes were improved to 100%, additional 6.44 Mt energy and 10.02 Mt CO2 could be further saved, mainly from recycling waste glass, waste plastic and waste metals. Adoption of RPF (Refuse Plastic & paper Fuel) could further contribute to 1.24 Mt energy saving and 2.67 Mt CO2 reduction. Finally, policy implications on establishing a mature recycling system and promoting RPF technologies are discussed, in which the potential on reducing total energy consumption and CO2 emission of Shanghai can reach 6.6% and 4.9%, respectively.

The somatic embryogenesis (SE) process of plants is regulated by exogenous hormones. During the SE, different genes sensitively respond to hormone signals through complex regulatory networks to exhibit plant totipotency. When cultured in indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) concentration gradient medium supplemented with 0 mg dm&minus, 3, 0.025 mg dm&minus, 3, and 0.05 mg dm&minus, 3 IBA, the callus differentiation rate first increased then decreased in cotton. To characterize the molecular basis of IBA-induced regulating SE, transcriptome analysis was conducted on embryogenic redifferentiation. Upon the examination of the IBA&rsquo, s embryogenic inductive effect, it was revealed that pathways related to plant hormone signal transduction and alcohol degradation were significantly enriched in the embryogenic responsive stage (5 days). The photosynthesis, alcohol metabolism and cell cycle pathways were specifically regulated in the pre-embryonic initial period (20 days). Upon the effect of the IBA dose, in the embryogenic responsive stage (5 days), the metabolism of xenobiotics by the cytochrome P450 pathway and secondary metabolism pathways of steroid, flavonoid, and anthocyanin biosynthesis were significantly enriched. The phenylpropanoid, brassinosteroid, and anthocyanin biosynthesis pathways were specifically associated in the pre-embryonic initial period (20 days). At different developmental stages of embryogenic induction, photosynthesis, flavonoid biosynthesis, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling, xenobiotics metabolism by cytochrome P450, and brassinosteroid biosynthesis pathways were enriched at low a IBA concentration. Meanwhile, at high IBA concentration, the carbon metabolism, alcohol degradation, circadian rhythm and biosynthesis of amino acids pathways were significantly enriched. The results reveal that complex regulating pathways participate in the process of IBA-induced redifferentiation in cotton somatic embryogenesis. In addition, collections of potential essential signaling and regulatory genes responsible for dose IBA-induced efficient embryogenic redifferentiation were identified. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was performed on the candidate genes with different expression patterns, and the results are basically consistent with the RNA-seq data. The results suggest that the complicated and concerted IBA-induced mechanisms involving multiple cellular pathways are responsible for dose-dependent plant growth regulator-induced SE. This report represents a systematic study and provides new insight into molecular signaling and regulatory basis underlying the process of dose IBA-induced embryogenic redifferentiation during SE.

Tuberous scleroses complex (TSC) is a rare neurocutaneous syndrome and has autosomal dominant inheritance. However, larger family with TSC is very rare. Here, we report the first five generations family with TSC from China, and localize the pathogenic gene. A boy with TSC and epilepsy underwent preoperative evaluation and epileptic surgery. His TSC family history was gotten, and the clinical data of a Chinese family with TSC were collected in 2016. Complete exons sequencing was performed in the proband and his parents, and whole exons sequence of TSC was performed in the other family members. The family showed autosomal dominant inheritance, and it was the largest reported family with TSC. In this pedigree, there were 14 patients in 5 generations, but only 1 case with epilepsy in them. All of examined patients had TSC 1 gene exon 15 c.1846delG p.A616Pfs*13 mutation. In conclusion, TSC patients with TSC 1 deletion presented mild neurological symptom and rendered larger family.

The disparity between import and export prices of China's graphite products indicates that China suffers a heavy loss of graphite resources. China's graphite resource abundance doesn't transform into an economic advantage. This paper tries to promote sustainable use of China's graphite resources by investigating the effect of environmental regulations on China's graphite resource export. Based on the gravity model and the panel data of the top 30 countries that imported graphite resources from China during 2005–2014, economical mass, population, graphite export price, export duty refund (EDR), language, recession and political conflicts are selected as measurable indicators of environmental regulations to study how the corresponding changes affect graphite export values. The results demonstrate that the determinants of China's graphite export values include economical mass, export price, export duty refund, and language. Policy recommendations are then raised in order to improve sustainable development of China's graphite industry.

