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Crude steel production in China exceeds 1 billion tons per year, and steel slag production accounts for 10%–15% of the crude steel mass. Although slag presents certain hydration activity, it is still difficult to be used as a building material because the particles contain a large amount of active calcium oxide and magnesium oxide, which are easy to hydrate and expand besides presenting low stability. The heap stock is increasing at a rate of 80 Mt/a because of the limitation of application scenarios. Moreover, every 1 ton of crude steel is associated with an emission of 1.8 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2), which becomes a greenhouse gas, because it cannot be reused at the moment. In this investigation, CO2 was used to cure steel slag particles, and the coupling mineralization reaction between them was used to convert active calcium oxide and magnesium oxide in steel slag into carbonate forms and, thus, allow the processing of steel slag particles into fine building aggregate. Two particle size ranges of 0.6–2.36 and 2.36–4.75 mm were selected as representative particle sizes. Mineralization was carried out under a temperature of 25 °C, relative humidity of 75%, a CO2 concentration of 20%, and a time of 24 h. The carbon fixation rate of steel slag was 9.68%. The quality of steel slag fine aggregate as a product met the GB/T 14684-2011 construction sand grade II standard. The application of this technology is expected to improve the stability of steel slag particles, the utilization rate as a building material, and the resource utilization level of CO2. It is expected to realize the full, high-value-added resource utilization of steel slag and CO2 absorption and solve the supply shortage problem of fine aggregate for construction in China, which has potential economic and environmental benefits.

Shaoqin Zheng1,2 *, Yuan Liang2 *, Zhaojia Wang,1 Min Liu,1 Yingyi Chen,1 Ying Ai,1 Wenfeng Guo,1,3 Guoming Li,1 Yueming Yuan,1,2 Zhiyong Xu,2 Wanting Wu,1 Xinan Huang,1,3 Zhibing Wu,3 Qin Xu,1,3 Jianping Song,1,3 Changsheng Deng1,3 1Artemisinin Research Center, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China; 2Science and Technology Institute, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China; 3The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Jianping Song; Changsheng Deng, Artemisinin Research Center, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, 510405, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86-20-3658 5633 ; +86-20-8746 1723, Email songjp@gzucm.edu.cn; dcs19811202@163.comIntroduction: Artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) act as first-line antimalarial drugs and play a crucial role in the successful control of falciparum malaria. However, the recent emergence of resistance of Plasmodium falciparum to ACTs in South East Asia is of particular concern. Hence, there is an urgent need to identify the genetic determinants of and understand the molecular mechanisms underpinning such resistance. Artemisinin resistance (AR) is primarily driven by the mutations in the P. falciparum K13 protein, which is widely recognized as the major molecular marker of AR. However, association of K13 mutations with in vivo AR has been ambiguous due to the absence of a tractable model.Methods: In this study, we have successfully produced artemisinin- and piperaquine-resistant P. berghei K173 following drug administrations. Prolonged parasite clearance and early recrudescence were found following daily exposure to high doses of artemisinin and piperaquine. We have also sequenced the DNA of artemisinin-resistant strains and piperaquine-resistant strains of P. berghei K173 to explore the relationship between PfK13 and AR.Results: The resistance index of P. berghei K173 reached 12.4 after 30 artemisinin-resistant generations, but AR declined gradually after 30 generations. On the 50th generation, the resistance index of artemisinin-resistant strains was only 5.0 compared with the severe drug resistance of piperaquine-resistant strains (I90=148.8). DNA sequencing of artemisinin-resistant strains showed that there were 9 meaningful mutations at P. berghei K13-propeller domain, but the above mutations did not include common clinical point mutations.Conclusion: Our data show that artemisinin is less susceptible to severe resistance compared with other antimalarial drugs. In addition, mutation on P. berghei K13 has a multi-drug-resistant phenotype and may be used as a biomarker to monitor its resistance. More studies need to be conducted on the new mutations detected so as to understand their association, if any, with ACT resistance.Keywords: malaria, Plasmodium berghei, P. berghei K13 gene, artemisinin resistance

