Chlorine-induced Gas-Solid coupled corrosion behaviors of tube materials in high steam parameter MSW incinerator.

The fast development of the waste incineration industry requires deeper insights into heating surface corrosion behavior at higher operating parameters with complex corrosion sources. This research investigates the corrosion behaviors of three types of plates, namely SA210-C, TP310, and 12CrMoV, when subjected to simulated flue gas and fly ash deposition simultaneously at temperatures ranging from 500℃ to 620℃. The results indicate that the weight loss due to coupling corrosion was 2.5 to 84.5 times higher than that of gas-phase corrosion under the same operating conditions. Among the three stainless-steels, TP310 demonstrates superior corrosion resistance. It is worth noting that, under the gas-solid coupling corrosion conditions, we observed a distinct two-layer structure of corrosion products. Despite the fly ash simulants detaching over time, the two-layer structure remained unchanged. Based on the theory of eutectic molten salt formation, we propose that alkali metal chlorides only initiate the formation of the molten layer in the initial stage of corrosion. Furthermore, we offer additional suggestions for the mechanism of sustaining the molten layer in the absence of alkali metal chlorides.

Enhanced electrocatalytic removal of bisphenol a by introducing Co/N into precursor formed from phenolic resin waste.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a typical endocrine disruptor, which can be used as an industrial raw material for the synthesis of polycarbonate and epoxy resins, etc. Recently, BPA has appeared on the list of priority new pollutants for control in various countries and regions. In this study, phenolic resin waste was utilized as a multi-carbon precursor for the electrocatalytic cathode and loaded with cobalt/nitrogen (Co/N) on its surface to form qualitative two-dimensional carbon nano-flakes (Co/NC). The onset potentials, half-wave potentials, and limiting current densities of the nitrogen-doped composite carbon material Co/NC in oxygen saturated 0.5 mol H2SO4 were -0.08 V, -0.61 V, and -0.41 mA cm-2; and those of alkaline conditions were -0.65 V, -2.51 V, and -0.38 mA cm-2, and the corresponding indexes were improved compared with those of blank titanium electrodes, which indicated that the constructed nitrogen-doped composite carbon material Co/NC was superior in oxygen reduction ability. The catalysis by metallic cobalt as well as the N-hybridized active sites significantly improved the efficiency of electrocatalytic degradation of BPA. In the electro-Fenton system, the yield of hydrogen peroxide generated by cathodic reduction of oxygen was 4.012 mg L-1, which effectively promoted the activation of hydroxyl radicals. The removal rate of BPA was above 95% within 180 min. This work provides a new insight for the design and development of novel catalyst to degrade organic pollutants.

LncRNA Anxa10-203 enhances Mc1r mRNA stability to promote neuropathic pain by recruiting DHX30 in the trigeminal ganglion.

BACKGROUND: Trigeminal nerve injury is one of the most serious complications in oral clinics, and the subsequent chronic orofacial pain is a consumptive disease. Increasing evidence demonstrates long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play an important role in the pathological process of neuropathic pain. This study aims to explore the function and mechanism of LncRNA Anxa10-203 in the development of orofacial neuropathic pain. METHODS: A mouse model of orofacial neuropathic pain was established by chronic constriction injury of the infraorbital nerve (CCI-ION). The Von Frey test was applied to evaluate hypersensitivity of mice. RT-qPCR and/or Western Blot were performed to analyze the expression of Anxa10-203, DHX30, and MC1R. Cellular localization of target genes was verified by immunofluorescence and RNA fluorescence in situ hybridization. RNA pull-down and RNA immunoprecipitation were used to detect the interaction between the target molecules. Electrophysiology was employed to assess the intrinsic excitability of TG neurons (TGNs) in vitro. RESULTS: Anxa10-203 was upregulated in the TG of CCI-ION mice, and knockdown of Anxa10-203 relieved neuropathic pain. Structurally, Anxa10-203 was located in the cytoplasm of TGNs. Mechanistically, Mc1r expression was positively correlated with Anxa10-203 and was identified as the functional target of Anxa10-203. Besides, Anxa10-203 recruited RNA binding protein DHX30 and formed the Anxa10-203/DHX30 complex to enhance the stability of Mc1r mRNA, resulting in the upregulation of MC1R, which contributed to the enhancement of the intrinsic activity of TGNs in vitro and orofacial neuropathic pain in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: LncRNA Anxa10-203 in the TG played an important role in orofacial neuropathic pain and mediated mechanical allodynia in CCI-ION mice by binding with DHX30 to upregulate MC1R expression.

