Process Optimization of Dual-Liquid Casting and Interfacial Strength-Toughness of the Produced LAS/HCCI Bimetal.

The pouring time interval is the decisive factor of dual-liquid casting for bimetallic productions. Traditionally, the pouring time interval is fully determined by the operator's experience and on-site observation. Thus, the quality of bimetallic castings is unstable. In this work, the pouring time interval of dual-liquid casting for producing low alloy steel/high chromium cast iron (LAS/HCCI) bimetallic hammerheads is optimized via theoretical simulation and experimental verification. The relevancies of interfacial width and bonding strength to pouring time interval are, respectively, established. The results of bonding stress and interfacial microstructure indicate that 40 s is the optimum pouring time interval. The effects of interfacial protective agent on interfacial strength-toughness are also investigated. The addition of the interfacial protective agent yields an increase of 41.5% in interfacial bonding strength and 15.6% in toughness. The optimum dual-liquid casting process is used to produce LAS/HCCI bimetallic hammerheads. Samples cut from these hammerheads show excellent strength-toughness (1188 Mpa for bonding strength and 17 J/cm2 for toughness). The findings could be a reference for dual-liquid casting technology. They are also helpful for understanding the formation theory of the bimetal interface.

Coordinated development and driving factor heterogeneity of different types of urban agglomeration carbon emissions in China.

Carbon emission (CE) reduction has become the primary task of China's urban agglomerations (UAs) in achieving sustainable development goals. This paper uses a decoupling model and coupling coordination model to measure the relationship between the development levels of different types of UAs and CEs in China from 2004 to 2016. Concurrently, the geographically and temporally weighted regression model is used to explore the spatial heterogeneity of the impact of different driving factors on the CEs of UAs. The results show the following: Most UAs have the potential to further decouple CEs and economic growth. Most UAs are still in coordinated development (> 0.5). Among the service innovation UAs, the Yangtze River Delta UA has a coupling coordination of less than 0.3, while the Pearl River Delta UA has a coupling coordination of more than 0.8, showing polarization. Manufacturing and resource-based UAs are still in the grinding adaptation stage (0.5-0.8). There are apparent spatiotemporal differences in the impacts of various driving factors on the CE of UAs. The level of land urbanization and investment in fixed assets promote CEs. However, the level of population urbanization and industrial structure restrain CEs. Therefore, reducing land development and industrial transformation can be an effective means to reduce CEs in UAs. These findings will provide extensive insights for different UAs to achieve differentiated low-carbon development.

Risk Transmission of Trade Price Fluctuations from a Nickel Chain Perspective: Based on Systematic Risk Entropy and Granger Causality Networks.

Nickel is a strategic mineral resource, with 65% of nickel being used in stainless steel. The situation in Ukraine starting in February 2022 has led to significant fluctuations in nickel prices, with prices of nickel products along the same chain affecting and passing through each other. Using systematic risk entropy and granger causality networks, we measure the volatility risk of trade prices of nickel products using the nickel industry chain trade data from 2000-2019 and explore the transmission patterns of different volatility risk prices from the industry chain perspective. The findings show that: (1) Nickel ore has the highest risk of import trade price volatility and a strong influence, but low risk transmission. Stainless steel has the highest trade price impact but is also subject to the strongest passive influence. (2) The Americas have a higher risk of trade price volatility but a weaker influence. The influence and sensitivity of trade prices is stronger in Asia and Europe. (3) Indonesia's stainless steel export prices have a high rate of transmission and strong influence. Germany's ferronickel export prices are highly susceptible to external influences and can continue to spread loudly. Russian nickel ore export prices are able to quickly spread their impact to other regions.

A rapid method for isolation of bacterial extracellular vesicles from culture media using epsilon-poly-L-lysine that enables immunological function research.