Self-ignition coal gangue (SCG) used as one of precursors to fabricate autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC). Aiming at studying water absorptivity and frost resistance performance of SCG-based AAC (SCGAAC), three-period water absorption tests and freeze-thaw tests were carried out and the corresponding results were recorded and analyzed. In order to modify the water absorptivity of SCGAAC, foam stabilizer was applied to adjust pore structure while calcium stearate was expected to change hydrophilic feature of SCG. It was demonstrated that the compressive strength of SCGAAC containing foam stabilizer or calcium stearate declined at different levels. For water absorption, foam stabilizer failed to decrease the water content and even increased water absorption rates. Calcium stearate controlled water absorption rate successfully although the ultimate water content hardly reduced. All of the SCGAAC samples exhibited intact appearance after 50 freeze-thaw cycles and showed excellent frost resistance performance. Three models were proposed to predict water absorptivity and frost resistance performance of SCGAAC and the corresponding prediction results matched test resulted well.

Because of its priority to remove anions, nano-layered double hydroxide (LDH) was incorporated to improve the sulfate attack corrosion resistance of cement-based materials. Herein, the synthesis of high-efficiency LDH for removal of SO 4 2 − {\text{SO}}_{4}^{2-} is necessary. In this study, LDH with different Mg/Al ratios was synthesized under different dual solvent systems (water and ethylene glycol/ethanol/tetrapropylammonium hydroxide). Based on the adsorption experimental results, the LDH synthesized with n(Mg:Al) = 2:1 under water and ethanol solvent systems (ET2.0) exhibits the best adsorption capacity. The d (003) of LDH synthesized with n(Mg:Al) = 2:1 under different dual solvent systems are 0.7844, 0.7830, and 0.7946 nm, respectively. Three LDH belong to LDH- NO 3 − {\text{NO}}_{3}^{-} . The results indicated that their surface charges show obvious difference synthesized under different dual solvent systems, which leads to differences in adsorption performance. The adsorption experimental results show that ET2.0 followed pseudo second-order kinetics and Langmuir model. The ET2.0 removed SO 4 2 − {\text{SO}}_{4}^{2-} through anion substitution and electrostatic interaction and exhibited excellent adsorption rate with the maximum adsorption capacity of 95.639 mg/g. The effects of pore solution anion (OH−, Cl−, and CO 3 2 − {\text{CO}}_{3}^{2-} ) on the removal of SO 4 2 − {\text{SO}}_{4}^{2-} by the ET2.0 are limited.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most frequent arrhythmia encountered in clinical practice and is a major health problem associated with remarkable morbidity, mortality and has considerable healthcare costs. Red blood cell distribution width (RDW) reflects the heterogeneity of the volume and size of red blood cells. It is an easily measured and inexpensive index that has been associated with several cardiovascular disease states. Accumulating evidence suggests that RDW is a prognostic marker of AF in various clinical settings. In this article, we review the available data regarding the prognostic role of RDW in AF development and perpetuation in diverse disease states as well as its role on the prediction of adverse outcomes.

Aims Omi/HtrA2 is a pro-apoptotic protein, increased mRNA and protein levels of Omi/HtrA2 in aging myocardium facilitates apoptosis and affects mitochondrial homeostasis. Our previous study found that p53 can bind to the Omi/HtrA2 promoter. The purpose of this study was to determine whether p53 participates in regulating the expression of Omi/HtrA2 in aging myocardium. Methods and results we used Western blot to detect the expression of Omi/HtrA2 and p53 nucleoprotein, and then found that both of them were elevated in aging heart. Furthermore, we also observed the increased binding of p53 to Omi/HtrA2 promoter by chromatin immunoprecipitation. To initially explore the regulation mechanism of Omi/HtrA2, plasmid transfection and RNA interference in NIH3T3 cells were used to upregulate or knock down p53, respectively. The mRNA and protein levels of Omi/HtrA2 were increased with the overexpression of p53 by real-time PCR and Western blot, and Omi/HtrA2 promoter activity enhanced after transfected with pcDNA3.1-p53. The result from RNA interference was quite the contrary.Our study demonstrated that the binding ability of p53 to Omi/HtrA2 promoter was increased in aging myocardium, and increased p53 promoted the mRNA and protein levels of Omi/HtrA2 by enhancing the promoter activity of Omi/HtrA2. Conclusions p53 acts as a transcriptional factor that induces Omi/HtrA2 expression in aged cardiomyocytes.These results provide a new way to explore the mechanism of increased Omi/HtrA2 in the aging process of heart.

