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We report a user‐friendly approach for the decarboxylative formation of stereodefined and complex tri‐ and tetra‐substituted olefins from vinyl cyclic carbonates and amines as radical precursors. The protocol relies on easy photo‐initiated α‐amino‐radical formation followed by addition onto the double bond of the substrate resulting in a sequence involving carbonate ring‐opening, double bond relay, CO2 extrusion and finally O‐protonation. The developed protocol is efficient for both mismatched and matched polarity substrate combinations, and the scope of elaborate stereodefined olefins that can be forged including drug‐functionalized derivatives is wide, diverse and further extendable to other types of heterocyclic and radical precursors. Mechanistic control reactions show that the decarboxylation step is a key driving force towards product formation, with the initial radical addition under steric control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a user‐friendly approach for the decarboxylative formation of stereodefined and complex tri‐ and tetra‐substituted olefins from vinyl cyclic carbonates and amines as radical precursors. The protocol relies on easy photo‐initiated α‐amino‐radical formation followed by addition onto the double bond of the substrate resulting in a sequence involving carbonate ring‐opening, double bond relay, CO2 extrusion and finally O‐protonation. The developed protocol is efficient for both mismatched and matched polarity substrate combinations, and the scope of elaborate stereodefined olefins that can be forged including drug‐functionalized derivatives is wide, diverse and further extendable to other types of heterocyclic and radical precursors. Mechanistic control reactions show that the decarboxylation step is a key driving force towards product formation, with the initial radical addition under steric control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a persistent disease of the lung interstitium for which there is no efficacious pharmacological therapy. Protodioscin, a steroidal saponin, possesses diverse pharmacological properties; however, its function in pulmonary fibrosis is yet to be established. Hence, in this investigation, it was attempted to figure out the anti-pulmonary fibrosis influences of protodioscin and its pharmacological properties related to oxidative stress. Methods: A mouse lung fibrosis model was generated using tracheal injections of bleomycin, followed by intraperitoneal injection of different concentrations of protodioscin, and the levels of oxidative stress and fibrosis were detected in the lungs. Multiple fibroblasts were treated with TGF-β to induce their transition to myofibroblasts. It was attempted to quantify myofibroblast markers' expression levels and reactive oxygen species levels as well as Nrf2 activation after co-incubation of TGF-β with fibroblasts and different concentrations of protodioscin. The influence of protodioscin on the expression and phosphorylation of p62, which is associated with Nrf2 activation, were detected, and p62 related genes were predicted by STRING database. The effects of Nrf2 inhibitor or silencing of the Nrf2, p62 and NBR1 genes, respectively, on the activation of Nrf2 by protodioscin were examined. The associations between p62, NBR1, and Keap1 in the activation of Nrf2 by protodioscin was demonstrated using a co-IP assay. Nrf2 inhibitor were used when protodioscin was treated in mice with pulmonary fibrosis and lung tissue fibrosis and oxidative stress levels were detected. Results: In vivo, protodioscin decreased the levels of fibrosis markers and oxidative stress markers and activated Nrf2 in mice with pulmonary fibrosis, and these effects were inhibited by Nrf2 inhibitor. In vitro, protodioscin decreased the levels of myofibroblast markers and oxidative stress markers during myofibroblast transition and promoted Nrf2 downstream gene expression, with reversal of these effects after Nrf2, p62 and NBR1 genes were silenced or Nrf2 inhibitors were used, respectively. Protodioscin promoted the binding of NBR1 to p62 and Keap1, thereby reducing Keap1-Nrf2 binding. Conclusion: The NBR1-p62-Nrf2 axis is targeted by protodioscin to reduce oxidative stress and inhibit pulmonary fibrosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the impact of nonequilibrium conditions on the transmission and recovery of information through noisy channels. By measuring the recoverability of messages from an information source, we demonstrate that the ability to recover information is connected to the nonequilibrium behavior of the information flow, particularly in terms of sequential information transfer. We discovered that the mathematical equivalence of information recoverability and entropy production characterizes the dissipative nature of information transfer. Our findings show that both entropy production (or recoverability) and mutual information increase monotonically with the nonequilibrium strength of information dynamics. These results suggest that the nonequilibrium dissipation cost can enhance the recoverability of noise messages and improve the quality of information transfer. Finally, we propose a simple model to test our conclusions and found that the numerical results support our findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was designed to examine the relative safety and efficacy of sevelamer in the treatment of chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients in comparison to placebo, calcium carbonate (CC), or lanthanum carbonate (LC). The PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) databases were searched for articles published through 18 June 2022. The quality of relevant studies was independently analyzed by two investigators who also extracted data from these manuscripts as per Cochrane Collaboration Handbook 5.3. The safety and efficacy of sevelamer as a treatment for hyperphosphatemia in CKD patients were then examined through a meta-analysis, with the primary patient-level outcomes of interest in this analysis being all-cause mortality and the incidence of gastrointestinal adverse effects. Vascular calcification score was also examined as an intermediate outcome, while serum biochemical parameters including levels of phosphate (P), calcium (Ca), intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH), lipids, C-reactive protein (CRP), or fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF-23) were additionally assessed. In total, this meta-analysis incorporated data from 34 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) enrolling 2802 patients. Sevelamer was associated with reduced all-cause mortality (RR 0.28, CI 0.19 − 0.41, very low certainty) and Vessel calcification score (RR −0.58, CI −1.11 to −0.04, low certainty) and induced less hypercalcemia (MD −0.28, CI 0.40 to −0.16, low certainty) and hyperphosphatemia (MD −0.22, CI −0.32 to −0.13, low certainty) when compared with Ca-based binders in CKD5D individuals. No significant differences in gastrointestinal adverse events (GAEs) incidence were observed. These data suggest that sevelamer may represent a beneficial means of protecting CKD patients against death and vessel calcification when used to treat hyperphosphatemia, while we found no clinically important benefits in decreasing gastrointestinal adverse effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving water resources utilization efficiency is conducive to achieving the sustainable development of water resources. It is essential to explore the regional differences and dynamic evolution of agricultural water resources utilization efficiency in China to promote high-quality development of agriculture. In this study, based on the unexpected output, we build a super slack-based measure model to measure agricultural water resources utilization efficiency in China's provinces from 2007 to 2018. In addition, we use the Dagum Gini coefficient to analyze the source of regional differences. Finally, we construct the distributed dynamics model to explore the distribution of the dynamic evolution trend of China's agricultural water resources utilization efficiency. The results reveal that regional difference is the main source of the overall difference in agricultural water resources utilization efficiency in China. Spatial imbalance exists in the development of agricultural water resources utilization efficiency in China. The agricultural water resources utilization efficiency in various provinces and regions of China is relatively stable, having the characteristics of club convergence. The probability of maintaining the initial state is high, and the internal mobility is low. However, with time, the degree of club convergence decreases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic progressive interstitial lung disease that lacks effective treatment modalities. Once patients are diagnosed with IPF, their median survival is approximately 3–5 years. PPARγ is an important target for the prevention and treatment of pulmonary fibrosis. Asarinin is a lignan compound that can be extracted from food plant Asarum heterotropoides. In this study, we investigated the therapeutic effects of asarinin in a pulmonary fibrosis model constructed using bleomycin in mice and explored the underlying mechanisms. Intraperitoneal administration of asarinin to mice with pulmonary fibrosis showed that asarinin effectively attenuated pulmonary fibrosis, and this effect was significantly inhibited by the PPARγ inhibitor GW9662. Asarinin inhibited TGF-β1-induced fibroblast-to-myofibroblast transition in vitro, while GW9662 and PPARγ gene silencing significantly inhibited this effect. In addition, asarinin inhibited not only the canonical Smad pathway of TGF-β but also the non-canonical AKT and MAPK pathways by activating PPARγ. Our study demonstrates that asarinin can be used as a therapeutic agent for pulmonary fibrosis, and that PPARγ is its key target. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is increasing demand for critical metals (e.g., W-Sn, Li-Be-Nb-Ta, and rare earth elements [REEs]) to sustain the transition to green energy, yet it is unclear what controls the formation of such critical metal ore systems. Here, we focus on South China, which is well endowed with critical metals, and imaged its crustal architecture by zircon Hf isotopic mapping using 1096 zircon Hf isotope data sets for 1457 samples of Mesozoic granitoids and silicic volcanic rocks. We demonstrate that the crust is isotopically heterogeneous, characterized by spatial juxtaposition of ancient, reworked, and juvenile crustal domains. The granite-related W-Sn-Nb-Ta and REE deposits occur mainly in reworked crustal domains, where multiple stages of reworking and Mesozoic melting events likely resulted in the release of these metals into crust-derived magmas. Compared with W-Sn deposits, REE deposits occur mostly in strongly reworked crustal blocks with a juvenile input. The porphyry Cu-Au deposits are spatially confined to Cu-fertilized juvenile crustal domains, whereas U and Ag-Pb-Zn deposits occur predominantly in old crustal domains and at their margins. This study demonstrates the importance of isotopic mapping as a tool for characterizing crustal architecture and processes that lead to the formation of metal ore systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Errors are inevitable in information processing and transfer. While error correction is widely studied in engineering, the underlying physics is not fully understood. Due to the complexity and energy exchange involved, information transmission should be considered as a nonequilibrium process. In this study, we investigate the effects of nonequilibrium dynamics on error correction using a memoryless channel model. Our findings suggest that error correction improves as nonequilibrium increases, and the thermodynamic cost can be utilized to improve the correction quality. Our results inspire new approaches to error correction that incorporate nonequilibrium dynamics and thermodynamics, and highlight the importance of the nonequilibrium effects in error correction design, particularly in biological systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider the classical measurement model for exploring nonequilibrium effects on the physical measurement and information estimation. With appropriate settings on the stochastic dynamics of the measurement and information estimation, we demonstrate the intrinsic statistical correspondence between the entropy production in the measurement and the best estimation accuracy—the Fisher information of the probability distribution of the observed object states. We uncover the general relationship between the moment generating functions of the entropy production and the acquired information from the measurement, which contains the fluctuation information of full orders compared to the Landauer principle on average level. With these relationships, we prove the limit of the best estimation accuracy, which is given by the entropy production in the measurement. This gives rise to a nonequilibrium constraint on the noise-signal-ratio of the estimation, which can be shown as an inequality that is analogous to the thermodynamics uncertainty relation. In applications, when the fluctuation in the observed data is large, the inequality relationships between the moment generating functions lead to a more suitable estimation of the minimum entropy production in the measurement, compared to the Landauer principle; and give rise to a more robust prediction of the best estimation accuracy, compared to the Fisher information. We demonstrate that the entropy production, acquired information and Fisher information are convex functions of the nonequilibrium strength of the measurement dynamics. Thus, the entropy production can be enlarged as the nonequilibrium strength increases in the measurement. As more entropy production is paid, more useful information can be extracted from the measurement, then more accuracy can be achieved in the related estimation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dynamic mechanisms of self-ignition and flame propagation during high-pressure hydrogen release through a rectangular tube were experimentally investigated using pressure records, flame detection and high-speed photographs. Experimental results show that the minimum burst pressure for self-ignition decreases with an increase in axial distance to the diaphragm and then remains at an almost constant value. The self-ignition onset at the same location of the tube exhibits a certain randomness even if the intensity of the shock wave produced in the tube is similar. Multiple ignitions were observed at the early stage of hydrogen release. They usually had difficulty to sustainably develop and were extinguished owing to oxygen deficiency. At a subsequent stage, the ignition kernel appears again and grows rapidly in the axial and radial directions, finally converging to a complete flame across the tube width. It was found that the radial growth rate of the flame was lower than the axial growth rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optimizing collective walking has been a pivotal strategy for alleviating the excessive reliance on private cars. As an important criterion for residents' social interaction and mobility vigor, collective walking describes the results of walking activities in streets and positively correlates with the built environments. However, limited attention has been given to the contribution of built environment factors in peri-urban areas towards promoting collective walking. Therefore, this study employed multisource data to assess the impact of these factors on collective walking in peri-urban areas. Our analysis delved into the impact of these factors on collective walking across various urban spaces and explored intervention effects through cross-classification studies that prioritize planning strategies. These results revealed that (1) The impacts of the built environment on collective walking behavior differs in peri-urban areas. (2) Diversity and distance only show significant impacts in peri-urban areas. (3) A distinct spatial mismatch between urban spatial form and collective walking behavior is observed. Subsequent urban design interventions should consider these spatial distribution differences for prioritized zoning planning. Our findings provided convincing evidence that delineated the impact of built environments in peri-urban areas that can guide government and planners to precisely design pedestrian environments through targeted intervention measures. • This study explored the built environment's impact on collective walking behavior. • Different impacts were observed between peri-urban areas and core areas. • This study employed multi-source data to analyze large-scale samples. • Diversity and distance only influence collective walking in peri-urban areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, we surveyed the ascomycetes from bamboo of Phyllostachys across Sichuan Province, China. A biphasic approach based on morphological characteristics and multigene phylogeny confirmed seven species, including one new genus, two new species, and five new host record species. A novel genus Paralloneottiosporina is introduced to accommodate Pa. sichuanensis that was collected from leaves of Phyllostachys violascens. Moreover, the newly introduced species Bifusisporella sichuanensis was isolated from leaves of P. edulis, and five species were newly recorded on bamboos, four species belonging to Apiospora, viz. Ap. yunnana, Ap. neosubglobosa, Ap. jiangxiensis, and Ap. hydei, and the last species, Seriascoma yunnanense, isolated from dead culms of P. heterocycla. Morphologically similar and phylogenetically related