Both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria can release vesicle-like structures referred to as bacterial extracellular vesicles (BEVs), which contain various bioactive compounds. BEVs play important roles in the microbial community interactions and host-microbe interactions. Markedly, BEVs can be delivered to host cells, thus modulating the development and function of the innate immune system. To clarify the compositions and biological functions of BEVs, we need to collect these vesicles with high purity and bioactivity. Here we propose an isolation strategy based on a broad-spectrum antimicrobial epsilon-poly-L-lysine (ϵ-PL) to precipitate BEVs at a relatively low centrifugal speed (10,000 × g). Compared to the standard ultracentrifugation strategy, our method can enrich BEVs from large volumes of media inexpensively and rapidly. The precipitated BEVs can be recovered by adjusting the pH and ionic strength of the media, followed by an ultrafiltration step to remove ϵ-PL and achieve buffer exchange. The morphology, size, and protein composition of the ϵ-PL-precipitated BEVs are comparable to those purified by ultracentrifugation. Moreover, ϵ-PL-precipitated BEVs retained the biological activity as observed by confocal microscopy studies. And THP-1 cells stimulated with these BEVs undergo marked reprogramming of their transcriptome. KEGG analysis of the differentially expressed genes showed that the signal pathways of cellular inflammatory response were significantly activated. Taken together, we provide a new method to rapidly enrich BEVs with high purity and bioactivity, which has the potential to be applied to BEVs-related immune response studies.

Research on the Robustness of the Chinese Input-Output Network Based on Relative Entropy Theory.

The input-output (IO) network is the quantitative description of an IO-based economy in which nodes represent industries and edges connecting nodes represent the economic connection between industries. Robustness refers to the ability of tolerating perturbations that might affect the system's functional body. There is both practical and theoretical significance to explore the robustness of the IO network for economic development. In this paper, we probe the robustness of the Chinese IO network based on the relative entropy of the probability distribution of network parameters (node degree, strongest path betweenness, downstream closeness and upstream closeness) under random node or edge failure and intentional node or edge attack. It is found that the Chinese IO network shows relatively weak robustness when it is under intentional attack, but relatively strong robustness when it is under random failure. Our experiment also verifies the applicability and effectiveness of the relative entropy model in measuring the robustness of the IO network.

Targeted Therapy of Lung Adenocarcinoma by the Nanoplatform Based on Milk Exosomes Loaded with Paclitaxel.

Lung cancer is the most common cancer throughout the world. Currently, most lung cancer therapies are still limited by serious side effects caused. This paper reports a biocompatible drug delivery system that utilizes milk-derived exosomes to deliver paclitaxel to treat lung adenocarcinoma. First, milk-derived exosomes were modified with integrin αVß3, αVß5-binding peptide iRGD so that they could successfully target lung adenocarcinoma cells. Then, iRGD modified exosomes were loaded with paclitaxel (PAC) via electroporation and used for tumor therapy. These modified exosomes proved effective in killing lung adenocarcinoma cells, and the exosome-based nanoplatform showed no obvious toxicity to normal cells. Further more, the exosome-based nanoplatform could effectively penetrate the interior of the 3D tumor sphere, reaching more tumor cells and demonstrating that it is a promising tool for lung adenocarcinoma therapy.

Variations in traffic-related polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in PM2.5 in Kanazawa, Japan, after the implementation of a new vehicle emission regulation.

A three-year sampling campaign was conducted at a roadside air pollution monitoring station in the urban area of Kanazawa, Japan. Due to a new emission regulation, PAHs levels decreased over the sampling campaign, exhibiting values of 706 ± 413 pg/m3 in 2017, 559 ± 384 pg/m3 in 2018, and 473 ± 234 pg/m3 in 2019. In each year, similar seasonal variations in PAHs levels were observed, with higher levels observed in winter and lower levels in summer. Among the PAHs isomer ratios, we observed that the ratio of benzo[b]fluoranthene (BbF) and benzo[k]fluoranthene (BkF), [BbF]/([BbF] + [BkF]), and the ratio of indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene (IDP) and benzo[ghi]perylene (BgPe), [IDP]/([BgPe] + [IDP]), showed stability over the sampling campaign and were less affected by the new emission regulation, seasonal variations, and regional characteristics. When using the combined ratio ranges of 0.66 - 0.80 ([BbF]/([BbF] + [BkF]) and 0.26-0.49 ([IDP]/([BgPe] + [IDP]), traffic emissions were clearly distinguished from other PAHs emission sources. Principal component analysis (PCA) and positive matrix factorization (PMF) were also performed to further analyse the characteristics of traffic-related PAHs. Overall, this study affirmed the effectiveness of the new emission regulation in the reduction of PAHs emissions and provided a combined range for identifying PAHs traffic emission sources.