In this work, titania supported catalysts (V-W/Ti) with different vanadium-tungsten contents were prepared and evaluated in the catalytic oxidation of chlorobenzene, which was used as the model compound of dioxins. The results showed that V

Phosphogypsum (PG) is a massive industrial solid waste. In this paper, PG was purified by flotation method, and α-hemihydrate gypsum (α-HH) was prepared by the autoclaving method. The morphology of α-HH was adjusted by adding different doses of Maleic acid and Aluminium sulfate. The results showed that after flotation purification, the impurity content in PG was significantly reduced, the soluble phosphorus content decreased from 0.48% to 0.07%, the PG purity increased from 73.12% to 94.37%, and the PG whiteness risen from 19.4 to 40.5. Then the performance of α-HH prepared from PG before and after purification was compared. Fixing the amount of Aluminium sulfate at 0.2wt%, the reaction temperature at 140°C, and the reaction time at 120min, the average length/diameter ratio of α-HH crystals decreased from 7.2 to 0.6 as the amount of Maleic acid increased from 0 to 0.17wt%. When the amount of Maleic acid was 0.13wt%, the α-hemihydrate gypsum reached the best mechanical properties. The mechanical strength of high strength gypsum prepared from PG concentrate was significantly better than that of raw PG, indicating that flotation purification can effectively improve the performance of PG. In this study, a new method of PG purification and resource utilization was proposed.

Phosphogypsum (PG) is a massive industrial solid waste. In this paper, PG was purified by flotation method, and α-hemihydrate gypsum (α-HH) was prepared by the autoclaving method. The morphology of α-HH was adjusted by adding different doses of Maleic acid and Aluminium sulfate. The results showed that after flotation purification, the impurity content in PG was significantly reduced, the soluble phosphorus content decreased from 0.48 to 0.07%, the PG purity increased from 73.12 to 94.37%, and the PG whiteness risen from 19.4 to 40.5. Then the performance of α-HH prepared from PG before and after purification was compared. Fixing the amount of aluminium sulfate at 0.2 wt%, the reaction temperature at 140 °C, and the reaction time at 120 min, the average length/diameter ratio of α-HH crystals decreased from 7.2 to 0.6 as the amount of Maleic acid increased from 0 to 0.17 wt%. When the amount of Maleic acid was 0.13 wt%, the α-hemihydrate gypsum reached the best mechanical properties. The mechanical strength of high strength gypsum prepared from PG concentrate was significantly better than that of raw PG, indicating that flotation purification can effectively improve the performance of PG. In this study, a new method of PG purification and resource utilization was proposed.

Metal mobility and toxicity of the municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) fly ash from different seasons in Beijing were studied using leaching toxicity procedures, sequential extraction procedures, and bioavailability procedures. The X-ray diffraction results showed that MSWI fly ash contained CaSO4, CaCO3, and KCl. The Pb, Zn, and Cd contents of MSWI fly ash were high, especially during autumn, being 42, 77, and 1260 times higher than that of their soil backgrounds, respectively. Leaching toxicity experiments showed that MSWI fly ash is hazardous, since Pb exceeded the maximum threshold (5 mg/L). The main alkali metal ions and anions, heavy metals total content, leaching concentration, chemical speciation, and bioavailability varied seasonally. The Pb and Zn leaching concentrations in summer and autumn were higher than that of the other two seasons. Sequential extraction procedures indicated that Pb, Zn, and Cd showed extremely high metal mobility, i.e., the residual states of Pb and Cd in spring were 5.83% and 1.21%, respectively, and that of Zn in autumn was 10.68%. These results will help industries, governments, and the public better understand the risk of MSWI fly ash and will urge them to pay more attention to preventing harm to the ecosystem and human beings.

