Pyrocystis lunula is considered a model organism due to its bioluminescence capacity linked to circadian rhythms. The mechanisms underlying the bioluminescent phenomenon have been well characterized in dinoflagellates; however, there are still some aspects that remain an enigma. Such is the case of the presence and diversity of the luciferin-binding protein (LBP), as well as the synthesis process of luciferin. Here we carry out a review of the literature in relation to the molecular players responsible for bioluminescence in dinoflagellates, with particular interest in P. lunula. We also carried out a phylogenetic analysis of the conservation of protein sequence, structure and evolutionary pattern of these key players. The basic structure of the luciferase (LCF) is quite conserved among the sequences reported to date for dinoflagellate species, but not in the case of the LBP, which has proven to be more variable in terms of sequence and structure. In the case of luciferin, its synthesis has been shown to be complex process with more than one metabolic pathway involved. The glutathione S-transferase (GST) and the P630 or blue compound, seem to be involved in this process. In the same way, various hypotheses regarding the role of bioluminescence in dinoflagellates are exposed.

Proximal tubules are a target for paraproteinemic diseases. Cast nephropathy, light chain deposition diseases, and amyloidosis are frequently encountered in patients with multiple myeloma. Rarely, a subset of patients develop light chain Fanconi syndrome (LCFS). LCFS has been reported with multiple myeloma, monoclonal gammopathy of renal significance (MGRS), chronic lymphocytic leukemia, Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. No cases have been described with other hematologic malignancies. We report the first case of lambda LCFS in a patient with both acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS).

OBJECTIVE

The almost constant presence of apparent metabolic hypermetabolism of cerebellar vermis seen on 18FDG PET in a population of injured brains has been reported in a previous paper. Aim of this paper is to determine a) whether there is a correlation between the entity of this sign, semi quantitatively determined, and the severity of the trauma at its onset, and b) whether the entity of the relative enhancement correlates with the medium and long term clinical outcome.

METHODS

A group of 45 consecutive patients admitted to the Acquired Brain Injury Unit of our Hospital for recent, major head trauma, underwent a basal 18FDG PET/CT scan of the brain; the presence of relative hypermetabolism of the vermis cerebelli was visually assessed and semi quantitatively determined (vermis/cerebellum ratio: V/C); the median V/C value was used as a divide between low V/C ratios (group A) and high V/C ratios (group B). During one year after trauma, every patient from both groups received an extensive testing to evaluate cognitive and behavioral performances and evolution: Disability Rating Scale (DRS) and Levels of Cognitive Function (LCF) were administered monthly from month 1 to month 6, and at 12 months from the trauma; Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) was administered at 3, 6 and 12 months from the head trauma. Numerical scores from each of these performance-testing protocols were cross-matched with values derived from the V/C 18FDG PET/CT determinations. A relative risk estimate via Chi-square testing was performed on the results of both groups for LCF and DRS scales at 1, 6 and 12 months from trauma.

RESULTS

At one month after trauma, overall LCF (LCFLCF scale were: 3.20 (c.b. 1.74 - 5.90) at 1 month, 6.909 (c.b. 1.03 - 46.15) at 6 months, 4.22 (c.b. 0.65 - 27.10) at 12 months.

CONCLUSIONS

A) there is a strong correlation between the semi quantitatively determined values of vermian relative hypermetabolism and the severity of trauma as determined by standard cognitive and performance testings; the V/C ratio may therefore be considered a reliable, although non-specific, index of brain suffering. B) there is a good statistical correlation between the semi quantitative vermian/cerebellar ratio determined shortly after the trauma, and the clinical outcome of the patients, evaluated by standard clinical performance tests and relative risk estimates.