Links between carbon/nitrogen ratio, synergy and microbial characteristics of long-term semi-continuous anaerobic co-digestion of food waste, cattle manure and corn straw.

Links between carbon/nitrogen (C/N) ratio, synergy and microbial characteristics of anaerobic co-digestion of food waste (FW), cattle manure (CS) and corn straw (CS) were investigated. Digesters with 100% CS, 25% FW + 75% CS, 25% CM + 75% CS suffered acid inhibition, in close association with unbalanced C/N and the resulting recessions of Syntrophomonadaceae and Methanosaeta. Co-digestion overcame C/N imbalance and achieved multiple synergies. Process performance had a positive correlation with Syntrophomonadaceae. Digester with 75% FW + 25% CS had most Syntrophomonadaceae (26.7%) and methane yield (467.3-507.6 mL/g VS) among co-digestion trials. Synergy was greater under higher load and exhibited a good correlation with C/N ratio. Co-digestion of FW, CM and CS (2:2:1) with suitable C/N ratio (20.79) obtained the greatest synergistic rate (14.6%). Unstable systems were improved by adjusting C/N ratio to 30 via urea, which stimulated Methanosarcina growth therefore enhanced methanogenic pathway diversity and ensured powerful methanogenic functions.

Multicenter assessment of shotgun metagenomics for pathogen detection.

BACKGROUND: Shotgun metagenomics has been used clinically for diagnosing infectious diseases. However, most technical assessments have been limited to individual sets of reference standards, experimental workflows, and laboratories. METHODS: A reference panel and performance metrics were designed and used to examine the performance of shotgun metagenomics at 17 laboratories in a coordinated collaborative study. We comprehensively assessed the reliability, key performance determinants, reproducibility, and quantitative potential. FINDINGS: Assay performance varied significantly across sites and microbial classes, with a read depth of 20 millions as a generally cost-efficient assay setting. Results of mapped reads by shotgun metagenomics could indicate relative and intra-site (but not absolute or inter-site) microbial abundance. INTERPRETATION: Assay performance was significantly impacted by the microbial type, the host context, and read depth, which emphasizes the importance of these factors when designing reference reagents and benchmarking studies. Across sites, workflows and platforms, false positive reporting and considerable site/library effects were common challenges to the assay's accuracy and quantifiability. Our study also suggested that laboratory-developed shotgun metagenomics tests for pathogen detection should aim to detect microbes at 500 CFU/mL (or copies/mL) in a clinically relevant host context (10^5 human cells/mL) within a 24h turn-around time, and with an efficient read depth of 20M. FUNDING: This work was supported by National Science and Technology Major Project of China (2018ZX10102001).

Assessing Approaches of Human Inhalation Exposure to Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons: A Review.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a class of important organic pollutants widely emitted from anthropogenic activities, with a general distribution in the gas and particulate phases. Some PAHs are carcinogenic, teratogenic, and mutagenic. Inhalation exposure to PAHs is correlated with adverse health outcomes in the respiratory and cardiovascular systems. Thus, it is significant to determine the exposure level of the general population. This study summarizes the evaluation methods for PAH exposure, focusing on different exposure parameters. External exposure can be determined via the collection of the environmental pollution concentration through active samplers or passive samplers during environmental monitoring or personal sampling. Time-activity patterns give critical exposure information that captures the exposure period, origin, and behaviors. Modeling is a labor-less approach for human exposure estimation, and microenvironmental exposure requires specific research. It is important to select appropriate methods to quantify the exposure level to provide accurate data to establish the exposure-risk relationship and make scientific suggestions for the protection of public health.