Hydrothermal carbonization of Chinese medicine residues: Formation of humic acids and combustion performance of extracted hydrochar.

Aiming at the sustainable management of high-moisture Chinese medicine residues (CMR), an alternative way integrating hydrothermal carbonization (HTC), humic acids (HAs) extraction and combustion of remained hydrochar has been proposed in this study. Effect of HTC temperature, HTC duration, and feedwater pH on the mass yield and properties of HAs was examined. The associated formation mechanism of HAs during HTC was proposed. The combustion performance of remained hydrochar after HAs extraction was evaluated. Results show that the positive correlation between hydrochar yield and HAs yield is observed. According to three-dimensional excitation emission matrix (3D EEM) fluorescence intensity, the best quality of HAs is achieved with a yield of 8.17 % at feedwater pH of 13 and HTC temperature of 200 °C. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses show abundant aromatic and aliphatic structure as well as oxygenated functional groups in HAs, which is like commercial HAs (HA-C). Besides, in terms of comprehensive combustion index (CCI), HTC can improve the combustion performance of CMR, while it becomes a bit worse after HAs extraction. Higher weighted mean apparent activation energy (Em) of hydrochar indicating its highly thermal stability. HAs extraction reduces Em and CCI of remained hydrochar. However, it can be regarded a potential renewable energy. This work confirms a more sustainable alternative way for CMR comprehensive utilization in near future.

Using machine learning to trace the pollution sources of disinfection by-products precursors compared to receptor models.

To increase the efficiency of managing backup water resources, it is critical to identify and allocate pollution sources. Source apportionment of dissolved organic matter (DOM) was investigated in our work. Parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) and the Spearman correlation analysis were used for source identification. After that, a newly hybrid model applying the fuzzy c-means and support vector regression (FCM-SVR) was employed for source apportionment compared to receptor models. The results demonstrated that the FCM-SVR model exhibited excellent generalization, and only required standardization and normalization as pre-processing steps for dataset. According to the results, microbial sources played a key role (28.1 %) in the formation potential of disinfection byproducts (DBPFPs). Additionally, shipping marine sources exhibited a substantial contribution (21.2 %) to DBPFPs. The prediction accuracy of DBPFPs was matched or exceeded receptor models, and the R2 of DOC (0.884) was significantly high. Therefore, we recommend the FCM-SVR model combined with PARAFAC to trace the source of DBPFPs as its significant effectiveness in source identification, source apportionment, and prediction accuracy, possessing the potential for further applicability in tracking more organic compounds. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATION: The disinfection byproducts precursors in water sources, which were thought to be hazardous materials in this study, are proved to be chlorinated into carcinogenic disinfection byproducts (DBPs) during drinking water treatment, However, the source apportionment methods of DBPs are not well developed compared to other inorganic matter, e.g., heavy metals and ammonia nitrogen. We proposed a new FCM-SVR model to trace the source of DBPs, which required easier pre-treatment and resulted a better source apportionment and prediction accuracy. As a result, it could provide a different prospect and useful management advices to trace the source of DBPs.

Adsorption of pyrolysis oil model compound (phenol) with plasma-modified hydro-chars and mechanism exploration.

Phenol is one of the important ingredients of pyrolysis oil, contributing to the high biotoxicity of pyrolysis oil. To promote the degradation and conversion of phenol during anaerobic digestion, cheap hydro-chars with high phenol adsorption capacity were produced. The phenol adsorption capabilities of the plain hydro-char, plasma modified hydro-char at 25 °C (HC-NH3-P-25) and 500 °C (HC-NH3-P-500) were evaluated, and their adsorption kinetics and thermodynamics were explored. Experimental results indicate that the phenol adsorption capability of HC-NH3-P-500 was the highest. The phenol adsorption kinetics of all samples followed the pseudo-second-order equation and interparticle diffusion model, indicating that the adsorption rate of phenol was controlled by interparticle diffusion and chemistry adsorption simultaneously. By DFT calculations, π-π stacking and hydrogen bond are the main interactions for phenol adsorption. It was observed that an enriched graphite N content decreased the average vertical distance between hydro-chars and phenol in π-π stacking complex, from 3.5120 to 3.4532 Å, causing an increase in the negative adsorption energy between phenol and hydro-char from 13.9330 to 23.4181 kJ/mol. For hydrogen bond complex, the average vertical distance decreased from 3.4885 to 3.3386 Å due to the increase in graphite N content; causing the corresponding negative adsorption energy increased from 19.0233 to 19.9517 kJ/mol. Additionally, the presence of graphite N in the hydro-char created a positive diffusion region and enhanced the electron density between hydro-char and phenol. Analyses suggest that enriched graphite N contributed to the adsorption complex stability, resulting in an improved phenol adsorption capacity.