Self-ignition coal gangue (SCG) used as one of precursors to fabricate aerated autoclaved concrete (AAC). Aiming at studying water absorptivity and frost resistance performance of self-ignition coal gangue aerated autoclaved concrete (SCGAAC), three-period water absorbing tests and freezing-thawing tests were carried out and the corresponding results were recorded and analyzed. In order to modify the water absorptivity of SCGAAC, foam stabilizer was applied to adjust pore structure while calcium stearate was expected to change hydrophilic feature of CG. It was demonstrated that the compressive strength of SCGAAC containing foam stabilizer or calcium stearate declined at different levels, although the porosity became lower slightly. For water absorptivity, foam stabilizer failed to decrease the water content at any period and even increased water absorbing rates. Calcium stearate controlled water absorbing rate successfully but the ultimate water content hardly reduced. All of the SCGAAC samples exhibited intact appearance after 50 freezing-thawing cycles and showed excellent frost resistance performance. Three models were proposed to predict water absorptivity and frost resistance performance of SCGAAC and the corresponding prediction results matched test resulted well.

In this paper, the soft magnetic composite was prepared using a powder metallurgy method with the Fe3O4 and ZrO2 co-coated iron powder which was synthesized though the in-situ hydrothermal method. Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) coupled with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) revealed that the Fe3O4 and ZrO2 were uniformly coated on the surface of iron powders. The addition of ZrO2 in the coating effectively improves the properties of the soft magnetic composite. ZrO2 can further improve the insulating properties, and enhance the thermostability of the coating simultaneously which will lead to resistivity increase and eddy current loss decrease. By controlling the additive amount of zirconium cation and annealing temperature, high magnetic induction of 1.002 T (measured at 8000 A/m), relatively high permeability of 83 (measured at 100 kHz), and low total core loss of 255.2 W/kg (measured at 100 kHz and 50 mT) were achieved. The Fe@ZrO2&Fe3O4 SMCs show high electrical resistivity and saturation induction, which may be widely used in high speed electric motor, transformer, inductance and switching power supply.

In this study, Ni nanoparticles supported on renewable porous carbon were prepared using hydrochar as a carbon precursor via in situ formation and self-reduction. The structure properties of the prepared nanocatalysts were characterized by multiple techniques, including XRD, SEM, and HR-TEM, and the dry reforming of methane (DRM) performance of the nanocatalysts in terms of conversion efficiency and reactivity stability was evaluated. The results revealed that the Ni2+ was uniformly anchored on the surface of the hydrochar, and subsequently the Ni nanoparticles were well dispersed in the composite with a diameter of less than 8 nm and had a narrow particle size distribution at a temperature lower than 800 &deg, C. With an increased temperature from 800 to 900 &deg, C, the significant sintering and agglomeration of nickel particles and the transformation from amorphous carbon to graphitic structure were observed in the composite. The nanocatalysts prepared at a temperature of 700 &deg, C (Ni@C-700) and 800 &deg, C (Ni@C-800) exhibited a high reforming conversion rate and catalytic stability of CH4 by CO2 (around 52% for Ni@C-700 and 70% for Ni@C-800 after 800 min of run-time, respectively). As for the composite obtained at 900 (Ni@C-900), the highly graphitic degree was coupled with the significantly increased nickel particle size, and this resulted in a remarkably decreased conversion efficiency. The present study offers a valuable application of the hydrochar and a facile and green approach to prepare highly active and cost-efficient Ni nanoparticles on porous carbons towards the dry reforming of methane.

Aims β1-adrenergic receptor autoantibodies (β1-AAs) and β2-adrenergic receptor autoantibodies (β2-AAs) are present in patients with heart failure (HF); however, their interrelationship with cardiac structure and function remains unknown. This study explored the effects of the imbalance between β1-AAs and β2-AAs on cardiac structure and its underlying mechanisms in HF. Methods and results Patients with left systolic HF who suffered from coronary heart disease (65.9%) or dilated cardiomyopathy (34.1%) were divided into New York Heart Association Classes I-II (n = 51) and Classes III-IV (n = 37) and compared with healthy volunteers as controls (n = 41). Total immunoglobulin G from HF patient serum comprising β1-AAs and/or β2-AAs were determined and purified for in vitro studies from neonatal rat cardiomyocytes (NRCMs). In addition, HF was induced by doxorubicin in mice. We observed that the increased ratio of β1-AAs/β2-AAs was associated with worsening HF in patients. Moreover, β2-AAs from patients with HF suppressed the hyper-shrinking and apoptosis of NRCMS induced by β1-AAs from some patients. Finally, β2-AAs alleviated both myocardial damage and β1-AAs production induced by doxorubicin in mice. Conclusion β2-AAs were capable of antagonizing the effects imposed by β1-AAs both in vitro and in vivo. The imbalance of β1-AAs and β2-AAs in patients with HF is a mechanism underlying HF progression, and the increasing ratio of β1-AAs/β2-AAs should be considered a clinical assessment factor for the deterioration of cardiac function in patients with HF.