Characteristics and Health Risks of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Nitro-PAHs in Xinxiang, China in 2015 and 2017.

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) samples were collected in the summer and winter of 2015 and 2017 in Xinxiang, China. Nine polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and three nitro-PAHs (NPAHs) in PM2.5 were detected via high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The PAHs concentration in summer and winter decreased from 6.37 ± 1.30 ng/m3 and 96.9 ± 69.9 ng/m3 to 4.89 ± 2.67 ng/m3 and 49.8 ± 43.4 ng/m3 from 2015 to 2017. NPAHs decreased in winter (from 1707 ± 708 pg/m3 to 1192 ± 1113 pg/m3), but increased in summer from 2015 (336 ± 77.2 pg/m3) to 2017 (456 ± 312 pg/m3). Diagnostic ratios of PAHs indicated that petroleum combustion was the main emission source in summer, and pollutants originating from the combustion of petroleum, coal and biomass dominated in winter. The 2-nitrofluoranthene (2-NFR)/2-nitropyrene (2-NP) ratio in this study demonstrated that the OH radical pathway was the main pathway for the formation of 2-NP and 2-NFR. The mean total benzo[a]pyrene-equivalent concentrations (BaPeq) and incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) values decreased from 2013 to 2017. The high value of total BaPeq in the winter of 2017 in Xinxiang revealed that a high-risk of cancer remained for residents. The results of this study demonstrate that the decreases in PAHs and NPAHS concentrations from 2015 to 2017. Combined with reducing gaseous pollutants concentration, the reduction in this study might be attributable to emissions reductions by implementing the air pollution control regulations in Xinxiang city in 2016.

Exploratory development of PCR-fluorescent probes in rapid detection of mutations associated with extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis.

This study aims to evaluate the clinical value of PCR-fluorescent probes for detecting the mutation gene associated with extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB). The molecular species identification of 900 sputum specimens was performed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-fluorescent probe. The mutations of the drug resistance genes rpoB, katG, inhA, embB, rpsL, rrs, and gyrA were detected. The conventional drug susceptibility testing (DST) and PCR-directed sequencing (PCR-DS) were carried out as control. DST demonstrated that there were 501 strains of rifampicin resistance, 451 strains of isoniazid resistance, 293 strains of quinolone resistance, 425 strains of streptomycin resistance, 235 strains of ethambutol resistance, and 204 strains of amikacin resistance. Furthermore, 427 (47.44%) or 146 (16.22%) strains were MDR-TB or XDR-TB, respectively. The mutations of the rpoB, katG, inhA, embB, rpsL, rrs, and gyrA genes were detected in 751 of 900 TB patients by PCR-fluorescent probe method, and the rate of drug resistance was 751/900 (83.44%). No mutant genes were detected in the other 149 patients. Compared with DST, the mutant rates of rpoB, katG/inhA, rpsL, rrs, embB, and gyrA of six drugs were higher than 88%; five of six drugs were higher than 90% except for SM (88.11%). The MDR and XDR mutant gene types were found in 398 (42.22%) and 137 (15.22%) samples. PCR-DS was also employed and confirmed the PCR-fluorescent probe method with the accordance rate of 100%. The PCR-fluorescent probe method is rapid and straightforward in detecting XDR-TB genotypes and is worthy of being applied in hospitals.

Impact of COVID-19 Outbreak on the Long-Range Transport of Common Air Pollutants in KUWAMS.