MSW pyro-gasification using high-temperature CO2 as gasifying agent: Influence of contact mode between CO2, char and volatiles on final products.

The volatiles and char derived from municipal solid waste (MSW) pyrolysis can be catalytically reformed and gasified using high-temperature CO2 (HT-CO2) as gasifying agent and char as a catalyst simultaneously to obtain high quality synthesis gas, but the reactor's design for this purpose is still a question. In this research, the contact configuration between the HT-CO2, the volatile compounds, and the char from MSW pyrolysis were studied to understand the relevant reaction behaviors and to establish guidelines for the reactor's design. Three contact modes were designed, including: M1, where volatiles and HT-CO2 contact first, then contact the char; M2, where volatiles, CO2, and char contact simultaneously at the bottom of the char layer; and M3, where CO2 contacts with the char first, then the volatiles contact in the middle of the char layer. The temperature evolution in the char layer, the yields and properties of the resultant combustible gases, used char, and tar were investigated. Experimental results revealed that the contact mode significantly affected the levels of char gasification and volatiles' reforming. For M1, intense thermal cracking of volatiles occurred and 65.41% of the input heat of HT-CO2 was consumed for thermal cracking, resulting in substantial carbon deposition and limited energy transfer from char to the synthesis gas. While, the char contacting HT-CO2 firstly in M3 improved its catalytic activity, causing 73.33 % of the input heat utilized for gasification and reforming; as a result, the maximum synthesis gas yield of 0.71 Nm3/kgMSW and gas energy ratio of 76.3 % were obtained respectively in M3 with the lowest tar yield of 5.45 %; additionally, the used char corresponded to the highest specific surface area of 10.12 m2/g. Ultimately, M3 is constructive and recommended, and the findings of this study offer helpful guidance for the design of pyro-gasification reactors.

The Effectiveness of an eHealth Family-Based Intervention Program in Patients With Uncontrolled Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) in the Community Via WeChat: Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Intervention based on family support and risk perception can enhance type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients' self-care activities. In addition, eHealth education is considered to improve family members' support for patients with T2DM. However, there is little evidence from rigorously designed studies on the effectiveness of an intervention combining these approaches. OBJECTIVE: This randomized controlled trial (RCT) aimed to assess the effectiveness of an eHealth family-based health education intervention for patients with T2DM to improve their glucose control, risk perception, and self-care behaviors. METHODS: This single-center, 2-parallel-group RCT was conducted between 2019 and 2020. Overall, 228 patients were recruited from Jiading District, Shanghai, and randomly divided into intervention and control groups. The intervention group received an eHealth family intervention based on community management via WeChat, whereas the control group received usual care. The primary outcome was the glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) level of the patients with T2DM, and the secondary outcomes were self-management behavior (general and specific diet, exercise, blood sugar testing, foot care, and smoking), risk perception (risk knowledge, personal control, worry, optimism bias, and personal risk), and family support (supportive and nonsupportive behaviors). A 2-tailed paired-sample t test was used to compare the participants at baseline and follow-up within the control and intervention groups. An analysis of covariance was used to measure the intervention effect. RESULTS: In total, 225 patients with T2DM were followed up for 1 year. After intervention, they had significantly lower HbA1c values (ß=-.69, 95% CI -0.99 to -0.39; P<.001). They also had improved general diet (ß=.60, 95% CI 0.20 to 1.00; P=.003), special diet (ß=.71, 95% CI 0.34 to 1.09; P<.001), blood sugar testing (ß=.50, 95% CI 0.02 to 0.98; P=.04), foot care (ß=1.82, 95% CI 1.23 to 2.42; P<.001), risk knowledge (ß=.89, 95% CI 0.55 to 1.24; P<.001), personal control (ß=.22, 95% CI 0.12 to 0.32; P<.001), worry (ß=.24, 95% CI 0.10 to 0.39; P=.001), optimism bias (ß=.26, 95% CI 0.09 to 0.43; P=.003), and supportive behaviors (ß=5.52, 95% CI 4.03 to 7.01; P<.001). CONCLUSIONS: The eHealth family-based intervention improved glucose control and self-care activities among patients with T2DM by aiding the implementation of interventions to improve T2DM risk perceptions among family members. The intervention is generalizable for patients with T2DM using health management systems in community health centers. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR1900020736; https://www.chictr.org.cn/showprojen.aspx?proj=31214.