Fungi are the causal agents of many of the world's most serious plant diseases causing disastrous consequences for large-scale agricultural production. Pathogenicity genomic basis is complex in fungi as multicellular eukaryotic pathogens. Here, we report the genome sequence of C. sojina, and comparative genome analysis with plant pathogen members of the genus Mycosphaerella (Zymoseptoria. tritici (synonyms M. graminicola), M. pini, M. populorum and M. fijiensis - pathogens of wheat, pine, poplar and banana, respectively). Synteny or collinearity was limited between genomes of major Mycosphaerella pathogens. Comparative analysis with these related pathogen genomes indicated distinct genome-wide repeat organization features. It suggests repetitive elements might be responsible for considerable evolutionary genomic changes. These results reveal the background of genomic differences and similarities between Dothideomycete species. Wide diversity as well as conservation on genome features forms the potential genomic basis of the pathogen specialization, such as pathogenicity to woody vs. herbaceous hosts. Through comparative genome analysis among five Dothideomycete species, our results have shed light on the genome features of these related fungi species. It provides insight for understanding the genomic basis of fungal pathogenicity and disease resistance in the crop hosts.

Although not yet a global consensus, there is widespread agreement that climate change is the result of anthropogenic sources of greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions. In order to respond to this issue, society has applied such strategies as clean energy development, improving industrial resource efficiency etc. Despite this, GHG emissions are still pursuing an upward trend. As the largest global GHG emitter, China faces a considerable challenge in responding to its agreed target of 40–45% GHG emission mitigation per unit gross domestic production (GDP) by 2020 as compared to 2005 levels. How to practically achieve this is still largely undecided. Comprehensive development of industrial symbiosis around nationwide is considered part of the solution. However, few researchers have studied how to actually implement a comprehensive development of industrial symbiosis for the purpose of GHG emission mitigation. This work intends to address this gap through highlighting the opportunities to develop such an approach for particular application to GHG emissions reduction in China. In addition, this study will also address the challenges ahead associated with the implementation of such a strategy, and outlines the where future research could be focused. Policy implications like establishing industrial symbiosis indicators associated with GHG emission mitigation are proposed.

In order to pursue sustainable development, appropriate sustainability measurement at the local scale is critical. However, few efforts have been made in this regard. This paper aims to fill such a gap by introducing the development of China National Demonstration Sustainable Communities (CNDSCs) and reviewing its indicator system. Research findings indicate that the current indicator system did provide valuable guidance on help different communities to move toward sustainable development as it reflects political tendency and evaluates effectiveness of public policies. However, this system is insufficient to evaluate the holistic nature of sustainable communities because it lacks integration among different aspects, such as the adequate consideration on regional disparity, lack of universal methods on data collection and calculation, as well as the linkage with local officials' performance. Further improvements should be made by involving more stakeholders so that their different concerns can be addresses. In addition, region-specifi Indicators should be developed with clear official guide on how to implement them in the realities.

We report the first patient to die from refractory convulsive status epilepticus (SE) after the removal of a stimulator. The removal occurred after a two-year period of successful control of super-refractory convulsive SE with deep brain stimulation of the bilateral anterior nucleus of the thalamus (ANT-DBS). The female patient, born in 1990, suffered from high fever and seizures, and was diagnosed with viral encephalitis in 2005. After four weeks of medical treatment, she recovered with no neurological disabilities, but suffered from monthly seizures. Ten years later, the patient presented with convulsive SE, while four months pregnant in February of 2015. Her SE remained super-refractory to drugs despite the termination of pregnancy. Therefore, ANT-DBS was performed in March of 2015. The patient became SE-free following activation of an ANT-DBS stimulator. However, the stimulation treatment was terminated according to the family's request when a tremor developed two years after the treatment had begun. Subsequently, four SE episodes occurred and the tremor did not improve. The stimulator and electrodes were removed in August of 2017. The patient died of an uncontrolled SE two months later. This case demonstrates the effectiveness of ANT-DBS for emergency super-refractory convulsive SE with both positive and negative outcomes.