As a background sampling site in western Japan, the Kanazawa University Wajima Air Monitoring Station (KUWAMS) continuously observes the air pollutants, including PM1, PM2.5, organic carbon (OC) and element carbon (EC). Data for September 2019 to April 2020 were compared with data for September 2018 to April 2019. The mean concentrations of both PM1 and PM2.5 were 4.10 µg/m3 (47%) and 5.82 µg/m3 (33%) lower, respectively in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) period (January to April) than in the same period in 2019. Notably, the average concentrations of both classes of particulate matter (PM) in the COVID-19 period were the lowest for that period in all years since 2016. OC and EC also considerably lower (by 69 and 63%, respectively) during the COVID-19 period than during the same period in 2019. All pollutants were then started to increase after the resumption of the work in 2020. The pollutant variations correspond to the measure implemented during the COVID-19 period, including the nationwide lockdown and work resumption. Furthermore, the reductions in the ratios PM1/PM2.5 and OC/EC during COVID-19 period indicate lighter pollution and fewer emission sources. This analysis of the changes in the pollutant concentrations during the epidemic and non-epidemic periods illustrates the significance of the dominant pollution emissions at KUWAMS and the impact of pollution from China that undergoes long-range transport to KUWAMS.

A Highly Automated Mobile Laboratory for On-site Molecular Diagnostics in the COVID-19 Pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Infectious disease outbreaks such as the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic call for rapid response and complete screening of the suspected community population to identify potential carriers of pathogens. Central laboratories rely on time-consuming sample collection methods that are rarely available in resource-limited settings. METHODS: We present a highly automated and fully integrated mobile laboratory for fast deployment in response to infectious disease outbreaks. The mobile laboratory was equipped with a 6-axis robot arm for automated oropharyngeal swab specimen collection; virus in the collected specimen was inactivated rapidly using an infrared heating module. Nucleic acid extraction and nested isothermal amplification were performed by a "sample in, answer out" laboratory-on-a-chip system, and the result was automatically reported by the onboard information platform. Each module was evaluated using pseudovirus or clinical samples. RESULTS: The mobile laboratory was stand-alone and self-sustaining and capable of on-site specimen collection, inactivation, analysis, and reporting. The automated sampling robot arm achieved sampling efficiency comparable to manual collection. The collected samples were inactivated in as short as 12 min with efficiency comparable to a water bath without damage to nucleic acid integrity. The limit of detection of the integrated microfluidic nucleic acid analyzer reached 150 copies/mL within 45 min. Clinical evaluation of the onboard microfluidic nucleic acid analyzer demonstrated good consistency with reverse transcription quantitative PCR with a κ coefficient of 0.979. CONCLUSIONS: The mobile laboratory provides a promising solution for fast deployment of medical diagnostic resources at critical junctions of infectious disease outbreaks and facilitates local containment of SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) transmission.

[Bayesian network Meta-analysis of Chinese medicine injections in treatment of chronic renal insufficiency].

In this study, Honghua Injection, Danshen Injection, Shenkang Injection, Shuxuetong Injection, Lulutong Injection, Shenxiong Glucose Injection and Chuanxiong Injection were compared for their clinical efficacy on chronic renal insufficiency by using the method of network Meta-analysis, with Western medicine as the common reference. The randomized controlled trial(RCT) of Hong-hua Injection, Danshen Injection, Shenkang Injection, Shuxuetong Injection, Lulutong Injection, Shenxiong Glucose Injection and Chuanxiong Injection for the treatment of chronic renal insufficiency were obtained by computer-based retrieval. The literature quality was evaluated by using the method in Cochrane Reviewer's Handbook 5.1 after independent screening of the included literature by two reviewers. The RJAGS package and GEMTC package of RevMan 5.3, GEMTC software, R software were used for statistical analysis to compare and sort the different injections in terms of efficacy. A total of 6 197 patients with chronic renal failure were included in 79 RCTs, involving 8 treatment measures. The effective rates of conventional treatment combined with Shenxiong Injection(OR=3.55, 95%CI[1.98, 6.37], P<0.000 1), Honghua Injection(OR=3.77, 95%CI[2.45, 5.81], P<0.000 01), Shuxuetong Injection(OR=6.71, 95%CI[3.30, 13.65], P<0.000 01) and Shenkang Injection(OR=4.14, 95%CI[3.42, 5.03], P<0.000 01) were all better than that in control group, and the effective rate of Honghua Injection combined with conventional treatment(OR=3.89, 95%CI[1.73, 8.74], P=0.001) was better than that in Danshen Injection combined with conventional treatment, all with statistically significant differences. By comprehensive comparison, Shuxuetong Injection, Honghua Injection and Shenkang Injection combined with Western medicine had good clinical effect on the effective rate, serum creatinine reduction and urea nitrogen reduction in patients with chronic renal insufficiency. However, due to the relatively low quality of the included literature, the conclusion has yet to be verified clinically.