taxa were compared. Comprehensive descriptions, color photo plates of micromorphology are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, an experimental investigation is conducted to study the effects of CO addition (0%–7.5% vol.) on the self-ignition of pressurized hydrogen leakage. The result shows that more CO addition significantly decreases the likelihood of self-ignition inside the tube and the formation of self-sustained jet flame outside the tube. This can be mostly explained by the reduction of leading shock intensity inside the tube. Furthermore, CO addition effectively inhibits the flame propagation and development inside the tube. For pure hydrogen, the ignited flame quickly develops an intense flame spanning the tube width and eventually form a jet flame in ambient air. However, the H 2 –CO diffusion flame initiated approaching tube sidewall tends to propagate adjacent to the wall or be soon quenched with more CO addition. If the CO-weakened flame spouts to the tube exit, it may not survive the expansion at the tube exit and thus it is quenched. • The shock intensity is reduced in the presence of CO. • The critical pressure for self-ignition increases with CO addition concentration. • Shock intensity variation by CO addition is the main factor affecting self-ignition onset. • Small CO addition can effectively inhibit flame development inside the tube. • H 2 –CO flame spouting from the tube exit tends to be blown out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Parkinson's disease (PD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) are the most common neurodegenerative diseases in the elderly. Recently, some variants of AD-causal genes (APP, PSEN1, PSEN2) have been reported in PD. In this study, we investigated the association between coding variants of AD-causal genes and PD in a large Chinese population cohort.Methods: We performed whole-exome sequencing (WES) on 1,917 patients with early-onset or familial PD and 1,652 controls, and whole-genome sequencing (WGS) on 1,962 sporadic late-onset PD and 1,279 controls. Genetic and phenotypic data were analyzed with regression analyses and the optimized sequence kernel association test. Further validation study was performed by Fisher's exact test.Results: We found that rs75733498 in the PSEN2 gene was significantly associated with early-onset or familial PD; however, no significant relationship was discovered between rs75733498 and sporadic late-onset PD. The result of the validation study still revealed a significant association between rs75733498 and PD. We observed a suggestive association with APP gene in early-onset or familial PD when considering damaging missense variants alone (p = 0.018) or combined with loss-of-function variants (p = 0.029). Further phenotypic analysis did not demonstrate any significant associations.Conclusion: Our results support a possible genetic contribution of AD-causal genes to PD. These findings warrant further genetic and functional confirmation, and more powerful association studies will better decipher the mechanisms of PD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy among women worldwide. Functional studies have demonstrated that miRNA dysregulation in many cases of cancer, in which miRNAs act as either oncogenes or tumor suppressor. Here we report that miR-345-3p is generally upregulated in breast cancer tissues and breast cancer cell lines. Overexpression and inhibition of miR-345-3p revealed its capacity in regulating proliferation and invasion of breast cancer cells. Further research identified protein phosphatase 2 catalytic subunit alpha (PPP2CA), a suppressor of AKT phosphorylation, as a candidate target of miR-345-3p. In vitro , miR-345-3p mimics promoted AKT phosphorylation by targeting its negative regulator, PPP2CA. Blocking miR-345-3p relieved its inhibition of PPP2CA, which attenuated PI3K-AKT signaling pathway. In vivo , inhibiting miR-345-3p by miR-345-3p-inhibition lentivirus suppressed tumor growth and invasiveness in mice. Together, the miR-345-3p/PPP2CA signaling axis exhibits tumor-promoting functions by regulating proliferation and invasion of breast cancer cells. These data provide a clue to novel therapeutic approaches for breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Width of ecological greenspace was crucial for the conservation of soil fauna. • Tree layer seemed more important than herb layer for soil fauna colonization. • Higher deciduous tree ratio favored soil fauna. • Soil moisture was essential abiotic driver for hygrophilous meso -micro fauna. Urbanization accelerates habitat fragmentation and leads to the decline of biodiversity in cities. Urban greenway landscapes provide not only social functions but also important ecological services. In this study, taxonomic richness, abundance, diversity, and the distribution of soil meso- and microfauna were investigated in three different urban greenway landscapes to assess their environmental quality. Urban greenway landscapes that had a richer tree species composition, higher deciduous tree ratios, wider ecological greenspace, moderate soil temperature and moisture, and lower soil bulk density and less lead were conducive to the survival and development of the soil meso- and microfauna community. Different soil fauna groups had varied responses to different environmental conditions in urban greenway landscapes. Microarthropods were more sensitive to plant communities; in contrast, soil moisture was the most important abiotic driver for hygrophilous meso -micro fauna. Our study highlights the importance of deciduous trees for their rich litter input, and the wide ecological greenspace for its buffering effect on various disturbances, which promote the conservation of biodiversity in urban greenway landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the effects of triangle obstacles inside the tube on the ignition mechanism and subsequent flame development in a semi-confined space when high-pressure hydrogen sudden release. Smooth tube and obstructed tube with optical glasses are constructed where controlled high-pressure hydrogen are released. High-speed direct photography is used to image the flame evolution while pressure transducers are used to obtain pressure-time traces both inside the tube and exhaust chamber. These cases that hydrogen with various burst pressure jets into the smooth and obstructed tubes are tested. It is found that spontaneous ignition occurs in the boundary layer of the tube in the smooth tube, a complete fire spanning the cross-section is reached as the flame propagates within the mixing region. The appearance of obstacles is found to have a significant effect on the ignition mechanism and flame structure. A two-way dissemination reflected shock wave forms and three possible ignition region emerges surrounding the obstacles. The flame propagation restricted between the leading shock wave and hydrogen jet. The flame experiences a split that the front flame in the vicinity of the obstacle gradually dies out and the rear flame continues propagating within the mixing region. The flame evolution and pressure variation in the exhaust chamber show that obstacles inside the tube do not aggravate the disaster in the semi-confined chamber. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The abnormal expression of piRNA and PIWI protein in diabetes and cardiovascular disease is associated with disease progression. • Serum extracellular vesicles-related piRNA has been detected in a surprisingly stable form and defined as a potential disease biomarker and a novel therapeutic target in CVD. • piRNA promotes the occurrence and development of CVD mainly through piRNA/LINE-1/AKT, AKT and AMPK signal pathways. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is still one of the most significant diseases and is a considerable threat to human health globally. PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are novel small noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) traditionally considered to be specifically expressed in the germline of many animal species and involved in the maintenance of germline stem cells and spermatogenesis. Although little is known about the origin and action of piRNAs and PIWI proteins in somatic cells, these molecules are emerging as readily available biomarkers for the diagnosis and treatment of cardiac injury and multiform CVD. Accumulating evidence reveals that piRNAs and PIWI proteins are associated with some molecular and cellular pathways in CVD. Here, we summarize recent evidence and evaluate the molecular mechanism of the involvement of piRNAs and PIWI proteins in CVD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An intensive study of the geochemical characteristics (including the volatile elements Cl and S) of apatite associated with porphyry deposits was undertaken to address the debate about the crust- or mantle-derivation of their copper and gold and to better understand the controls on the transport of metals in magmatic fluids in post-subduction settings. New geochemical data on apatite reveal parameters to discriminate mineralized porphyry systems across Iran and western China (Tibet and Yunnan), from coeval barren localities across this post-subduction metallogenic belt. Apatites in fertile porphyries have higher Cl and S concentrations (reflecting water-rich crystallization conditions) than those from coeval barren ones. Our new isotopic data also indicate these volatiles are likely derived from pre-enriched sub-continental lithospheric mantle, metasomatized by previous oceanic subduction. This study demonstrates that refertilization of suprasubduction lithospheric mantle during previous collision events is a prerequisite for forming post-subduction fertile porphyries, providing an evidence-based alternative to current ore-enrichment models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PIWI‐interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are a kind of non‐coding small RNAs, which play a biological role by specifically binding to PIWI proteins. Studies have demonstrated that piRNAs play a significant role in germline cell growth by repressing transposable elements, especially in the regulation of DNA methylation. Recently increasing evidence revealed that piRNAs involved in the regulation of cell proliferation, apoptosis, and cycle; however, the mechanism of piRNAs is unclear. This review summarizes the research progress regarding the roles of piRNAs in the cell proliferation, apoptosis, and cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An efficient dirhodium(II)‐catalyzed macrocyclization reaction of alkyne‐containing diazoacetates through intramolecular metal carbene cyclopropanation is described. This method provides a variety of 12‐ to 22‐membered macrocyclic alkynes, which incorporate ortho‐aryl, cyclopropane, and cyclopropene units, in good to excellent yields under mild reaction conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper demonstrates experimental investigation on the self-ignition and subsequent flame propagation of high-pressure hydrogen-methane mixture release via a tube. The proportion of methane added to hydrogen is 2.5% (vol.). A transparent rectangular tube (d = 15 mm, L = 400 mm) is used in the experiments. It is shown that the minimum burst pressure required for self-ignition increases 1.57 times for only 2.5% methane addition from 2.89 MPa (pure hydrogen) up to 4.68 MPa (2.5% CH 4 addition). This is mainly caused by the following reasons: on the one hand, methane addition can result in the decease of shock intensity inside the tube, thereby lowering the temperature of the combustible mixture; on the other hand, the hydrogen-methane mixture has the higher minimum ignition energy than that of pure hydrogen. Besides, 2.5% methane addition can increase the initial ignition time, weaken the flame intensity and reduce the flame propagation velocity relative to tube wall inside the tube. Moreover, for cases with 2.5% methane addition, the complete flame throughout the tube is formed closer to the back end of the tube. When the self-sustained flame exits from the tube, the maximum overpressure in a confined space increases with 2.5% methane addition. • The effect of 2.5% methane addition to hydrogen is experimentally investigated. • The shock wave intensity is reduced in the presence of the methane. • The addition of methane can decrease the possibility of hydrogen self-ignition. • Initial ignition occurs in the tube wall and then develops into a complete flame. • The hydrogen-methane mixture brings greater combustion overpressure in chamber. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• [BMIm][HSO 4 ] was employed as dual catalyst-solvent for BuHE formation. • Effect of [BMIm][HSO 4 ] as extractant on esterification was demonstrated by LLE. • Effect of [BMIm][HSO 4 ] as catalyst on esterification was experimentally investigated. • Reactive extraction conditions for BuHE formation were optimized. • Intensification mechanism of [BMIm][HSO 4 ] on reactive extraction was proposed. Butyl hexanoate (BuHE) is currently synthesized through the Fischer esterification with mineral acid as catalyst, which suffers from the problems of side reaction, difficult recycling, and corrosion. To overcome these disadvantages, ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hydrogen sulfate ([BMIm][HSO 4 ]) is employed as dual catalyst-solvent for the esterification of hexanoic acid (HeAc) with n-butanol (BuOH) in a reactive extraction process. The dual functions of [BMIm][HSO 4 ], extraction and catalysis, were confirmed by liquid-liquid equilibria for the two systems {[BMIm][HSO 4 ] + HeAc + BuHE} and {[BMIm][HSO 4 ] + BuOH + BuHE}, and by the comparison of esterifications with or without [BMIm][HSO 4 ], respectively. Moreover, the optimal reactive extraction conditions for BuHE formation were obtained. Finally, the possible mechanism of intensification of [BMIm][HSO 4 ] on BuHE formation in reactive extraction process was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sulfite has been widely employed as a key agent in many industrial processes, leading to a large amount of sulfite-laden wastes generated. Given its antimicrobial function and destructive ability on cell walls, detailed mechanisms for impacts of sulfite on waste activated sludge (WAS) and outcomes of methane production after the sulfite-pretreatment have not been clear so far. In this study, the feasibility of methane production from sulfite pretreated WAS was verified and investigated. Biochemical methane potential tests demonstrated that methane production from WAS after the pretreatment at 800 mg S/L of sulfite (a typical level in sulfite-laden wastes) increased by up to 25%. Kinetic analysis of the test results indicated that sulfite pretreatment increased the sludge hydrolysis rate (k hyd) by 1.71 times while the ultimate biochemical methane potential (B u) by 1.20 times. Further study investigated the effects of sulfite on WAS from the macro-scale (i.e. sludge physicochemical properties) to the micro-scale (i.e. bacterial viability, microbial community). Sulfite concentrations of up to 800 mg S/L substantially enhanced WAS disintegration and solubilization, reducing the particle size by up to 39%, boosting substrate release by 87% and improving cell lysis by 43% through the direct destruction of gram-positive microorganisms (e.g., norank_p_Saccharibacteria) in WAS. Adverse impact on anaerobic digestion by introduction of sulfite was not observed in this study, though a long-term evaluation is needed in the future work. Based on the findings of the present study, sulfite-laden by-products or wastes from industrial processes may be co-treated with WAS when overall cost-effectiveness is concerned. Image 1 • Sulfite enhanced methane production from both inoculum (by 97%) and WAS (by 25%). • Sulfite improved the hydrolysis rate and the ultimate biochemical methane potential of both inoculum and WAS. • Sulfite induced the disintegration and solubilization of WAS within 24 h. • Sulfite caused the cell lysis through the direct destruction of microbes in WAS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spherical nanomaterials of MnFe-Ac and MnFe-Na can be synthesized with sol-gel method. The adsorption test of Pb (II) was carried out with two kinds of synthesized nanomaterials, and discussed their adsorption effects of Pb (II). The characteristic was analyzed by SEM, XRD, XPS and magnetic measurements. As the results showeed, the particles size of the material became smaller, but the morphology did not change after adsorption. The change of Ms was from 42.7 and 62.0 emu/g to 25.6 and 89.4 emu/g, respectively. By Langmuir and Freundlich models, the maximum adsorption amounts of Pb (II) were 23.40 and 41.56 mg/g, respectively, and analysis demonstrated that the adsorption of Pb (II) on samples was monolayer adsorption. The kinetic analysis showed that the adsorption of Pb (II) on the two materials was more in accordance with the pseudo-second-order model, which indicated that adsorption process of the materials for Pb (II) were primarily limited by the chemical adsorption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Xiejiagou deposit is a representative medium-sized gold deposit in Jiaodong the Peninsula, which contains gold reserves of 37.5 t. The orebodies are hosted in the Linglong biotite granite with a zircon LA-ICP-MS U–Pb age of 160.5±1.3 Ma (N=15, MSWD=1.2) and are characterized by disseminated- or stockwork-style ores. Mineralization and alteration are structurally controlled by the NE-striking fault. Three stages of mineralization were identified with the early stage being represented by (K-feldspar) sericite quartz pyrite, the middle stage by quartz gold polymetallic sulfide, and the late stage by quartz