Mercury is one most important global pollutants in the environment. The article studied the mercury migration according to the mercury migration in the cement process, in which a model for the relationship between the mercury input, internal circulation and output is built. In the model, mercury concentration in each stage of the process was calculated and characterized with different input, which were Consistent with actual verification, and then the reasonable method was advised to prevent the mercury pollution. The simulation showed that the mercury input is below 0.1g/t.cli, and the mercury gas emission concentration is below 0.05 mg/Nm3 whenever the mode of raw mill is on or off. But once the mercury input is over 0.23 g/t.cli, the mercury gas emission concentration is over 0.05mg/Nm3 although the mode of raw mill is on. The mercury content in ERM and KA is almost ten times higher than raw material, and the mercury content in KA is almost ten times higher than raw meal extraction, and multiples increase with higher mercury input as well. Even if mercury is continuously enriched internal, there is no limit of mercury concentration saturation.

This paper aims at investigating the long-term mechanical strengths and drying shrinkage, as well as pore structure of cement mortars with hydroxyethyl methyl cellulose (HEMC). The results show that the 3-d flexural strength and compressive strength of cement mortars tend to decrease with the HEMC content increasing. At 28 d to 360 d, the strengths keep decreasing with the HEMC content increasing at 0–1%, and then increase from the minimum value with the HEMC content increasing at 1–3%, still being much lower than those of the control (0% HEMC). Throughout the curing age, both the tensile bond strength and the drying shrinkage value gradually increase with the HEMC content, to be nearly twice at 3% HEMC than those of the control. HEMC significantly delays the 3-d hydration of cement pastes, but has negligible retardation effect on the hydration after 28 d, to bring the similar late hydration degree of cement pastes with HEMC or not. With the HEMC content increasing in the range of 0–1%, incorporating HEMC brings the sharp increase of macro pores, large capillary pores and porosity, and decreases the interconnected pores to bring many more closed pores. Further increasing the HEMC content to 3%, macro pores and porosity decrease, large capillary pores slightly increase and interconnected pores have a negligible change. Obviously, the understanding on the performance development of cement mortars with HEMC is conducive to the better application of HEMC in dry-mix mortars to meet different requirements.

It is always a challenge to prepare multifunctional epoxy resins (EP) composites with excellent flame retardance, mechanical property and high transparency. In this work, a reactive flame-retardant (BDO) was synthesized from DOPO, 3,5-diamino-triazolz and thiophene-2-formaldehyde, and taken to prepare EP/BDO composites. Surprisingly, benefitting from the synergy of efficient flame retardant unit (DOPO structure), catalytic curing unit (triazole structure) and optical functional structure (thiophene-2-formaldehyde), the EP composites with excellent comprehensive performance was obtained. In detailed, after adding only 5 wt% BDO, the EP composites passed the UL-94 V-0 level, and the limiting oxygen index was increased to 33% from 22.5% of neat EP. At the same time, EP/BDO-5 showed obvious heat suppression and smoke suppression effects. Besides, EP/BDO-5 presented excellent mechanical strength, that the tensile strength and bending strength were increased by 25% and 30% compared with neat EP. Moreover, EP/BDO composites maintained the same good light transmittance as neat EP, and also presented enhanced Tg and dielectric property. In addition, the dual phase flame-retardant mechanism was revealed through systematically analyzing residues after combustion and the gaseous phase products of flame retardant. The above results indicated EP/BDO composites with excellent comprehensive performance possessed a great potential application in high-performance composites fields.