To combine good chemical stability and high oxygen permeability, a mixed ionic-electronic conducting (MIEC) 75 wt% Ce(0.85)Gd(0.1)Cu(0.05)O(2-δ)-25 wt% La(0.6)Ca(0.4)FeO(3-δ)(CGCO-LCF) dual-phase membrane based on a MIEC-MIEC composite has been developed. Copper doping into Ce(0.9)Gd(0.1)O(2-δ) (CGO) oxide enhances both ionic and electronic conductivity, which then leads to a change from ionic conduction to mixed conduction at elevated temperatures. For the first time we demonstrate that an intergranular film with 2-10 nm thickness containing Ce, Ca, Gd, La, and Fe has been formed between the CGCO grains in the CGCO-LCF one-pot dual-phase membrane. A high oxygen permeation flux of 0.70 mL min(-1) cm(-2) is obtained by the CGCO-LCF one-pot dual-phase membrane with 0.5 mm thickness at 950 °C using pure CO2 as the sweep gas, and the membrane shows excellent stability in the presence of CO2 even at lower temperatures (800 °C) during long-term operation.

Distributed optical fiber Brillouin sensors can monitor the temperature and strain along a fiber by estimating the Brillouin frequency shift (BFS) according to the measured Brillouin spectrum. The system performance is highly dependent on the algorithm of BFS extraction. The well-established Lorentz curve fitting (LCF) method is generally employed because the Brillouin spectrum theoretically satisfies a Lorentz shape. Recently, machine-learning methods have been proposed for more effective BFS extraction, but they have some drawbacks and limitations. The machine-learning algorithms require a large amount of data and high computing power to find suitable extraction methods. However, with prior knowledge, Brillouin spectrum can be treated as a regular signal that requires only three degrees of freedom to define. The unique sparsity characteristics of Brillouin spectrum have not been well studied or exploited. In this paper, we propose a sparse representation method for Brillouin spectrum that extracts three sparse features of the Brillouin spectrum through the dictionary-learning algorithm (K-means singular value decomposition). The correlation between the sparse coefficient and the BFS is experimentally calibrated and verified. The accuracy of the proposed algorithm is comparable to that of LCF, and its processing is six times faster. This sparse representation method for Brillouin spectra is promising as an alternative universal BFS extraction method for distributed Brillouin sensors.

Rhodium(III) anticancer drugs can exert preferential antimetastatic or cytotoxic activities, which are dependent on subtle structural changes. In order to delineate factors affecting the biotransformations and speciation, mer,cis-[RhCl₃( S-dmso)₂( O-dmso)] (A1) and mer,cis-[RhCl₃( S-dmso)₂(²N-indazole)] (A2) have been studied by X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). Interactions of these complexes with saline buffer, cell culture media, serum proteins (albumin and apo-transferrin), native and chemically degraded collagen gels, and A549 cells have been studied using linear combination fitting (LCF) and 3D scatter plots of XAS data. Following initial aquation and hydrolysis reactions involving stepwise displacement of Cl^- and S-/ O-dmso ligands, the Rh(III) complexes underwent further ligand substitution reactions with biological nucleophiles (e.g., amino acid residues of serum proteins). The reaction of A1 with chemically degraded collagen gel was postulated to be a key reason for its antimetastatic activity. Analyses of the XAS of Rh-treated bulk cells were consistent with structure-reactivity relationships in which the more reactive A1 was predominantly antimetastatic and the less reactive A2 was predominantly cytotoxic, showing relationships parallel to typical Ru(III) anticancer agents, i.e., NAMI-A ([ImH] trans-[RuCl₄( S-dmso)( N-imidazole)₂], ImH = imidazolium cation) and KP1019/NKP1339 (KP1019, [IndH] trans-[RuCl₄(N-indazole)₂], IndH = indazolium cation; NKP1339, sodium trans-[RuCl₄(²N-indazole)₂]), respectively.