Exposure to Atmospheric Particulate Matter-Bound Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Their Health Effects: A Review.

Particulate matter (PM) is a major factor contributing to air quality deterioration that enters the atmosphere as a consequence of various natural and anthropogenic activities. In PM, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) represent a class of organic chemicals with at least two aromatic rings that are mainly directly emitted via the incomplete combustion of various organic materials. Numerous toxicological and epidemiological studies have proven adverse links between exposure to particulate matter-bound (PM-bound) PAHs and human health due to their carcinogenicity and mutagenicity. Among human exposure routes, inhalation is the main pathway regarding PM-bound PAHs in the atmosphere. Moreover, the concentrations of PM-bound PAHs differ among people, microenvironments and areas. Hence, understanding the behaviour of PM-bound PAHs in the atmosphere is crucial. However, because current techniques hardly monitor PAHs in real-time, timely feedback on PAHs including the characteristics of their concentration and composition, is not obtained via real-time analysis methods. Therefore, in this review, we summarize personal exposure, and indoor and outdoor PM-bound PAH concentrations for different participants, spaces, and cities worldwide in recent years. The main aims are to clarify the characteristics of PM-bound PAHs under different exposure conditions, in addition to the health effects and assessment methods of PAHs.

Links between synergistic effects and microbial community characteristics of anaerobic co-digestion of food waste, cattle manure and corn straw.

Links between synergy and microbial community characteristics in co-digestion of food waste (FW), cattle manure (CM) and corn straw (CS) were investigated. Mono-digestion of FW and CS were inhibited by organic acids. Co-digestion of FW with CM achieved greater synergistic rates (18.5% and 22.3%) than CM with CS (14.8% and 12.3%). Synergy resulted from coupling effects of improving nutrient balance, dilution of toxic compounds, higher buffering capacity, detoxification based on co-metabolism, which ultimately reflected in microbial community functions. Although co-digestion of FW with CS exhibited lowest synergistic rates (7.9% and 4.9%), detoxification based on co-metabolism of syntrophic communities of Syntrophomonadaceae with hydrogenotrophic methanogens accelerated system recovery. Digester with the greatest synergy (65% FW + 35% CM) maintained dominant growth of hydrogenotrophic methanogens (68.9%), highest methanogenic community diversity and relative abundance of Methanosarcina (14.6%), which sustained more diverse and switchable methanogenic pathways therefore ensured powerful methanogenic functions and vigorous methanogenic capability.

Atmospheric Behaviour of Polycyclic and Nitro-Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Water-Soluble Inorganic Ions in Winter in Kirishima, a Typical Japanese Commercial City.

Kirishima is a typical Japanese commercial city, famous for frequent volcanic activity. This is the first study to determine the characteristics of PM2.5-bound polycyclic and nitro-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs and NPAHs) and water-soluble inorganic ions (WSIIs) in this city. In this study, the non-volcanic eruption period was taken as the target and daily PM2.5 samples were collected from 24 November to 21 December 2016. The daily concentrations in PM2.5 of Æ©PAHs, Æ©NPAHs, and Æ©WSIIs ranged from 0.36 to 2.90 ng/m3, 2.12 to 22.3 pg/m3, and 1.96 to 11.4 µg/m3, respectively. Through the results of the diagnostic ratio analyses of the PAHs, NPAHs, and WSIIs and the backward trajectory analysis of the air masses arriving in Kirishima, the emission sources of PAHs, NPAHs, and WSIIs in PM2.5 in Kirishima were influenced by the coal burning that came from the East Asian continent, although there was no influence from volcanic emission sources during the sampling period. The total benzo[a]pyrene (BaP)-equivalent concentration was lower than many other cities but the health risks in Kirishima were nonetheless notable. These findings are very important for future research on PM samples during the inactive Asian monsoon and volcanic eruption periods, to further understand the characteristics of air pollutants in Kirishima, and to contribute to the improvement in health of residents and a reduction in the atmospheric circulation of air pollutants in East Asia.