Although cement kiln co-processing (CKC) has been considered an important municipal solid waste (MSW) treatment method in recent years, there however still exist obstacles such as unclear technical feasibility and ambiguous legislation that impede its further development. Addressing these barriers remains difficult as a comprehensive understanding of CKC from an MSW management perspective (which is a major challenge for policy makers) is lacking in existing studies. Therefore, this study adopted Material Flow Analysis, Life Cycle Assessment and Net Present Value evaluation methods to quantitatively analyze the waste reduction effect, energy efficiency, environmental impact and economic performance of CKC in order to provide an important basis for determining its feasibility and policy direction in comparison to existing MSW treatment technologies. The results showed that CKC had a waste reduction rate of up to 99.5%, and 90% lower environmental emissions than incineration. However, from a life cycle perspective, the net environmental impact of CKC was not as significant as incineration and mechanical biological treatment because its coal saving effect has a relatively lower environmental impact mitigation potential compared to the potential from electricity generation brought by incineration. Furthermore, the proposed MSW treatment fee subsidy for CKC was 59 CNY/tonne, reflecting a 34% reduction from current incineration subsidy fee. These findings are important for many countries since the main barriers to CKC development are similar. Improving the comprehensive understanding of CKC could help policymakers formulate precise promotion planning and reasonable incentive policies.

As one of the special curing regimes, low temperature environment is considered to be crucial to the development of various properties of cementitious materials. This work focuses on the long-term performance and hydration of cement mortars with hydroxyethyl methyl cellulose (HEMC) cured at 5℃. The results show that the mid-late flexural and compressive strengths decrease with the HEMC content increasing, to get the lowest values at 1% HEMC. Afterwards, with the HEMC content increasing to 3%, the above strengths gradually increase, still being lower than those of the control. The tensile bond strength increases with the HEMC content increasing, to reach the maximum value at 0.3–0.5% HEMC, and then decreases with the HEMC content increasing to 3%, which is still much higher than that of the control. The drying shrinkage presents a significant increase with the HEMC content increasing. Moreover, HEMC significantly retards the early hydration of cement pastes. But the final hydration degree of cement pastes with HEMC tends to be close to that of the control. In addition, macro pores and the total porosity increase with the HEMC content increasing at 0–1%, and then decrease to some extent at 3% HEMC. Obviously, due to its better long-term properties at 5℃, the cement mortars with HEMC are still applicable at low temperatures.

In this paper, the waste polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) filter bag was converted to waste PPS powder through thermal aging, ball milling and screening, and firstly used as flame retardant to improve the flame retardance of epoxy resin (EP). TG results presented that, it started to decompose at 510.6 °C with 62.08% of residue mass at 800 °C, which showed good charring ability. The UL-94 and cone calorimeter tests showed that waste PPS not only improved the flame retardance of EP but also largely decreased heat and smoke/toxic gases release. Adding 15 wt% waste PPS made EP composites acquire a UL-94 V-1 rating and resulted in a 42.24% reduction in the peak of heat release rate (PHRR). What’ more, the peak of smoke production rate (PSPR) and peak of CO production (PCOP) declined by 27.27% and 45.16%. The morphology of char residue was also observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM), and it was concluded that, introduction of waste PPS indeed improved the compact of char layer, which was be responsible for enhancement in flame retardance. This work provided a new way and theoretical basis for realizing high value recycling of PPS solid waste.

Municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) fly ash contains chlorides, heavy metals, and organic pollutants, which requires appropriate disposal to eliminate this risk. In this study, the effects of agents on heavy metals removal from MSWI fly ash by electric field-enhanced washing were systematically studied. The results show that when these fly ashes were washed at a current density of 35 mA/cm2, polarity switching frequency of 40 Hz, Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) dosage of 0.5 mol/L, and a pH of 2 for 4 h, almost all of the Cd and Ni could be were removed, with a removal efficiency of 100.00% and 99.59%, respectively. Meanwhile, it also shows a significant effect on Cu and Zn, with a removal efficiency higher than 85%. After washing, the results of the sequential extraction procedure showed that the residual forms of Pb, Cu, Zn, Cd, Ni, and As increased obviously. According to GB5085.3-2007, the toxicity of the treated MSWI fly ash were below their thresholds of 5 and 1 mg/L for Pb and Cd, respectively. Thus, a novel technology for heavy metals removal from MSWI fly ash is proposed.