The aim of this work is to develop and test a lumped parameter model of the cardiovascular system to simulate the simultaneous use of pulsatile (P) and continuous flow (C) ventricular assist devices (VADs) on the same patient. Echocardiographic and hemodynamic data of five pediatric patients undergoing VAD implantation were retrospectively collected and used to simulate the patients' baseline condition with the numerical model. Once the baseline hemodynamic was reproduced for each patient, the following assistance modalities were simulated: (a) CVAD assisting the right ventricle and PVAD assisting the left ventricle (RCF + LPF), (b) CVAD assisting the left ventricle and PVAD assisting the right ventricle (LCF + RPF). The numerical model can well reproduce patients' baseline. The cardiac output increases in both assisted configurations (RCF + LPF: +17%, LCF + RPF: +21%, P = ns), left (right) ventricular volumes decrease more evidently in the configuration LCF + RPF (RCF + LPF), left (right) atrial pressure decreases in the LCF + RPF (RCF + LPF) modality. The pulmonary arterial pressure slightly decreases in the configuration LCF + RPF and it increases with RCF + LPF. Left and right ventricular external work increases in both configurations probably because of the total cardiac output increment. However, left and right artero-ventricular coupling improves especially in the LCF + RPF (-36% for the left ventricle and -21% for the right ventricle, P = ns). The pulsatility index decreases by 8.5% in the configuration LCF + RPF and increases by 6.4% with RCF + LPF (P = 0.0001). A numerical model could be useful to tailor on patients the choice of the VAD that could be implanted to improve the hemodynamic benefits. Moreover, a model could permit to simulate extreme physiological conditions and innovative configurations, as the implantation of both CVAD and PVAD on the same patient.

Phytoremediation is an effective and environmentally friendly approach to treat antibiotic contaminated water, however, the mechanisms of migration and transformation of antibiotics in plant tissues are still far from clear. In this study, the floating macrophyte Eichhornia crassipes was exposed to a series of antibiotic ciprofloxacin (CIP) concentrations. The results showed that the CIP was taken up and accumulated in the roots, which were the major accumulative tissue. CIP content increased with lipid content. During cultivation, the root bioconcentration factor (RCF) gradually increased. The average CIP content detected in aerial parts was 12.80 μg g^-1, an order of magnitude lower than in the roots. At low CIP concentrations, the highest leaf bioconcentration factor (LCF) and transfer factor (TF) indicated highly efficient translocation from roots to aerial parts. The soluble protein growth rate of leaves, which is associated with metabolic activity, increased following CIP exposure. Overall, eight major transformation products in E. crassipes tissues were identified, and three possible transformation pathways were proposed involving the processes of desethylation, dehydroxylation, oxidation, hydroxylation and cleavage of the piperazine and quinoline rings. These findings could prove beneficial for improving the management or amelioration methods used for treating water contaminated with antibiotics.

This study involved a field-based investigation to assess the occurrence, distribution and bioaccumulation behaviour of hydrophobic organic contaminants in a large-scale constructed wetland. Samples of raw leachate, water and wetland plants, Typha angustifolia, were collected for chemical analysis. Target contaminants included polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organochlorine pesticides (OCP), as well as several halogenated flame retardants (HFRs) and personal care products (triclosan and synthetic musks). In addition to PCBs and OCPs, synthetic musks, triclosan (TCS) and dechlorane plus stereoisomers (syn- and anti-DPs) were frequently detected. Root concentration factors (log RCF L/kg wet weight) of the various contaminants ranged between 3.0 and 7.9. Leaf concentration factors (log LCF L/kg wet weight) ranged between 2.4 and 8.2. syn- and anti-DPs exhibited the greatest RCF and LCF values. A strong linear relationship was observed between log RCF and octanol-water partition coefficient (log KOW). Translocation factors (log TFs) were negatively correlated with log KOW. The results demonstrate that more hydrophobic compounds exhibit higher degrees of partitioning into plant roots and are less effectively transported from roots to plant leaves. Methyl triclosan (MTCS) and 2,8-dichlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (DCDD), TCS degradation products, exhibited relatively high concentrations in roots and leaves., highlighting the importance of degradation/biotransformation. The results further suggest that Typha angustifolia in this constructed wetland can aid the removal of hydrophobic organic contaminants present in this landfill leachate. The findings will aid future investigations regarding the fate and bioaccumulation of hydrophobic organic contaminants in constructed wetlands.

Lycium chinense fruit (LCF) is widely distributed in East Asia that has been used traditionally for antiaging purposes. This study was performed to examine the effects of LCF on attention and cognitive function in healthy young people.

An 11-week, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover trial of 74 patients was conducted and its data were collected on Kyung-Hee University Korean Medical Hospital, Seoul, Korea. In crossover treatment, LCF or placebo was administered three times a day, total 3600 mg as two capsules of 600 mg once for 4 weeks with 3-week washout each. The computerized neurocognitive function test (CNT), the Korean version of the attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder rating scale-IV, the clinical global impression rating scale, and the Frankfurt attention inventory (FAIR) for two groups were conducted 0 week before and 4 week, 11 week after the experiment, and significant mean changes of these tests for within group or two groups were measured by paired t-test or unpaired t-test.