carbonate. Ore minerals and gold mainly occurred in the middle stage. Three types of primary fluid inclusions were distinguished in the Xiejiagou deposit, including carbonic-aqueous, pure carbonic, and aqueous inclusions. The primary fluid inclusions of the three stages were mainly homogenized at temperatures of 262–386°C, 192–347°C, and 137–231°C, with salinities of 2.22–8.82, 1.02–11.60, and 1.22–7.72 wt% NaCl equivalent, respectively. These data indicate that the initial ore-forming fluids were a medium temperature, CO2-rich, and low-salinity H2O–CO2–NaCl homogeneous system, and the ore-forming system evolved from a CO2-rich mesothermal fluid into a CO2-poor fluid. Considering the fluid inclusion characteristics, H–O–S–Pb isotopes, and regional geological events, the ore-forming fluid reservoir was likely metamorphic in origin. Trapping pressures of the first two hydrothermal stages estimated from the carbonic aqueous inclusion assemblages were ~224–302 MPa and ~191–258 MPa, respectively. This suggests that the gold mineralization of the Xiejiagou gold deposit occurred at a lithostatic depth of ~7.2–9.7 km. Au(HS)2− was the most probable gold-transporting complex at the Xiejiagou deposit. Precipitation of gold was caused by a CO2 effervescence of initial auriferous fluids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Uranium biomineralization can slow uranium migration in the environment and thus prevent it from further contaminating the surroundings. Investigations into the uranium species, pH, inorganic phosphate (Pi) concentration, and microbial viability during biomineralization by microorganisms are crucial for understanding the mineralization mechanism. In this study, Bacillus thuringiensis X-27 was isolated from soil contaminated with uranium and was used to investigate the formation process of uranium biominerals induced by X-27. The results showed that as biomineralization proceeded, amorphous uranium-containing deposits were generated and transformed into crystalline minerals outside cells, increasing the overall concentration of uramphite. This is a cumulative rather than abrupt process. Notably, B. thuringiensis X-27 precipitated uranium outside the cell surface within 0.5 h, while the release of Pi into the extracellular environment and the change of pH to alkalescence further promoted the formation of uramphite. In addition, cell viability determination showed that the U(VI) biomineralization induced by B. thuringiensis X-27 was instrumental in alleviating the toxicity of U(VI) to cells. This work offers insight into the mechanism of U(VI) phosphate biomineralization and is a reference for bioremediation-related studies. • Bacillus thuringiensis X-27 precipitated U rapidly to uramphite outside cells, which can alleviate U toxicity to cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The strength of shock wave is different before and after obstacles. • Obstacles decrease the minimum burst pressure and self-ignition occurs around obstacles. • Mechanism of self-ignition is different before and after obstacles. • Obstacles before the initial ignition location significantly accelerates initial self-ignition. The safe application of hydrogen has attracted increased attention. In particular, fire and explosion disasters may be induced by self-ignition during high-pressure hydrogen leakage. This study experimentally investigates the effect of obstacles on initial self-ignition when high-pressure hydrogen is suddenly released. High-pressure hydrogen release experiments are performed at burst pressures of 2–8 MPa. The hydrogen flame inside the tube is captured by a high-speed video camera and light sensors, and shock wave variations are measured by pressure transducers. The results show that the presence of obstacles inside the tube significantly affects shock wave flow. It is found in this study that obstacles decrease the minimum burst pressure needed for self-ignition and self-ignition is prone to occur in the vicinity of obstacles. The influence of obstacles on the initial ignition process are different at different self-ignition locations. On the one hand, the reflected shock wave originating from obstacles is the main reason for the promotion of self-ignition upstream of obstacles. On the other hand, the formation of a hydrogen/air mixture under the effect of turbulent flow and multi-dimensional shock waves leads to self-ignition downstream of obstacles. Meanwhile, the presence of obstacles before the initial ignition location (L in) shortens the distance between the ignition location and the burst disk and significantly accelerates the occurrence of initial self-ignition. Obstacles participate in the self-ignition process earlier when they are placed closer to the burst disk. However, obstacles after the initial ignition location (L in) show no effect on the initial ignition process. The results can guide the safe use of high-pressure hydrogen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Isobutyl isobutyrate is an important chemical which can be formed in a reactive extraction process with ionic liquid as dual solvent-catalyst. To design such an intensified process, the liquid-liquid equilibria (LLE) data for the esterification system involving ionic liquid are essential. In this work, the LLE of ternary systems {isobutyl isobutyrate (IBIBE) + isobutyric acid (IBAc) or isobutanol (IBOH) + 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hydrogen sulfate ([BMIm][HSO 4 ])} and the quinary system {IBAc + IBOH + IBIBE + H 2 O + [BMIm][HSO 4 ]} were measured at temperature T  = (298.2, 323.2 and 353.2) K, T  = (323.2, 333.2, 343.2 and 353.2) K and atmospheric pressure, respectively. Based on the experimental data, the solute distribution coefficient and the selectivity were determined, which confirms the feasibility of the ionic liquid for isobutyl isobutyrate formation. The phase behaviour was explained by the molecular interaction using σ -potential analysis. Moreover, the binary parameters of the NRTL model for [BMIm][HSO 4 ] catalysed isobutyl isobutyrate formation system were fitted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Gangdese porphyry Cu-Au belt (South Tibet, China) in the eastern Tethyan metallogenic belt hosts many deposits, which formed in subduction and collisional settings. Several porphyry Cu-Au deposits have been discovered in the Xietongmen region, including a large porphyry Cu-Au deposit at Xiongcun. However, the formation mechanism for the Xietongmen Cu-Au deposits and their igneous host rocks remain enigmatic. This study reports whole-rock major- and trace-element compositions, Sr-Nd isotopes, in situ zircon Hf- and plagioclase Sr-isotope compositions, and major- and trace-element compositions of amphiboles to constrain the magmatic emplacement and evolution related to the porphyry Cu-Au mineralisation in the Xietongmen region. New zircon U-Pb ages show that the Xietongmen diorites formed at 185 Ma, consistent with the age of Cu-Au mineralisation. The Xietongmen diorites are characterised by enrichment in LILEs and LREE, and depletion in HFSEs. These features suggest that the diorites were produced by arc magmatism in an oceanic-slab subduction environment. In situ isotopic compositions exhibit radiogenic ε Hf (t) (+9.8 to +14.4) and low initial 87 Sr/ 86 Sr values (0.7039–0.7043); whole-rock results show positive ε Nd (t) (+5.26 to +5.31) and unradiogenic initial 87 Sr/ 86 Sr values (0.7042–0.7043). These isotopic results are similar to coeval mantle-derived hornblende gabbros and the Sangri volcanic rocks in the Gangdese belt. Amphibole clots in the Xietongmen diorites have higher MgO and Ni contents, with AlT > 1.0, Mg# > 0.5, Ni > 143 ppm, and REE patterns different from those of magmatic and idiomorphic amphiboles in the host diorites, suggesting that the clots are xenocrysts. All the petrological and geochemical evidence suggests that the Xietongmen mineralised diorites were derived from a Jurassic hydrous mantle wedge induced by slab dehydration. These magmas contain higher contents of water and other volatiles and have higher oxidation states. These conditions favored the transfer of metals (such as Cu, Au) to the upper crust, and then formed the Jurassic porphyry Cu-Au deposits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Mutant Phosphatidylinositol-4, 5-bisphosphate 3-kinase, catalytic subunit alpha ( PIK3CA) has been shown to be associated with the occurrence, development and prognosis in colorectal cancer (CRC). However, its detection has been limited because of complicated procedures and the low sensitivity of the present approaches. Methods: We established an ultra-sensitive peptide nucleic acid-mediated polymerase chain reaction (PNA-PCR) assay to detect PIK3CA gene mutation in exon 9 and exon 20 with cell-free DNA (cfDNA). Using this technology, we detected the mutation status of PIK3CA in 128 colorectal cancer patients. 