Water quality improvement project for initial rainwater pollution and its performance evaluation.

Efficiently addressing initial rainwater pollution is crucial for mitigating urban water pollution. However, the performance evaluation of initial rainwater pollution control project is rarely introduced. In this study, the architecture of effective comprehensive engineering measures for improving the water quality of initial rainwater in Anhui Province, China, was described. Three water quality indicators, ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N), chemical oxygen demand (COD), and total phosphorus (TP), were selected to explore the severity of urban pollution caused by initial rainwater under various rainfall scenarios. A single-factor evaluation method was used to contrast and assess the benefits of the initial rainfall interception project in terms of water quality enhancement. Results showed that initial rainfall pollution was gentler under light rainfall conditions but more prominent under moderate and heavy conditions. The percentages of NH3-N, COD, and TP in Lotus Pond that met the tertiary drinking water standard were 100%, 74.91%, and 100% with great improvement, and the average concentrations of NH3-N, COD, and TP in Fushan Road Drainage have decreased by 91.43%, 10.49%, and 57.33% respectively, after the construction of the interception project. These indicated that the nitrogen and phosphorus pollution were successfully controlled by the control techniques in both locations, but COD concentration has to be addressed with more specialized strategies. Overall, the water quality improvement project for initial rainwater pollution plays a great role in effectively governing initial rainwater pollution and improving river water quality, and provides an effective technical reference for urban water ecological environment management.

Pollution source identification and abatement for water quality sections in Huangshui River basin, China.

Accurately obtaining the pollution sources and their contribution rates is the basis for refining watershed management. Although many source analysis methods have been proposed, a systematic framework for watershed management is still lacking, including the complete process of pollution source identification to control. We proposed a framework for identification and abatement of pollutants and applied in the Huangshui River Basin. A newer contaminant flux variation method based on a one-dimensional river water quality model was used to calculate the contribution of pollutants. The contributions of various factors to the over-standard parameters of water quality sections at different spatial and temporal scales were calculated. Based on the calculation results, corresponding pollution abatement projects were developed, and the effectiveness of the projects was evaluated through scenario simulation. Our results showed that the large scale livestock and poultry farms and sewage treatment plants were the largest sources of total nitrogen (TP) in Xiaoxia bridge section, with contribution rates of 46.02% and 36.74%, respectively. Additionally, the largest contribution sources of ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) were sewage treatment plants (36.17%) and industrial sewage (26.33%). Three towns that contributed the most to TP were Lejiawan Town (14.4%), Ganhetan Town (7.3%) and Handong Hui Nationality town (6.6%), while NH3-N mainly from the Lejiawan Town (15.9%), Xinghai Road Sub-district (12.4%) and Mafang Sub-district (9.5%). Further analysis found that point sources in these towns were the main contributor to TP and NH3-N. Accordingly, we developed abatement projects for point sources. Scenario simulation indicated that the TP and NH3-N could be significantly improved by closing down and upgrading relevant sewage treatment plants and building facilities for large scale livestock and poultry farms. The framework adopted in this study can accurately identify pollution sources and evaluate the effectiveness of pollution abatement projects, which is conducive to the refined water environment management.

Water quality variation and driving factors quantitatively evaluation of urban lakes during quick socioeconomic development.

Rapid urbanisation has caused a significant impact on the ecological environment of urban lakes in the world. To maintain the harmonious development of urban progress and water quality, it is essential to evaluate water quality variation and explore the driving factors quantitatively. A comprehensive evaluation method with cluster analysis and Kriging interpolation was used to explore the spatiotemporal variation in a typical urban lake in China, Chaohu Lake, from 2011 to 2020. The correlation between water quality and socioeconomic factors was evaluated by Pearson correlation analysis. Results indicated that: total phosphorus (TP) and total nitrogen (TN) were the key pollution parameters of Chaohu Lake. The pollution situation was gradually improving, however, and the improvement in chemical oxygen demand (COD) is more evident due to anthropogenic control. The spatial heterogeneity of water quality in Chaohu Lake is remarkable, and the water quality is poor in the west but better in the east. Natural attributes of lakes and external load were the main reasons for the spatial heterogeneity. The western residential areas of Chaohu Lake Basin (CLB) are concentrated, and a large amount of industrial and domestic sewage exacerbates water pollution in the west of tributaries. In contrast, the implementation of water environmental governance policies in recent years has alleviated water pollution. From 2011 to 2020, water quality has improved by 23%-35% in the west and 7%-14% in the east. This study provided a framework for quantitatively assessing water quality variation and its driving forces in urban lakes.