The administration of LCF or placebo crossover for 8 weeks in healthy young people presented significant improvement in the verbal learning test, digit span forward test, digit span backward test, auditory continuous performance task of CNT, and FAIR-performance value compared with the placebo group (each group n = 43, P < 0.05).

Thus, the consumption of LCF might be beneficial to increase learning and memory through attention and cognitive enhancing effect in normal young people, at an average age of 18 years of age.

BACKGROUND

Flow and filling ability are important properties of endodontic materials. The aim of this study was to propose a new technique for evaluating flow using micro-computed tomographic (μCT) imaging.

METHODS

A glass plate was manufactured with a central cavity and 4 grooves extending out horizontally and vertically. The flow of MTA-Angelus (Angelus, Londrina, PR, Brazil), zinc oxide eugenol (ZOE), and Biodentine (BIO) (Septodont, Saint Maur des Fossés, France) was evaluated using International Standards Organization (ISO) 6876/2002 and a new technique as follows: 0.05 ± 0.005 mL of each material was placed in the central cavity, and another glass plate and metal weight with a total mass of 120 g were placed over the material. The plate/material set was scanned using μCT imaging. The flow was calculated by linear measurement (mm) of the material in the grooves. Central cavity filling was calculated in mm3 in the central cavity. Lateral cavity filling (LCF) was measured by LCF mean values up to 2 mm from the central cavity. Data were analyzed statistically using analysis of variance and Tukey tests with a 5% significance level.

RESULTS

ZOE showed the highest flow rate determined by ISO methodology (P < .05). Analysis performed using μCT imaging showed MTA-Angelus and ZOE had higher linear flow rates in the grooves. Central cavity filling was similar for the materials. However, LCF was higher for BIO versus ZOE.

CONCLUSIONS

Although ZOE presented better flow determined by ISO methodology, BIO showed the best filling ability. The model of the technique proposed for evaluating flow using μCT imaging showed proper and reproducible results and could improve flow analysis.

As a newly developed gun barrel steel, the novel steel has shown excellent high-temperature strength, high resistance to wear and erosion, contributing to the superior ballistic life of gun barrels. As ballistic life increases, the fatigue life becomes essential for the safety and reliability of gun barrels. This paper presents a comparison of the low cycle fatigue (LCF) behaviors between a novel steel and 30SiMn2MoV steel at 700 °C. A strain-controlled fatigue test was carried out on the novel steel and 30SiMn2MoV steel in the strain range from 0.2 to 0.6%. The cyclic stress response behaviors of the novel steel and 30SiMn2MoV steel show cyclic softening behavior. In addition, the shape of the hysteresis rings of the novel steel and 30SiMn2MoV steel exhibit no-Masing model behavior. Energy-life relationships results show that the novel steel has higher fatigue resistance than the 30SiMn2MoV steel at 700 °C. The results of fatigue fracture analysis show that the failure mode of the 30SiMn2MoV steel is a mixed mode of intergranular fracture and transgranular fracture, while the failure mode of the novel steel is intergranular fracture. The cyclic softening of the two materials can be attributed to the lath structure with a high density of dislocations gradually transforms into low energy subcrystalline and cellular structures at 700 °C. The novel steel has a better fatigue life than the 30SiMn2MoV steel at 700 °C and different strain amplitudes, which is mainly related to the carbides and lath martensite in the materials.

Keywords: 30SiMn2MoV steel; fatigue fracture; high temperature LCF; strain energy density; the novel steel.