6 CRC patients receiving targeted therapy were chosen at random to undergo continuous PIK3CA mutation detection. Results: The results showed that the sensitivity of PNA-PCR clamping method was 0.1% for the exon 9 and 0.2% for the exon 20 variant alleles. When the PIK3CA mutation status was determined by PNA-PCR plus sequencing, 38.3% (49/128) of CRC carried at least one mutation, either E545Kor H1047R. The clinic-pathological parameters of age ( p = 0.358), gender ( p = 0.622), disease stage ( p = 0.353) and disease location ( p = 0.307) were not associated with the PIK3CA mutation. In the continuous monitoring study, we found that the gene status was associated with the effect of treatment. Furthermore, when the PIK3CA variant was determined by only the PNA-PCR method, there was a good linear relationship between ΔCp values and the proportion of variant DNA. The accuracy of PNA-PCR was 93.75 and 92.27% respectively when the cut-off values of ΔCp at 9.0 and 8.0 were set for determining the E545K and H1047R mutations. Conclusions: A simple, noninvasive, ultra-sensitive PNA-PCR technology was developed and was especially suitable for the dynamic detection of PIK3CA variants using cfDNA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 epidemic is changing people's lives, so it is necessary to continuously update the design of the residence to adapt to the changing life. This study aims to investigate the impact of unit space layout factors in MURBs on residents' experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. It also discusses the corresponding need for residential space renovations. Furthermore, this paper presents design adjustment recommendations for residents living in these constrained buildings and provides suggestions for future housing design to better meet the residents' housing needs. On the one hand, the layout of residential space should fully consider the use efficiency of space, with multi-functional and variable characteristics, so as to be suitable for different life cycles of the family. On the other hand, the spatial distance inside the house and the comfort of the environment should also be considered to help intergenerational communication, restore and improve the mental state of the residents, and promote the improvement of the quality of life of the residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Xiadan gold deposit from Jiaodong Peninsula contains more than 200 t of gold, and is one of the representative largest deposits within south part of the Zhaoping Fault zone. The gold orebodies consist of auriferous altered rocks that show disseminated and stockwork mineralization. Mineralization and alteration are structurally controlled by the NE- to NNE-striking Linglong detachment fault. Mineralization can be divided into three stages: (K-feldspar)-sericite-quartz-pyrite, quartz-gold-polymetallic sulfide, and quartz-carbonate, with the majority of the gold being produced during the middle stage. Based on a combination of petrography, microthermometry, and laser Raman spectroscopy, three types of fluid inclusion were identified in the vein mineral assemblages: NaCl-H2O (A-type), CO2-H2O-NaCl (AC-type), and pure CO2 (PC-type). Quartz crystals in veins that formed during the early stage contain mainly AC-type primary fluid inclusions, with rare PC-type inclusions. These fluid inclusions homogenize completely at temperatures of 253°C-408°C and have medium-low salinities (1.62-11.89 wt.% NaCl equivalent). Quartz crystals that formed during the middle stage contain all three types of fluid inclusion, and these fluid inclusions homogenize completely at temperatures of 176°C-335°C and have salinities of 0.70-14.73 wt.% NaCl equivalent. In contrast, quartz that formed during the last stage contains only A-type fluid inclusions; these inclusions have homogenization temperatures of 108°C-253°C and salinities of 1.73-11.60 wt.% NaCl equivalent. The above data indicate that the ore-forming system evolved from a CO2-rich mesothermal fluid into a CO2-poor fluid as a result of an influx of meteoric water. Fluid immiscibility is an essential prerequisite for metals precipitation in Xiadian. The characteristics of fluid inclusions, combined with H-O-S isotopes suggest that the ore-forming fluids might be of metamorphic origin. Based on the immiscibility of AC-type fluid inclusions, trapping pressures have been estimated at 88-339 MPa during ore formation, with a depth of metallogenesis of 8.8-12.6 km. The depth of erosion of study area has been calculated as about 10.3 km between 130 Ma and the present. Considering the gold mineralization occurred at around 130 Ma, the space with deep gold exploration is expectable at Xiadian. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study the feasibility of treating dyeing wastewater with sulfate reducing granular sludge was explored, focusing on decolorization/degradation of azo dye (Procion Red HE-7B) and the performance of microbial consortia under alkaline conditions (pH = 11). Efficiency of HE-7B degradation was influenced strongly by the chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentration which was examined in the range of 500–3000 mg/L. COD removal efficiency was reduced at high COD concentration, while specific removal rate was enhanced to 17.5 mg-COD/g VSS h −1 . HE-7B removal was also improved at higher organic strength with more than 90% removal efficiency and a first-rate removal constant of 5.57 h −1 for dye degradation. Three dye-degradation metabolites were identified by HPLC–MS. The granular structure provided enhanced removal performance for HE-7B and COD in comparison to a near-identical floc SRB system and the key functional organisms were identified by high throughput sequencing. This study demonstrates an example of a niche application where SRB granules can be applied for high efficient and cost-effective treatment of a wastewater under adverse environmental conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When applying ionic liquids (ILs) in extractive and oxidative desulfurization of fuel oils, the potential solubility of IL in fuel phase is an important concern whereas research particularly on this issue is still scarce. In this work, COSMO-RS was first employed to predict the solubilities of 220 imidazolium-based ILs (11 cations and 20 anions) in 7 model fuel hydrocarbons (namely, n -hexane, n -heptane, n -octane, i -octane, cyclohexane, benzene and toluene), which cover different characters of ILs and hydrocarbons. To understand the effect of IL and hydrocarbon on the IL-in-hydrocarbon solubility, different types of molecular interactions between IL and hydrocarbon were further analyzed from COSMO-RS point of view. Finally, the solubilities of 5 representative ILs in the studied hydrocarbons were experimentally determined by nitrogen analyzer, demonstrating the good qualitative and acceptable quantitative ability of COSMO-RS for predicting IL-in-hydrocarbon solubilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aimed to investigate the correlation of smoking with cumulative total dust exposure (CTE) and cumulative abnormal rate of pulmonary function in coal-mine workers. A total of 376 coal-mine workers were recruited as the observational group, while 179 healthy workers in other industries were selected as the control group. All the workers underwent pulmonary function testing to determine their forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) and FEV1/FVC, in order to compare the abnormal pulmonary function between the two groups. A markedly higher number of smokers was observed in the observational group (200/376, 53.19%) when compared with the control group (72/179, 40.22%). In smokers, the abnormal rate of pulmonary function in the observational group (102/200, 51.00%) was evidently higher compared with that in the control group (19/72, 26.39%), whereas no significant difference was detected between the two groups of non-smokers (P=0.077). In addition, FVC, FEV1 and FEV1/FVC of the observational group were found to be lower compared with those in the control group, in both the smoking and non-smoking subgroups. In the smoking subgroup, FVC and FEV1 in subjects working at the coal mine for different number of years showed significant differences (all P<0.05), whereas comparison of FEV1/FVC in workers with different working durations showed no significant difference (P=0.169). However, in the non-smoking subgroup, the comparison of FVC, FEV1 and FEV1/FVC in different working duration groups also showed no significant difference (all P>0.05). Furthermore, FVC, FEV1 and FEV1/FVC in smoking coal-mine workers were negatively correlated with the dust-exposure working duration (P<0.05). CTE was also positively correlated with cumulative abnormal rate of pulmonary function in the smoking and non-smoking subgroups, while FEV1 was negatively correlated with CTE in the smoking subgroup (P=0.009). In conclusion, smoking is an important risk factor for the damage of pulmonary function in coal-mine workers, and it is positively correlated with dust-exposure time and CTE in these individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oligocene and Miocene Himalayan anatexis is generally thought to have been induced by intracrustal heating or processes without the involvement of mantle-derived heat and materials, suggesting that the Himalayan leucogranites are typical examples of purely crustal melts. This study focuses on a Miocene leucogranite at Langkazi within the Himalayan orogen, an intrusion that contains a large number of dioritic enclaves. These enclaves have typical igneous textures, contain acicular apatites, and have back-veining structures, quenched margins, and crystallization ages identical to the hosting two-mica granites, indicating that these enclaves are magmatic. Although the enclaves are evolved, the most primitive samples contain high concentrations of MgO (up to 4.3 wt.