Introduction Heat shock proteins (HSP) are a group of chaperones, which have been shown to protect cells and organs, especially the heart, against harmful and cytotoxic conditions. More recent attention has focused on the role of HSP in irreversible remodeling of atrial fibrillation (AF) which is the most common clinical tachyarrhythmia and a significant contributor to morbidity and mortality. This chapter sets out to investigate the link between HSP and atrial remodeling processes in AF. Understanding the association between HSP and complex pathophysiological processes of AF-associated remodeling could lead to the development of specific therapeutic interventions.

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This review aims to explore the relationship between AF and carotid atherosclerosis, and the impact on the outcomes of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events. Also, our aim is to critically review current knowledge and delineate future directions for effective treatment or prevention as well as strategies for improvement of the quality of life and survival. Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia, increasing the risk of stroke and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality representing a significant worldwide public health problem. On the other hand, carotid artery atherosclerosis can also significantly increase the risk of stroke, transient ischemic attack (TIA), and death. Firstly, we report epidemiological data on AF patients in different countries and regions having carotid artery abnormalities such as carotid artery plaque formation, atherosclerotic, and even stenosis. Despite geographical variations, these abnormalities were more frequent in AF patients and correlated with the duration of AF and the value of CHA2DS2-VASc score. Moreover, it is evident that AF patients with carotid artery abnormalities have significantly increased risk of adverse outcomes from the heart and brain. According to the CHA(2)DS2 (-VASc) score, AF patients are managed with anticoagulation therapy. Reviewing existing data on the treatment for stroke prevention in patients with AF, carotid artery disease, or both, we found that antiplatelet therapy could be combined with anticoagulant therapy appropriately in certain circumstances. In addition, some emerging technologies, such as the percutaneous permanent carotid filter, may be used safely and effectively to prevent the occurrence of stroke in patients both with AF and carotid artery atherosclerosis.

To explore the mechanism to water retention of cellulose ether (CE) in calcium sulfoaluminate (CSA) cement-based materials, three cellulose ethers (CEs) with similar viscosity but different substitution groups were selected in this paper, namely hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) and hydroxyethyl methyl cellulose (HEMC) with high and low degree of substitution (DS). Water retention of CE modified CSA cement mortar with different CE dosages was characterized by filter paper method. The water state and content in CE modified CSA cement paste were determined by low field nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR). The adsorption and dispersion characteristics of CE in CSA cement paste were analyzed by measuring the organic carbon content in the pore solution. Combined with the measurement of dynamic viscosity and surface tension of pore solution, the mechanism to water retention of CEs in CSA cement-based materials was comprehensively analyzed. The results show that the addition of CE can significantly improve the water retention of CSA cement mortar. At the same dosage, the water retention effect of HEMC is better than HEC, and DS has little effect on the water retention capacity of HEMC. The mechanism to water retention of HEC and HEMC added less than 0.1% dosage in system is governed by water sorption effect of CE. While more than 0.1% dosage, HEC and HEMC in CSA cement-based materials achieve water retention respectively through the adsorption of CE on cement and the formation of three-dimensional polymer network in pore solution.

Aims The mechanisms of atrial fibrillation (AF) in diabetes mellitus (DM) involve a complex interplay between increased oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction and atrial remodeling. In this study, we examined the effects of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase activation on mitochondrial oxidative stress and atrial remodeling in a rabbit model of diabetes mellitus (DM). Main methods Healthy rabbits were selected and randomly divided into control, diabetic and apocynin administration group. Parameters of echocardiography, atrial electrophysiology, oxidative stress and mitochondrial function were compared between the different groups. Key findings Compared to the control group, the DM group showed higher activity of NADPH oxidase, increased oxidative stress, larger left atrial diameter, a reduction in atrial mean conduction velocity. These findings were associated with increased interstitial fibrosis of the atria and higher atrial fibrillation (AF) inducibility. Moreover, atrial ultrastructure and mitochondrial function such as the mitochondrial respiratory control rate (RCR) were impaired. NADPH oxidase inhibition using the pharmacological agent apocynin improved these changes. Significance NADPH oxidase activity plays an important role in mitochondrial oxidative stress, which is associated with AF inducibility by promoting adverse atrial remodeling. The NADPH oxidase inhibitor apocynin can prevent these pathological changes and may be a potential drug for AF treatment.