Bursal (B) and thymic (T) lymphocytes from chickens sensitized to Mycobacterium tuberculosis (PPD) or human gamma globulin (hGG) produced an avian lymphocyte-inhibitory factor designated as LyIF-PPD or LyIF-hGG, respectively. A chemotactic factor (LCF) for peripheral blood leukocytes was elaborated only by T-cells sensitized to PPD and hGG. These factors were partially purified by HPLC and were characterized physiochemically. Maximum inhibitory activity for LyIF-PPD and LyIF-hGG occurred in peak fractions corresponding to molecular weight ranges of 29,000 to 52,000 daltons and 15,000 to 29,000 daltons, respectively. The inhibitory activity of B- and T-LyIF-hGG was lost after chymotrypsin and neuraminidase treatment. Maximum chemotactic activity for LCF-PPD and LCF-hGG was in peak HPLC fractions corresponding to molecular weight ranges of 9,000 to 16,000 daltons and 8,000 to 16,500 daltons, respectively. Chemotactic activity of LCF-PPD and LCF-hGG was lost following chymotrypsin treatment while it was not reduced after neuraminidase treatment. Both inhibitory and chemotactic activities were stable at 56 C for 30 min and resistant to changes in pH from 5 to 9. The precursor molecule for the lymphokine is made after antigen immunization, but activated in the presence of the sensitizing agent.

Background: Respiratory diseases (RD) constitute a significant part of the workload of family physicians. There is no consensus on what family doctors should know in this area but established methods for achieving consensus may help to overcome this.

Objectives: The purpose of the study was to obtain a national consensus on the required knowledge and skills in respiratory medicine for family medicine trainees after vocational training.

Methods: A Delphi study was conducted via e-mail with a diverse panel of experts. We developed a Learning Curriculum Framework (LCF) with 399 items adapted from the Royal Australasian College of Physicians - Respiratory Medicine Advanced Training Curriculum. The LCF was submitted to the experts in two rounds for consensus. Consensus was considered for items that had an agreement of 80% in the classifications above 4 on a scale of importance that ranged from 1 (not important) to 5 (very important).

Results: Consensus was obtained for 159 items (38.8%). These included structure and function of the respiratory tract (0.6%), presenting problems (21.4%), diagnosis (7.5%), interventions and prevention (11.3%), COPD-emphysema (12.6%), tumours (3.1%), infections (10.7%), tuberculosis (5.7%), HIV (1.3%), thromboembolic disease (2.5%), pleural-pulmonary disease (3.1%), pregnancy (0.6%) and sleep disorders (3.8%). Items on iatrogenic diseases and respiratory research did not reach consensus.

Conclusions: Consensus on the respiratory medicine curriculum may contribute to further development of the vocational training curriculum in Portugal. This approach may help teachers in other countries in Europe to develop curricula for respiratory medicine and other areas of general practice.

Keywords: Family medicine training; Respiratory medicine curriculum.

Geometrically induced birefringence represents a pathway for precisely engineering the modes in fibers and is particularly relevant for applications that crucially depend on modal dispersion. Here liquid core fibers (LCFs) with elliptical cores are analyzed in view of modal properties and third-harmonic generation (THG) numerically and experimentally. Using finite element modeling, the impact of ellipticity on phase matching, inter-modal coupling, electric field distribution, and birefringence are investigated. Significant THG in practically relevant modes, in accordance with phase-matching calculations, was measured in inorganic solvent-based LCFs.

OBJECTIVE

To test the hypothesis that pregnant women with high serum βhCG level and serum dyslipidemia in second trimester are more prone to develop subsequent Pregnancy Induced Hypertension (PIH).

METHODS

One hundred pregnant women with singleton pregnancy between 14 and 20 weeks of gestation attending antenatal outpatient department (OPD) of SMCH were studied. Serum βhCG was estimated by two-site chemiluminescent-immunometric method. Serum lipid profile was evaluated by enzymatic colorimetric test with Lipid Clearing Factor (LCF).

RESULTS

Eighteen cases developed PIH while eighty two cases remained normotensive. The serum βhCG level was significantly high (p (see symbol) 0.001) in those women developing PIH. Serum concentration of total cholesterol in women who subsequently developed PIH was significantly higher than that of normotensive group (p (see symbol) 0.05). Mean TG value in PIH group was higher than the normotensive group. Level of LDL in PIH group was also significant (p (see symbol) 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Present study showed that elevated serum βhCG and Dyslipidemia in second trimester can be considered as predictors of subsequent PIH / Pre-eclampsia. However, there is need of large community based prospective study to validate the result.