%), Cr (up to 159 ppm), and Ni (up to 102 ppm), are strongly enriched in large-ion lithophile elements, are depleted in high-field-strength elements, have negative ε Nd(t) values (–8.6 to –6.1), and have relatively high 87 Sr/ 86 Sr (i) values (0.7085–0.7137), suggesting that they were derived from a relatively enriched region of the lithospheric mantle source. Whole-rock geochemical data indicate that the hosting Langkazi leucogranite formed from magmas generated by the partial melting of metapelite material within the High Himalaya crystalline sequence, and these magmas subsequently mixed with mantle-derived melts that are now represented by the Langkazi dioritic enclaves. This indicates that mantle-derived material played an important role in the generation of the Langkazi intrusions. The whole-rock geochemical compositions of samples from the study area also indicate that the primary melts that formed the Langkazi enclaves were significantly contaminated by the relatively juvenile Himalayan lower crustal material, suggesting in turn that these mantle-derived magmas underwent MASH (crustal melting, melt assimilation, magma storage, and homogenization) processes at the base of crust, introducing heat to the lower crust. This mantle-derived heat may have induced partial melting of the Himalayan lower crust, forming adakite-like magmas. Although the small volumes of these dioritic enclaves suggest that this heat may have assisted the genesis of the north Himalayan granites and the High Himalayan leucogranites, whereas in situ crustal radiogenic heating, shear heating, and decompression melting dominated the melting processes in this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breast cancer (BC) is a common reason of cancer-associated death in female. To develop novel strategy of therapeutics, it is crucial to comprehensively understand the receptor status of BC cells on the surface and inner, because chemical messengers can bind the receptors and promote tumorigenesis. Compared with normal and benign samples, BC cell lines and malignant biopsies showed higher expression of neurokinin-1 receptor (NK1). In current work, we examined the role and mechanism of NK1 receptor signaling in BC cell migration. Human hemokinin-1 (hHK-1) was the peripheral agonist of NK1 receptor. Our results showed that by activating NK1 receptor, hHK-1 promoted the migration of BC cells. Gelatin zymography and WB experiment showed that hHK-1 enhanced the levels of MMP-2 and MMP-14; inhibition of these two MMPs blocked hHK-1-induced cell migration. We further explored the underlying mechanism. hHK-1 incuced the phosphorylation of ERK1/2, JNK and Akt through PKC or PKA pathway. The phosphorylation of these kinases further regulated the activation of transcriptional factor AP-1 and NF-κB. Inhibition of AP-1 and NF-κB reduced the up-regulation of MMP-2 and MMP-14 by hHK-1. Taken together, we showed NK1 receptor was an important regulator of human BC cell migration and a potential target for BC treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • GHG emissions from an industrial-scale AD plant were assessed. • The AD process before digestate treatment achieved carbon offset. • Electricity consumption caused the major GHG emissions. • Waste oil recovery and biogas reuse are pivotal for offsetting GHG emissions. • Net GHG emissions from digestate process varies with different final disposal ways. Anaerobic digestion (AD) has been widely applied for treating organic waste and is known as a carbon-offsetting process. However, most studies relied on laboratory-scale experiments or literature to calculate carbon emissions from AD process, and the impact of digestate processing was overlooked. This study assessed the carbon footprint for an industrial food waste co-digestion plant with operational data. The results indicated that carbon emission before digestate treatment is −88.5 ± 4.4 kg CO 2 -eq/t. The major source of carbon emission is electricity provision, followed by fuel combustion, unburned biogas, and fugitive gas emissions, while waste oil recovery and biogas utilization offset the carbon emissions. Considering digestate treatment and disposal options, the plant's net carbon emissions are as follows: −86.1 ± 6.2 kg CO 2 -eq/t (incineration) < -80.7 ± 6.5 kg CO 2 -eq/t (land application) < 6.7 ± 12.2 kg CO 2 -eq/t (landfilling). This work aims at providing a roadmap for making site-specific calculations of the carbon footprint for AD process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In-situ analysis of minerals, such as zircon hafnium (Hf) and oxygen (O) isotopes, has been pivotal in investigating magmatic evolution and related ore systems. In order to better constrain the petrogenesis of Cu-porphyries and related ore-forming processes in southern Tibet, we used a combined application of both zircon by Hf-O isotopes and apatite by developing geochemical indicators involving Sr-O isotopes and volatile (chlorine and sulfur) concentrations. Apatite has several advantages over zircon: it carries ore-related volatiles, is present in less-evolved magmas and is sensitive to magmatic processes. Data on major- and trace elements and Sr-O isotopes in gem-like apatite can supplement information from zircon Hf-O isotopes. We have applied these techniques to granitoids from the Jurassic arc in southern Tibet to illustrate their use in tracing volatile evolution and related genesis of porphyry systems. We demonstrate that (1) robust apatite Sr-O isotopes combined with zircon Hf-O isotopes can record recycled oceanic components in the sources of Gangdese Jurassic porphyries; (2) volatile-enriched magmas metasomatised hydrous mantle wedge to form the Jurassic mineralised rocks; (3) the ore-forming magma with higher contents of water, Cl and S, favoured the transfer of metals and volatiles to the upper crust and to form the Jurassic porphyry Cu-Au deposits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Target tracking is a typical application in wireless sensor networks. Both energy efficiency and tracking performance are important issues that need to be considered. They are a pair of contradictions most of the time. Saving energy often sacrifices tracking performance, while enhancing tracking performance needs to consume more energy. In this paper, an efficient sleep scheduling algorithm is put forward to tackle the above problem in energy harvesting sensor networks. At first, we modify the probability-based prediction and sleep scheduling (PPSS) algorithm to track the target and further use another sleep scheduling algorithm we proposed to wake tracking nodes when the target is likely to be missed (i.e., it is unsuccessful to wake next-moment tracking nodes). Secondly, a double-storage energy harvesting architecture is employed to increase residual energy of sensor nodes and to extend network lifetime. Simulation results reveal that the proposed sleep scheduling algorithm can improve tracking performance and prolong network lifetime compared with the PPSS algorithm and the proposed algorithm without energy harvesting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Human epididymis protein 4 (HE4) had been shown to be an ideal biomarker in ovarian cancer. However, there were fewer reports on its application in lung cancer. We explored the diagnostic value of serum HE4 as a biomarker in early lung cancer by comparing it with other biomarkers. Methods 162 individuals including 112 cases of lung cancer at early stage and 50 healthy people as controls were enrolled. The serum concentrations of biomarkers were determined with the Roche Elecsys assays. Results In comparison to the other biomarkers such as carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), neuron-specific-enolase (NSE), serum cytokeratin 19 fragment (CYFRA 21-1) and progastrinreleasing peptide (proGRP), serum HE4 was one of the biomarkers with the highest sensitivity (43.8%) and specificity (95.0%) for early lung cancer diagnosis. In terms of histological results, serum HE4 was the best biomarker both in adenocarcinoma (AC) and squamous carcinoma (SC), and serum proGRP was the best in small cell lung cancer (SCLC). The combination of proGRP, NSE and HE4 could determine the histological type of lung cancer with a very high accuracy of 93.8%. Conclusions These findings suggested that serum HE4 was a better biomarker in early lung cancer than other frequently-used biomarkers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface properties of the clean and O adsorption Cr 2 Nb (1 1 1) are investigated using a density functional theory. The result shows that the Cr 2 Nb (1 1 1) with Cr–Nb mixed termination is more stable than the Cr-terminated surface in both Cr-rich condition and Nb-rich condition for clean (1 1 1) surface. The O atoms strongly interact with both Cr and Nb atoms on the Cr 2 Nb (1 1 1) with Cr–Nb mixed surface. And the O atoms strongly interact with the Cr atom on Cr-terminated surface. The binding energy increases with increasing O atom coverage due to the repulsive interaction between O atoms. It is found the Cr 2 Nb (1 1 1) with Cr–Nb mixed surface is more stable than the Cr-terminated Cr 2 Nb (1 1 1) under O-rich or O-poor conditions. And a Cr–Nb oxide layer may be produced at the initial stage of oxidation on Cr 2 Nb (1 1 1) surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Baiyangping Pb–Zn–Cu–Ag deposit is located in Lanping basin, northwestern Yunnan province. The deposit is composed of a few ore veins and can be divided into several ore blocks. The ore bodies are primarily hosted in Mesozoic carbonate, sandstone and siltstone along the north–south-striking, NWW-striking and NE–SW-striking fault zones. There are breccia, massive, vein like and disseminated ores. The main ore minerals are sphalerite, galena, gratonite, jordanite, tetrahedrite series minerals, chalcocite, chalcopyrite, realgar, orpiment, bournonite, cobalt-bearing arsenopyrite, argentite, kongsbergite, cobaltine, siegenite. The sizes of fluid inclusions in Baiyangping deposit are generally less than 10 μm and have the shape of round, oval, irregular, etc. The ore-forming fluid system is Ca 2+ –Na + –K + –Mg 2+ –Cl − –F − –NO 3 − brine system. The freezing temperature of fluid inclusions in mineral deposits ranges from −26.4 to −0.2 °C, average −14.6 °C; the homogenization temperature is concentrated in 120–180 °C, and the salinity is between 0.35 and 24.73 wt% (NaCl eq ), average 16.9 wt% (NaCl eq ). δ 13 C PDB and δ 18 O SMOW values of hydrothermal calcite range from −4.16‰ to 3‰ and −2.5‰ to 20.4‰, respectively. δ 34 S values of sulfide minerals range from −10.2‰ to 11.2‰, average 5.6‰. The sulfide samples yield 206 Pb/ 204 Pb values of 18.609–18.818, 207 Pb/ 204 Pb of 15.548–15.842 and 208 Pb/ 204 Pb = 38.514–39.556. C–O–S–Pb isotope compositions of the Baiyangping deposit indicate a homogeneous carbon source, and the carbon in hydrothermal calcite is derived from the dissolution of carbonate rock strata, the ore-forming fluid belongs to basin brine fluid system, which is mixed with the precipitate water, sulfur in sulfides and sulfosalts is derived from thermal chemical sulfate reduction, and the thermal decomposition of sulfur-bearing organic matter. The metal mineralization material is from sedimentary strata and basement. The late Pb–Zn polymetallic mineralization event superposed within early Cu–Co polymetallic mineralization event resulted in the differences of ore-forming elements for Baiyangping deposit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The important role of microbes in the biomineralization and migration behavior of uranium in the field of environmental chemistry has been well emphasized in previous work. However, limited work on mineralization processes of indigenous microorganism has prevented us from a deeper understanding of the process and mechanisms of uranium biomineralization. In this work, the dynamic process and mechanism of uranium biomineralization in Enterobacter sp. X57, a novel uranium-tolerant microorganism separated from uranium contaminated soil, were systematically investigated. Enterobacter sp. X57 can induce intracellular mineralization of U (VI) to Uramphite (NH 4 UO 2 PO 4 ·3H 2 O) under neutral conditions by alkaline phosphatase. In this biomineralization process, soluble U (VI) first bonded with the amino and phosphate groups on the plasma membrane, providing initial nucleation site for the formation of U (VI) biominerals. Then the impairment of cell barrier function and the enhancement of alkaline phosphatase metabolism occurred with the accumulation of uranium in cells, creating a possible pathway for soluble U (VI) to diffuse into the cell and be further mineralized into U (VI)-phosphate minerals. All the results revealed that the intracellular biomineralization of uranium by Enterobacter sp. X57 was a combined result of biosorption, intracellular accumulation and phosphatase metabolism. These findings may contribute to a better understanding of uranium biomineralization behavior and mechanism of microorganisms, as well as possible in-situ bioremediation strategies for uranium by indigenous microorganisms. [Display omitted] • The dynamic process of U-mineralization by Enterobacter sp. X5 7 has been revealed. • Toxic soluble U (Ⅵ) could vitiate the cell wall and diffuse into the cell gradually. • Intracellular U (Ⅵ) converted into insoluble U mineral along the plasma membrane. • U-biomineralization in Enterobacter sp. X57 was promoted by alkaline phosphatase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

English walnut (Juglans regia), has high economic and ecological value. As an important tree species for eliminating poverty, it is planted in many Provinces of China. In 2021, new pathogenic fungi were observed in English walnut in Guangyuan City, Sichuan Province, China. The initial symptom of leaf infection is that the leaves are covered with small black spots, which gradually expand into larger brown spots. Most of the spots appeared at the edges of the leaves, and yellow whorls were observed at the junction between the spots and the healthy leaves. The pathogenic fungi were isoalted form collecting disease samples and purified by single-spore culturing. In vitro and field experiments showed that the pathogen could cause brown spots on walnut leaves. The inoculation experiment showed that the symptoms in the field experiment were the same as those observed on the spot; however, slight differences were observed in the in vitro experiment. Ten isolates were obtained from walnut leaves with brown spot symptoms, and these were further characterized based on morphology and DNA sequencing. ITS (internal transcribed spacer), LSU (large sub-unit rDNA), rpb2 (second largest subunit of RNA polymerase) and tub2 (beta-tubulin) gene regions were used to construct phylogenetic trees and determine the evolutionary relationships among the collected strains. The isolate was identified as Nothophoma quercina by morphological and polygene analyses. As far as we are aware, the brown spots on walnut leaves caused by N. quercina is the first report of its kind. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Mechanisms underlying electrochemical sludge treatment are reviewed. • Electrochemical process-assisted sludge resource recovery is discussed. • Electrochemical process optimal operating modes are proposed. • Current limitations and future research directions are discussed. The electrochemical process is gaining widespread interest as an emerging alternative for sludge treatment. Its potentials for sludge stabilization and resources recovery have been well proven to date. Despite the high effectiveness of the electrochemical process having been highlighted in several studies, concerns about the electrochemical sludge treatment, including energy consumption, scale-up feasibility, and electrode stability, have not yet been addressed. The present paper critically reviews the versatile uses of the electrochemical processes for sludge treatment and resource recovery, from the fundamentals to the practical applications. Particularly considered are the enhancement of the digestion of the anaerobic sludge and dewaterability, removal of pathogens and heavy metals, and control of sludge malodor. In addition, the opportunities and challenges of the sludge-based resource recovery (i.e., nitrogen, phosphorus, and volatile fatty acids) are discussed. Insights into the working mechanisms (e.g., electroporation, electrokinetics and electrooxidation) of electrochemical processes are reviewed, and perspectives and future research directions are proposed. This work is expected to provide an in-depth understanding and broaden the potential applications of electrochemical processes for sludge treatment and resource recovery. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]