In many countries, like China, the huge capacity of cement industry seems to be able to absorb the booming production of municipal solid waste (MSW). However, the rapid progress of incineration facilities construction raise questions such as will there be chances of cement kiln co-processing (CKC) to be utilized and promoted as an MSW complementary technology in China, and how will it develop in the future? This paper obtained numerous up-to-date data and information as support evidences to quantitatively evaluate the MSW treatment pressure and its temporal and spatial evolution in Chinese provinces, and estimate the CKC promotion and emission reduction potential for adapting to regional MSW demand. Results showed that CKC still has a great promotion potential. China's MSW treatment system was under long-term pressure and might have a shortage of 4.50 million tons in 2020. Provincial level analysis indicated that CKC could not only completely filled the treatment gap, but also replaced 78.05 million tons of landfill capacity. The resulting environmental benefits were significant, with a reduction of 2.55E+10 kg CO2 eq. and 4.47E+07 kg SO2 eq. from a life-cycle perspective for GWP and AP etc., respectively. Hence, CKC contributed to relieving the pressure on MSW management (MSWM) and improving environmental performance. By developing more precise regional planning, some of the issues that had hindered the spread of CKC could be addressed. The main findings of this paper might be influential in guiding the universalization of CKC in China and other regions.

Tetrodotoxin (TTX), a blocker of sodium channels, exists in the pufferfish, amphibians, and octopus, and originated in endosymbiont-vibrio. Researches have confirmed that TTX affected the action potential through the regulation of voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs) and the ingestion of TTX inhibits the nerve signal’s transmission, showing symptoms like rapid weakening and paralysis of the muscles. Recent research shows that TTX’s medical value as the analgesic is mainly focused. The comparison on efficacy among placebo, TTX, and opioids manifests that TTX is healthy and effective in treating neuropathic pain. Moreover, since the drug is synthesized by TTX, it can block specific neurons to alleviate the pain on different parts of the body accurately. Currently speaking, TTX has been widely used as medicine for the alleviation of cancer pain. The mechanism, symptoms, application, and treatment are thoroughly discussed to popularize TTX and pass the “torch” to the new generation because there is still a long way to go—the unsolved mysteries of TTX awaiting humans.

Subsequent to the sharp surge in quantity of municipal solid waste (MSW) generation, the pace at which waste treatment facilities are being constructed in some cities cannot meet the increasing demand for MSW treatment capacity. As a remedy to this, the co-processing of MSW in high-temperature cement kilns has become a potential MSW treatment option in emerging countries, and has been widely implemented in developed countries such as Netherlands and Germany. However, the environmental impacts of MSW co-processing in cement kilns differ from those of traditional treatment technologies. Besides, it is necessary to determine whether MSW co-processing in cement kilns could reduce the overall environmental impacts of MSW treatment and disposal as a whole, which is a key step in analyzing the feasibility of the treatment technology. Hence, this study used the life cycle assessment (LCA) method to quantitatively analyze the environmental impacts of MSW co-processing in cement kilns and the results further compared with other MSW treatment technologies. The functional unit was one ton of raw MSW, and real operational data from the cement industry and MSW treatment project in China was used for case studies. The results revealed that when compared to incineration and mechanical biological treatment (MBT), the environmental impact mitigation of energy recovery during MSW co-processing in cement kilns is not that significant. However, since there is no required additional treatment of residual waste and wastewater, the environmental impact caused by MSW co-processing in cement kiln appeared to be much lower from a life cycle perspective. Therefore, under conditions of insufficient MSW treatment capacity, co-processing in cement kiln could be an effective complementary approach to MSW management in China and other emerging countries which have many new dry cement kilns suitable for this alternative complementary technique of MSW treatment and disposal.