Although some researchers have reported that chlorides may play an important part in the evaporation of copper during heat treatment of municipal solid waste incinerators (MSWI) fly ash (1, 2) , details on the copper speciation in volatile matters (secondary fly ash, SFA) are still lacking. In this work, we used in situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) experiments involving three types of SFA, which was collected from a high-temperature tubular electric furnace by thermal treatment of municipal solid waste incinerator (MSWI) fly ash at 1000, 1150, and 1250 degrees C. The results obtained by a linear combination fit (LCF) of X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectra revealed that in MSWI fly ash copper mainly exists as CuO and CuSO(4).5H(2)O while chloride almost dominated all the content of the SFA conformation, which was more than 80%. Extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) data analysis indicated the presence of both Cu-O and Cu-Cl bonds in the first coordination shell of Cu ions in all SFA, while only Cu-O bonds occur in the MSWI fly ash. Consequently, in the MSWI fly ash during heat treatment copper evaporated as chloride, and the latter plays an important role in the formation of copper chloride.

Convection-reaction equation-based magnetic resonance electrical properties tomography (cr-MREPT) provides conductivity images that are boundary artifact-free and robust against noise. However, these images suffer from the low convective field (LCF) artifact. We propose to use dielectric pads to alter the transmit magnetic field (B₁⁺ ), shift the LCF region, and eliminate the LCF artifact.

Computer simulations were conducted to analyze the effects of pad electrical properties, pad thickness, pad height, arc angle, and thickness of the pad-object gap. In 3T MR experiments, water pads and BaTiO₃ pads were used with agar-saline phantoms. Two data sets (e.g., with the pad located on the left or on the right of the object [phantom]) were acquired, and the corresponding linear systems were simultaneously solved to get LCF artifact-free conductivity images.

A pad needed to have 180° arc angle and the same height with the phantom for maximum benefit. Increasing the pad thickness and/or the relative permittivity of the pad increased the LCF shift, whereas excessive amounts of these parameters caused errors in conductivity reconstructions because the effect of neglected B_z terms became noticeable. Conductivity of the pad, on the other hand, had minimal effect on elimination of the LCF artifact. Combining 2 data sets (i.e., with 2 different dielectric pad positions) resulted in more accurate conductivity maps (low L² -errors) as opposed to no pad or single pad cases in experiments and simulations.

Using the proposed technique, LCF artifact is significantly removed, and the reconstructed conductivity values are improved.

Kinetics data for CO2 thermochemical reduction in an isothermal membrane reactor is required to identify the rate-limiting steps. A detailed reaction kinetics study on this process supported by an La0.9 Ca0.1 FeO3-δ (LCF-91) membrane is thus reported. The dependence of CO2 reduction rate on various operating conditions is examined, such as CO2 concentration on the feed side, fuel concentrations on the sweep side, and temperatures. The CO2 reduction rate is proportional to the oxygen flux across the membrane, and the measured maximum fluxes are 0.191 and 0.164 μmol cm-2 s-1 with 9.5 mol% H2 and 11.6 mol% CO on the sweep side at 990 °C, respectively. Fuel is used to maintain the chemical potential gradient across the membrane and CO is used to derive the surface reaction kinetics. This membrane also exhibits stable performances for 106 h. A resistance-network model is developed to describe the oxygen transport process and the kinetics data are parameterized using the experimental values. The model shows a transition of the rate limiting step between the surface reactions on the feed side and the sweep side depending on the operating conditions.

The aim of the study was to develop a design methodology for the UltraHigh Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE)-based composites used in friction units. To achieve this, stress-strain analysis was done using computer simulation of the triboloading processes. In addition, the effects of carbon fiber size used as reinforcing fillers on formation of the subsurface layer structures at the tribological contacts as well as composite wear resistance were evaluated. A structural analysis of the friction surfaces and the subsurface layers of UHMWPE as well as the UHMWPE-based composites loaded with the carbon fibers of various (nano-, micro-, millimeter) sizes in a wide range of tribological loading conditions was performed. It was shown that, under the "moderate" tribological loading conditions (60 N, 0.3 m/s), the carbon nanofibers (with a loading degree up to 0.5 wt.%) were the most efficient filler. The latter acted as a solid lubricant. As a result, wear resistance increased by 2.7 times. Under the "heavy" test conditions (140 N, 0.5 m/s), the chopped carbon fibers with a length of 2 mm and the optimal loading degree of 10 wt.% were more efficient. The mechanism is underlined by perceiving the action of compressive and shear loads from the counterpart and protecting the tribological contact surface from intense wear. In doing so, wear resistance had doubled, and other mechanical properties had also improved. It was found that simultaneous loading of UHMWPE with Carbon Nano Fibers (CNF) as a solid lubricant and Long Carbon Fibers (LCF) as reinforcing carbon fibers, provided the prescribed mechanical and tribological properties in the entire investigated range of the "load-sliding speed" conditions of tribological loading.