Metabotropic glutamate receptor 5-mediated inhibition of inward-rectifying K+ channel 4.1 contributes to orofacial ectopic mechanical allodynia following inferior alveolar nerve transection in male mice.

Inward-rectifying K+ channel 4.1 (Kir4.1), which regulates the electrophysiological properties of neurons and glia by affecting K+ homeostasis, plays a critical role in neuropathic pain. Metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5) regulates the expression of Kir4.1 in retinal Müller cells. However, the role of Kir4.1 and its expressional regulatory mechanisms underlying orofacial ectopic allodynia remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the biological roles of Kir4.1 and mGluR5 in the trigeminal ganglion (TG) in orofacial ectopic mechanical allodynia and the role of mGluR5 in Kir4.1 regulation. An animal model of nerve injury was established via inferior alveolar nerve transection (IANX) in male C57BL/6J mice. Behavioral tests indicated that mechanical allodynia in the ipsilateral whisker pad lasted at least 14 days after IANX surgery and was alleviated by the overexpression of Kir4.1 in the TG, as well as intraganglionic injection of an mGluR5 antagonist (MPEP hydrochloride) or a protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor (chelerythrine chloride); Conditional knockdown of the Kir4.1 gene downregulated mechanical thresholds in the whisker pad. Double immunostaining revealed that Kir4.1 and mGluR5 were co-expressed in satellite glial cells in the TG. IANX downregulated Kir4.1 and upregulated mGluR5 and phosphorylated PKC (p-PKC) in the TG; Inhibition of mGluR5 reversed the changes in Kir4.1 and p-PKC that were induced by IANX; Inhibition of PKC activation reversed the downregulation of Kir4.1 expression caused by IANX (p < .05). In conclusion, activation of mGluR5 in the TG after IANX contributed to orofacial ectopic mechanical allodynia by suppressing Kir4.1 via the PKC signaling pathway.

Comparative study of carbon-deNOx process by different sewage sludge chars.

Sewage sludge char (SC) reduces NO to N2 at high temperatures thus acting as a potential reducing agent in flue gas cleaning systems. However, SC needs to be modified to enhance the carbon-deNOx performance. In this study, coal char (CC) and different types of SCs, i.e., original (SC-R), pyrolytic volatiles activated (SC-V) and KOH activated (SC-K), were compared in terms of their carbon-deNOx performance, including NO removal rate and secondary pollution discharged. The results showed that when the oxygen content in the flue gas was 5-6%, the carbon-deNOx efficiency of the three types of SCs was greater than 70%, which was higher than that of the CC. SC-V has lower emissions of CO and gaseous nitrogen-containing compounds (NH3, HNCO, HCN) among the three types of SCs. For the oxygen content of 8-11% in the flue gases, the NO conversion performance was found in the order of SC-K > SC-R > SC-V > CC. The physical and chemical characterization of activated carbon shows that pyrolytic-volatile activation increases the ratio of C-O and C=O functional groups on its surface of SC-V, which not only facilitates the chemisorption of NO but are also easily converted under high oxygen conditions. SC-V is found as a suitable reductant for carbon-deNOx within the temperature range of 300-350 °C.

Drying of Chinese medicine residues (CMR) by hot air for potential utilization as renewable fuels: drying behaviors, effective moisture diffusivity, and pollutant emissions.