Objectives: Patients with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) present multiple cortical tubers in the brain, which are responsible for epilepsy. It is still difficult to localize the epileptogenic tuber. The value of cortico-cortical evoked potentials (CCEPs) was assessed in epileptogenic tuber localization in patients with TSC using stereo-electroencephalography (SEEG). Methods: Patients with TSC who underwent SEEG and CCEP examination in preoperative evaluation during 2014-2017 and reached postoperative seizure freedom at 1-year follow-up were enrolled in this study (n = 11). CCEPs were conducted by stimulating every two adjacent contacts of SEEG electrodes and recording on other contacts of SEEG electrodes in one epileptogenic tuber and its early-stage propagating tuber, and their perituberal cortexes in each patient. The CCEP was defined as positive when N1 and/or N2 wave presented, and then the occurrence rates of positive CCEPs were then compared among different tubers and perituberal regions. Results: Occurrence rates of positive CCEP from epileptogenic tubers to early propagating tubers and epileptogenic tubers to perituberal cortexes were 100%, which were significantly higher than the occurrence rates of CCEP between other locations. The occurrence rates of CCEP from peripheral portions of epileptogenic tubers to peripheral portions of early propagating tubers or perituberal cortexes were 100%, which were significant higher than the occurrence rates of CCEP from peripheral regions of early propagating tubers to peripheral portions of epileptogenic tubers, from the central part of early propagating tuber to central portions of epileptogenic tubers, or from perituberal cortexes to the center part of epileptogenic tubers. Conclusion: Epileptogenic tubers presented much more diffusive connectivity with other tubers and perituberal cortexes than any other connectivity relationships across propagating tubers, and the peripheral region of epileptogenic tubers presented the greatest connectivity with propagating tubers and perituberal cortexes. CCEP can be an effective tool in epileptogenic tuber localization in patients with TSC.

Background Electronic conduction, a new treatment approach for epilepsy, has been confirmed to reduce epileptiform discharge on EEG and convulsive behaviors, particularly epileptic discharge propagation and serious behavioral seizures, in rats with kainic acid (KA)-induced acute temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Objective Hippocampal cell apoptosis was examined to confirm the neuroprotective effect of electronic conduction therapy in rats with KA-induced acute TLE. Methods Rats were divided into four groups: control group (right CA3 injection of saline), KA group (right CA3 injection of KA), sham conduction group (KA rats with sham conduction), and conduction group (KA rats with electric conduction). Apoptotic cells were evaluated by flow cytometry, TUNEL staining, and mRNA expression levels of caspase-3, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and glial fibrillary acidic protein measured by real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR). Results The frequency of convulsive behaviors in the conduction group decreased significantly compared with the KA group and the sham conduction group. Significantly fewer apoptotic cells were detected in rats with conduction based on flow cytometry and TUNEL staining results. The qRT-PCR results indicated that KA-induced up-regulation of hippocampal caspase-3 mRNA expression was reduced 24 hours after KA injection in rats that received conduction treatment. Conclusion Electronic conduction treatment can reduce seizure frequency and hippocampal cell apoptosis in rats with KA-induced acute TLE.

China is experiencing rapid development and suffering from resource depletion and increasing environmental emissions. It is necessary to identify the key patterns of resource use in different Chinese regions so that more appropriate solutions can be raised. Under such a circumstance, the aim of this paper is to scientifically measure and evaluate the sustainability of natural resources utilization of 30 Chinese provinces for the year of 2007 by adopting a bio-perspective method-emergy analysis. After referring to the traditional emergy accounting method, several emergy-based indicators were established to evaluate resource flows, structure, efficiency and the overall sustainable level of different Chinese regions. Furthermore, by employing GIS technology, spatial distribution of natural resources was presented to illustrate emergy consumption with various regional characteristics in 30 Chinese provinces, which may help better understand regional disparities of resource utilization. The results show that regions with most emergy consumption include Shanxi (2.07E+24sej) and Shandong (2.07E+24sej), and most regions with higher resource consumption locate in east China, while less developed region Qinghai has the highest sustainability level, with ESI being 44.82. Another key finding is that renewable resources were very important to sustainability development, and a large amount of consumption on non-renewable resources led to higher environmental press on local and surrounding ecosystems. Sustainable resource use can only be achieved by reducing total resource use, encouraging technology innovation, initiating institutional reform and preparing region-specific development strategies.