In a leakage channel fiber, the desired fundamental mode (FM) has negligible waveguide loss. Higher-order modes (HOM) are designed to have much higher waveguide losses so that they are practically eliminated during propagation. Coherent reflection at the fiber outer boundary can lead to additional confinement especially for highly leaky HOM, leading to lower HOM losses than what are predicted by conventional FEM mode solver considering infinite cladding. In this work, we conducted, for the first time, careful measurements of HOM losses in two leakage channel fibers (LCF) with circular and rounded hexagonal boundary shapes respectively. Impact on HOM losses from coiling, fiber boundary shapes and coating indexes were studied in comparison to simulations. This work, for the first time, demonstrates the limit of the simulation method commonly used in the large-mode-area fiber designs and the need for an improved approach. More importantly, this work also demonstrates that a deviation from circular fiber outer shape may be an effective method to mitigate HOM loss reduction from coherent reflection from fiber outer boundary, even in double-clad fibers, with HOM losses in excess of 20 dB/m measured in the hexagonal LCF with ~50 µm core diameter while keeping FM loss negligible.

Reducing conditions and high organic carbon content make wetlands favorable to uranium (U) sequestration. However, such environments are subjected to water-table fluctuations that could impact the redox behavior of U and its mobility. Our previous study on U speciation in a contaminated wetland has suggested a major role of water-table redox fluctuations in the redistribution of U from U(IV)-phosphate minerals to organic U(VI) and U(IV) mononuclear species. Here, we investigate the mechanisms of these putative processes by mimicking drying or flooding periods via laboratory incubations of wetland samples. LCF-XANES and EXAFS analyses show the total oxidation/reduction of U(IV)/U(VI)-mononuclear species after 20 days of oxic/anoxic incubation, whereas U-phosphate minerals are partly oxidized/reduced. SEM-EDXS combined with μ-XRF and μ-XANES analyses suggest that autunite Ca(UO₂)₂(PO₄)₂⋅11H₂O is reduced into lermontovite U(PO₄)(OH)⋅H₂O, whereas oxidized ningyoite CaU(PO₄)₂⋅2H₂O is locally dissolved. The release of U from this latter process is observed to be limited by U(VI) adsorption to the soil matrix and further re-reduction into mononuclear U(IV) upon anoxic cycling. Analysis of incubation waters show, however, that dissolved organic carbon enhances U solubilization even under anoxic conditions. This study brings important information that help to assess the long-term stability of U in seasonally saturated organic-rich contaminated environments.

Thermal hydrolysis pretreatment (THP) can improve sludge disintegration and biogas production. Phosphorus (P) is immobilized on hydrochars of sewage sludge (SS). It is critical to understand changes in P speciation in SS hydrochars under different reaction temperatures and reaction times during THP for reclamation and (re)cycling of P. This study combined sequential extraction, ³¹P liquid and solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and P K-edge X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy to systematically analyze variation in P speciation and related metals in hydrochars. The temperature of the THP has more influence on P extraction content than reaction time; the bioavailability of P from hydrochars declined with increasing temperature. A ³¹P liquid and solid-state NMR analysis demonstrated that orthophosphate was the most abundant phosphate present small deviations in the chemical shift were observed in different samples under different conditions. The results of XANES demonstrated that CaP was more stable than FeP and AlP. LCF results suggested OcataCa proportion raised under stable CaP ratio in samples when the temperature was above 155 °C and duration was 60 min. This study provides a theoretical basis that can meet the practical application of THP for sludge disposal and P reclamation on subsequent anaerobic digestion.