Responses of anaerobic digestion of food waste to coupling effects of inoculum origins, organic loads and pH control under high load: Process performance and microbial characteristics.

This study investigated responses of anaerobic digestion (AD) of food waste (FW) with different inocula to varying organic loads and to pH control under high load in terms of process performance and microbial characteristics. Without pH control, digester inoculated by thickened sludge obtained high methane yield of 547.8 ± 27.8 mL/g VS under organic load of 7.5 g VS/L but was inhibited by volatile fatty acids (VFAs) under higher loads (15 and 30 g VS/L). However, digesters inoculated by anaerobic sludge obtained high methane yields of 575.9 ± 34.2, 569.3 ± 24.8 and 531.9 ± 26.2 mL/g VS under organic loads of 7.5, 15 and 30 g VS/L and VFAs inhibition only appeared under extremely high load of 45 g VS/L. Digesters under VFA inhibition with high load were significantly enhanced by controlling single ecological factor pH at 6.5, 7.0 and 7.5, as indicated by shorter lag phases, higher peak values of methane production rate, greater methane yields and fast VFAs degradation. Maximum methane recovery was obtained with pH control at 7.5 under high load. VFA inhibition was accompanied by the degeneration of ecological functions of Syntrophomonadaceae and unidentified Bacteroidales and the dominant growth of unidentified Clostridiales. Under high load and pH control, high stability was strongly associated with obvious growth of Methanosarcina, which enriched methanogenic pathways thus improved system robustness and tolerance to VFAs. Moreover, pH control stimulated the growth of syntrophic Bacteria Syntrophomonadaceae while maintaining the high activity of hydrogenotrophic methanogens therefore sustained efficient syntrophic communities of Bacteria and methanogens and avoided over accumulation of VFAs. pH control promoted adaptive selection of methanogens, leading to obvious decline of archaeal community diversity. This study provided practical guidance on digester configurations of high-load AD of FW and expanded the understanding of responses to coupling effects of inoculum origins, organic loads and pH control under high load concerning process performance and microbial community dynamics.

Long-term variability of inorganic ions in TSP at a remote background site in Japan (Wajima) from 2005 to 2015.

Eleven years (2005-2015) of data from long-term monitoring at a Japanese remote background site in Wajima, were analyzed to investigate temporal trends and sources. Water-soluble inorganic ions (WSIIs) were analyzed for aerosol chemical composition. The total WSIIs concentration was 7.93 ± 3.93 µg/m3, accounting for 42.3% of TSP mass, ranged from 11.4 to 93.9%. SO42- is the most abundant ion, contributing a total WSII mass from 18.0 to 79.8%, and non-sea-salt (nss-) SO42- contributed from 63.6% to 99.6% of total SO42-, which was related to human activities on the Asian continent and the effects of marine precursors in spring and summer, respectively. NO3- and NH4+ contribute 6.3 and 7.4% of the total WSIIs and were affected by long-range transport and local sources as well. The increasing trend of Na+ and Cl- indicates the increased influence of sea salt, which is caused by more frequent strong winds. K+ is mainly produced from biomass burning with a stable seasonal variation, Ca2+ as the characteristic ion of dust has the highest concentration in spring. Mg2+ comes from minerals and marine sources during spring and summer, respectively. This work describes in detail the annual change trend of the WSIIs of atmospheric particles in the Wajima area, seasonal characteristics, and source contributions, provide a comprehensive understanding of long-term variation in atmospheric particulate.