High moisture in Chinese medicine residues (CMR) can decrease the energy efficiency of thermochemical conversion, which necessitates the pre-drying. Owing to the complex constituents and decoction, CMR may possess distinct drying characteristics. It is necessary to understand its drying behaviors, effective moisture diffusivity, and pollutant emissions for future design and optimization of an industrial-level dryer. In this study, the drying of four types of typical CMR in hot nitrogen was performed. Their condensate and exhaust gas were collected and characterized. The results indicated that their drying process was dominated by internal moisture transport mechanism with a long falling rate stage. Drying temperature influenced their drying process more greatly than N2 velocity did. Residual sum of squares, root mean square error, and coefficient of determination indicated that Weibull model demonstrated their drying process best. Their effective moisture diffusivity was in the range of 1.224 × 10-8 to 4.868 × 10-8 m2/s, while their drying activation energy ranged from 16.93 to 30.39 kJ/mol. The acidic condensate had high chemical oxygen demand and total nitrogen concentration and yet low total phosphorus concentration. The concentration of total volatile organic compounds, non-methane hydrocarbons, H2S, and NH3 in the exhaust gas met the national emission limitation, while the deodorization of exhaust gas was required to remove odor smell. Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13399-022-03722-4.

Preparation of activated carbon from sewage sludge using green activator and its performance on dye wastewater treatment.

The remediation of dyes in wastewater using activated carbon produced from sewage sludge pyrolysis char (PYC) is an environmentally friendly and sustainable process. However, traditional activators can cause corrosion of the processing facility, thereby increasing the costs of waste disposal. Here, activated carbons were prepared from sewage sludge PYC, and the effects of activation conditions (different activators, temperature and time, and char:activator mass ratio) on their specific surface areas and adsorption of iodine and methylene blue (MB; model dye) were studied. The results showed that a value of 952 m2/g could be attained for the specific surface area and values of 882 and 162 mg/g for the adsorption of iodine and MB, respectively, by heating PYC with KHCO3 (PYC- KHCO3: 1:2 w/w) for 60 min at 800 ℃. Compared with activation by KOH, the adsorption of MB using PYC-KHCO3 was slightly lower but the yield was 13.7% higher. Optimization of the activation process using surface response modelling indicated that sensitivity of three key factors to the adsorption of iodine and MB followed the order: Mass ratio > temperature > time. Systematic investigation of the effects of time, pH and temperature on the removal of MB by the activated carbon revealed that adsorption conformed to the Langmuir model and pseudo-second-order kinetics. The proposed mechanisms of MB adsorption involved ion exchange, functional group complexation and physical/π-π interactions. This study provides a basis for the efficient remediation of dyes in wastewater using activated carbon prepared from sustainable sewage sludge PYC and green chemistry.

MSW pyrolysis volatiles' reforming by incineration fly ash for both pyrolysis products upgrading and fly ash stabilization.

The effective disposal of municipal solid wastes (MSW) and its incineration-derived fly ash (IFA), which contains large amounts of heavy metals (HMs) and chlorine (Cl), is an urgent task. In this study, IFA was used to reform MSW pyrolysis volatiles within 500-800 °C. The changes of reformed pyrolysis products, the migration characteristics of HMs and Cl between IFA and pyrolysis products were investigated. The results indicated that the O- and Cl-containing compounds in pyrolysis oil tended to decrease, light hydrocarbons and its calorific value increased accordingly after reforming; more CH4 and H2 gases were produced concurrently. The increase in reforming temperature enhanced these trends. The IFA absorbed Cl from volatiles during reforming, which reduced HCl in the gas product. The toxicity equivalent (TEQ) of PCDD/Fs in IFA decreased dramatically from 0.47 µg/kg to 0.0055 µg/kg after reforming at 500 °C, and it decreased with increasing reforming temperature. Some of the HMs' concentrations in the used IFAs increased, but their leaching capacity all decreased significantly at 800 °C except for Cr. The used IFA at 800 °C (IFA-800) corresponded to the lowest HMs leaching concentrations and could meet the landfill requirements; while the used IFA at 500 °C (IFA-500) corresponded to the maximum carbon deposition of 14.63 wt%, providing the energy source for its melting. Therefore 800 °C was recommended for harmless disposal of IFA, and 500 °C was better for a further melting of IFA., The contamination of pyrolysis liquid caused by inorganic Cl-containing compounds at 500 and 800 °C with much lower levels than the original. This study showed the hazardous properties of IFA can be dampened after interacting with MSW pyrolysis volatiles within the tested temperature range, and provided a good chance for the simultaneous disposal of IFA and recovery of high-quality MSW pyrolysis products.

Promotion of methane production and degradation of pyrolysis oil during its co-anaerobic digestion process via addition of N-doping hydro-chars.