The first prospective trial for resective surgery combined with corpus callosotomy (CCT) was performed to investigate the outcomes of the combined surgery in children with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS) without focal lesion on brain MRI.This study enrolled 68 children with LGS and without focal lesion on brain MRI, of which 25 received medicine (medicine group) and 43 underwent surgery (surgery group), including 20 with exclusively resective surgery (exclusively resection subgroup) and 23 with resective surgery combined with CCT (combined CCT subgroup). All patients were followed for 3-5 years.Significant differences in seizure control were observed between the medicine group and the exclusively resection subgroup and combined CCT subgroup at the 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year follow-ups. There was a trend that the children with resection combined with CCT had better seizure control than those with exclusively resection at the three follow-ups, but this could not be verified by the statistical method used. Furthermore, significant differences were not observed in seizure control between children with different MRI findings, age at surgery, or pathology in the surgery group. The percentage of long-term seizure-free did not remain as high as the percentage of early stage seizure-free at 1-year follow-up. However, the children with combined CCT surgery demonstrated more postoperative improvement than the children with resective surgery alone based on the mean QOL score (10.78 vs. 5.75, p = 0.0152) and full-scale IQ (7.91 vs. 4.55, p = 0.0446).Resective surgery combined with CCT can provide favorable seizure control and obvious improvements in QOL and IQ in children with LGS. This combined approach can be performed in carefully selected LGS children without focal lesions and can localize the epileptogenic zone following a comprehensive preoperative evaluation.

Aims: To prospectively study the surgical outcomes of unilateral anterior temporal lobectomy (ATL) in patients with intractable bilateral temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) as well as two-staged contralateral hippocampal stimulation in patients after failed unilateral ATL. Methods: Eighteen carefully selected patients with bilateral TLE underwent unilateral ATL. Five cases with failed ATL underwent two-staged contralateral hippocampal stimulation. Seizure control and changes in intelligence quotient (IQ), memory quotient, and quality of life (QOL) were analyzed 2-5 years after treatment. Results: In the patients with unilateral ATL, the percentages seizure free were 55.6% (10/18), 50.0% (9/18), and 44.4% (4/9) at the 1-, 2-, and 5-year follow-up visits, respectively. There were significant difference in seizure control between the patients with unilateral ATL and the 12 cases in the medication group. Significant differences were also found in changes in the patients' QOL and full-scale IQ at the 2-year follow-up between the surgical and medication groups. Five patients who underwent contralateral hippocampal stimulation after failed unilateral ATL experienced 80-100% seizure reductions, and 80% were seizure free 1 year after hippocampal stimulation. Conclusion: Unilateral ATL provides good seizure control and does not cause serious memory or IQ injury in carefully selected patients with true bilateral TLE. Contralateral hippocampal stimulation is a useful approach for patients who experience unilateral ATL failure.

It is important to promote energy saving and resource conservation in cities to promote sustainable development. Urban-industrial symbiosis (UIS) strategy is one of the effective ways to reduce resource consumption and carbon emission in the city. However, rather few studies focusing on both the cost benefit of waste treatment optimization and the heat loss of the energy network optimization in the UIS system. In this study, a typical industrial city Shenyang was selected, and the proposed UIS system included an optimized waste treatment system and industrial system. The results indicate that (1) Steam transportation limited the energy saving effects of the UIS system and economic factor played a key role in the waste treatment method transition. The investment payback time of change the MSW treatment method from landfill to waste power generation and to steam generation was 7.7 years and 11.1 years, respectively. (2) Through UIS implementation, Shenyang city could recover 8.05 × 106 GJ of energy from UIS system and reduce the carbon emission by 1.3%. This study provides quantitative analysis to understand the energy savings and emissions reduction potential of UIS practices, and critical insights into the feasibility of its application in the cities of developing countries.

Vacuum arc control by magnetic field is one of the basic methods to improve the current interruption performance of vacuum circuit breakers. The electrodes of vacuum interrupter with transverse magnetic field were investigated under the background of the mechanical DC vacuum circuit breaker. For the electrode's geometry, 3D modeling and finite element method were calculated for evaluating the effect of the geometry parameters on the magnetic field distribution, and the arc movement trajectory can be tracked. The geometry parameters include spiral groove shape, contact diameter, chamfer radius, and separation between open contacts. It can provide the fundamental data to design more effective electrodes, and guide the design of vacuum interrupter especially for DC vacuum circuit breaker.