Pyrolysis of wastes usually produces toxic pyrolysis oil (PO), which has complex ingredients, including benzene series and long-chain macromolecule organic pollutants. Co-anaerobic digestion (co-AD) can be an economic and high-efficiency method for PO degradation and recovery of methane simultaneously, but complete degradation of PO has not been achieved yet. Addition of a hydro-char in the process is beneficial to PO degradation and methane production. In this study, to further enhance the effectiveness of the hydro-char, nitrogen (N) was doped into the hydro-char by plasma modification in a NH3 atmosphere; and the effectiveness of the N-doped hydro-chars for promoting PO degradation and methane production during the co-AD process were evaluated. The experimental results indicated that all the hydro-chars can reduce the biotoxicity of the PO, improve its degradation during the co-AD process, and increase the methane yield. Compared with the plain hydro-char (HC), the hydro-chars modified at ambient temperature (HC-NH3-P-25) and at 500 °C (HC-NH3-P-500) can help achieving complete PO degradation and increasing the methane yield more effectively. The anaerobic digestor containing the HC-NH3-P-500 had the highest apparent methane yield (169.03 mLCH4/mLPO) and highest COD removal rate (79.5%). The nitrogen content, specific surface area, and electron transfer capability are found to be the key factors affecting PO degradation and methane yield; and the HC-NH3-P-500 had the highest N-doping, most specific surface area and electron transfer capability, explaining its best performance. The microbial communities of the digestate with the addition of the hydro-chars were founded to be richer with Clostridia and Methanosarcina, which could enhance the electron transfer between different microorganisms and contribute to the PO degradation.

Effectiveness of WeChat-group-based parental health education in preventing unintentional injuries among children aged 0-3: randomized controlled trial in Shanghai.

BACKGROUND: Unintentional injuries to children are a major public health problem. The online social media is a potential way to implement health education for caregivers in online communities. Using WeChat, a free and popular social media service in China, this study evaluated the effectiveness of social online community-based parental health education in preventing unintentional injuries in children aged 0-3. METHODS: We recruited 365 parents from two community health centers in Shanghai and allocated them into intervention and control groups randomly. Follow-up lasted for one year. The intervention group received and followed their WeChat group and a WeChat official account for dissemination of reliable medical information. The control group received only the WeChat group. RESULTS: Between the intervention and control groups, changes in unintentional injuries (OR = 1.71, 95% CI: 1.02-2.87, P = .04), preventability (ß = 0.344, 95% CI: 0.152-0.537, P < .001), daily supervision behavior (ß = 0.503, 95% CI: 0.036-0.970, P = .04), and behaviors for preventing specific injuries (ß = 2.198, 95% CI: 1.530-2.865, P < .001) were significantly different, and change in first-aid skills for treating a tracheal foreign body were nearly significant (P = .06). CONCLUSIONS: The WeChat-group-based parental health education can reduce the occurrence of unintentional child injuries by improving parents' skills, beliefs, and behaviors. Online social communities promote health education and reduce unintentional injuries among children. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ChiCTR1900020753. Registered on January 17, 2019.

CaO-assisted hydrothermal treatment combined with incineration of sewage sludge: Focusing on phosphorus (P) fractions, P-bioavailability, and heavy metals behaviors.

Dewatering of sewage sludge (SS) was the prerequisite for saving its drying energy and sustaining its stable combustion. Hydrothermal treatment (HT) has been a promising technology for improving SS dewaterability with high energy efficiency. However, the knowledge of phosphorus (P) transformation and heavy metals (HMs) behaviors in the combined HT and incineration process was still lack. P fractions, P-bioavailability, HMs speciation, and their environmental risk in the ash samples from this combination process were evaluated and compared with those from the co-incineration of SS and CaO. The combination process was superior to the latter one in the light of P and HMs. CaO preferred to enhance the transformation of non-apatite inorganic phosphorus (NAIP) to apatite phosphorus (AP) initially with enriched P and increased P-bioavailability in the resultant ash samples. The combination process further reduced the values of risk assessment code and individual contamination factor with the increment of the stable F4 fraction in HMs. Significant reduction of potential ecological risk was observed with the lowest global risk index of 43.76 in the combination process. Optimum CaO addition of 6% was proposed in terms of P and HMs. The work here can provide theoretical references for the potential utilization of P from SS to mitigate the foreseeable shortage of P rocks.

Influencing Factors of Health Technology Assessment to Orphan Drugs: Empirical Evidence in England, Scotland, Canada, and Australia.

This study summarizes the intrinsic criteria for the recommendation of orphan drugs in England, Scotland, Canada, and Australia with the aim of understanding the rationale for the variability in decision-making and to provide a reference for the establishment of criteria in the process of access to health insurance for orphan drugs in different countries and the construction of national uniform criteria. A comparative analysis of 60 health technology assessment (HTA) guidelines of 15 drug-indication pairs appraised by four countries (England, Scotland, Canada, and Australia) from 2017 to 2018 was done, including an in-depth analysis of a case study. Agreement levels were measured using kappa scores. Associations were explored through correspondence analysis. The four countries possess some homogeneity in the assessment, but each has its own preferences. Poor agreement exists between England, Scotland, and Canada (-0.41 < kappa score < 0.192). In the correspondence analysis, England placed more emphasis on treatment methods in terms of control type when making recommendations. Canada and Scotland focused more on trial type with Canada placing more emphasis on phase III and open-label trials and on cost-utility analysis, while Australia was less studied in terms of economic models. Different countries have different goals when establishing HTA decisions for orphan drugs due to their different degrees of orphan drug coverage. Different countries should not only combine their unique values of clinical benefit and cost-effectiveness in the assessment of orphan drugs but also give different weights during the HTA process, after considering account the development of the country itself.

Correlating phosphorus transformation with process water during hydrothermal carbonization of sewage sludge via experimental study and mathematical modelling.

Recently, hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) based phosphorus (P) recovery from sewage sludge (SS) has attracted considerable interests worldwide. However, they concentrated on P transformation in the hydrochars, while ignored that the variations of process water (PW) might influence P transformation, since it exposed to water thoroughly during HTC. In this study, correlation of P transformation with PW were examined via experimental study and mathematical modelling. The results showed that statistical significance (p < 0.05) of HTC temperature and feedwater pH on NH4+-N concentration in the PW was observed due to deamination and ring opening reactions of amino acids, confirming by their excellent correlation with R2 = 0.988. NH4+-N concentration dominated increasing PW pH, which stimulated the transformation of NAIP to AP. Associated model was developed with satisfactory R2 = 0.938. Although P transformation during HTC was significantly influenced by HTC temperature and feedwater pH, supporting by their strong correlation with R2 = 0.956, its transformation was PW pH dependent. Ultimately, detailed P transformation pathways during HTC was proposed with incorporation into the impact of PW. This work can provide new insights into HTC-based P transformation in the pristine SS.

Using online social networks to provide a parental health-education intervention for preventing unintentional injuries among children aged 0-3 years: A randomized controlled trial and social network analysis in Shanghai, China.

Introduction: Unintentional injury among children represents a major public health problem. Online-social-network-based parental-health-education is a potential way to reduce child unintentional injuries. The study aimed to explore the mechanisms by which online-social-network-based health education may reduce the unintentional injuries among children aged 0-3 years. Methods: We conducted a participant-blinded, randomized controlled, online-social-network-based health-education intervention study from March 2019 to February 2020 in Shanghai. We established four WeChat groups (two intervention groups and two control groups). For the intervention groups, a doctor's assistant regularly delivered information regarding unintentional injuries among children, and community childcare doctors answered parents' questions concerning their children's health, including unintentional injuries. Meanwhile, the control groups did not receive any information from the assistant. The study selected one intervention group and one control group and compared the ego network and whole network indicators to determine the differences between the intervention and control groups. Results: In the intervention and control groups, 64.5% and 31.9% of the members, respectively, engaged in communication, and 1,736 and 273 records, respectively, were obtained. Regarding ego network, the doctor showed the largest network in the intervention group, and the size of the intervention group's network was twice that of the control group; the number of ties in the intervention group was nine times that of the control group. Fourteen and four parents in the intervention and control group played an active role, respectively. Regarding centrality, all WeChat groups were loose and multiple centers existed. Regarding subgroup cohesion, the intervention group had 28 cliques with 27 members, and the control group had 4 cliques with 4 members. For structural hole, 23.7% and 7.5% members in the intervention and control group actively participated in interactions, respectively, having strong control and influence over other parents; 69.2% and 59.1% members in the intervention and control group, respectively, had values of < 1.000, showing that they had strong ability to cross-jump structural holes. Discussion: Online-social-networks-based health education interventions could enhance communication among parents, and between parents and community childcare doctors, and also shorten the social distance between them. Thus, online-social-network-based parental-health-education-intervention can be a feasible and generalizable means of preventing unintentional injuries among children.