Deep learning system compared with expert endoscopists in predicting early gastric cancer and its invasion depth and differentiation status (with videos).

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: We aimed to develop and validate a deep learning-based system that covers various aspects of early gastric cancer (EGC) diagnosis, including detecting gastric neoplasm, identifying EGC, and predicting EGC invasion depth and differentiation status. Herein, we provide a state-of-the-art comparison of the system with endoscopists using real-time videos in a nationwide human-machine competition. METHODS: This multicenter, prospective, real-time, competitive comparative, diagnostic study enrolled consecutive patients who received magnifying narrow-band imaging endoscopy at the Peking University Cancer Hospital from June 9, 2020 to November 17, 2020. The offline competition was conducted in Wuhan, China, and the endoscopists and the system simultaneously read patients' videos and made diagnoses. The primary outcomes were sensitivity in detecting neoplasms and diagnosing EGCs. RESULTS: One hundred videos, including 37 EGCs and 63 noncancerous lesions, were enrolled; 46 endoscopists from 44 hospitals in 19 provinces in China participated in the competition. The sensitivity rates of the system for detecting neoplasms and diagnosing EGCs were 87.81% and 100%, respectively, significantly higher than those of endoscopists (83.51% [95% confidence interval [CI], 81.23-85.79] and 87.13% [95% CI, 83.75-90.51], respectively). Accuracy rates of the system for predicting EGC invasion depth and differentiation status were 78.57% and 71.43%, respectively, slightly higher than those of endoscopists (63.75% [95% CI, 61.12-66.39] and 64.41% [95% CI, 60.65-68.16], respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The system outperformed endoscopists in identifying EGCs and was comparable with endoscopists in predicting EGC invasion depth and differentiation status in videos. This deep learning-based system could be a powerful tool to assist endoscopists in EGC diagnosis in clinical practice.

Artificial intelligence in the diagnosis of gastric precancerous conditions by image-enhanced endoscopy: a multicenter, diagnostic study (with video).

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Gastric precancerous conditions, including gastric atrophy (GA) and intestinal metaplasia (IM), play an important role in the development of gastric cancer. Image-enhanced endoscopy (IEE) shows great potential in diagnosing gastric precancerous conditions and adenocarcinoma. In this study, a deep convolutional neural network system, named ENDOANGEL, was constructed to detect gastric precancerous conditions by IEE. METHODS: Endoscopic images were retrospectively obtained from 5 hospitals in China for the development, validation, and internal and external test of the system. Prospective consecutive patients receiving IEE were enrolled from January 13, 2020 to October 29, 2020 in Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University to assess in real time the applicability of the proposed computer-aided detection (CADe) system in clinical practice, and the performance of CADe was compared with that of endoscopists. RESULTS: Six thousand two hundred fifty endoscopic images from 760 patients and 98 video clips from 77 individuals undergoing IEE were enrolled in this study. The diagnostic accuracy of GA was .901 (95% confidence interval [CI], .883-.917) in the internal test set, .864 (95% CI, .842-.884) in the multicenter external test set, and .878 (95% CI, .796-.935) in the prospective video test set. The diagnostic accuracy of IM was .908 (95% CI, .889-.924) in the internal test set, .859 (95% CI, .837-.880) in the multicenter external test set, and .898 (95% CI, .820-.950) in the prospective video test set. CADe achieved similar diagnostic accuracy to that of the experts for detecting GA (.869 [95% CI, .790-.927] vs .846 [95% CI, .808-.879], P = .396) and IM (.888 [95% CI, .812-.941] vs .820 [95% CI, .780-.855], P = .117) and was superior to that of nonexperts for GA (.750 [95% CI, .711-.786], P = .008) and IM (.736 [95% CI, .697-.773], P = .028). CONCLUSIONS: CADe achieved high diagnostic accuracy in gastric precancerous conditions, which was similar to that of experts and superior to that of nonexperts. Thus, CADe provides possibilities for a wide application in assisting in the diagnosis of gastric precancerous conditions.

Evaluation of the effects of an artificial intelligence system on endoscopy quality and preliminary testing of its performance in detecting early gastric cancer: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) is a prerequisite for detecting upper gastrointestinal lesions especially early gastric cancer (EGC). An artificial intelligence system has been shown to monitor blind spots during EGD. In this study, we updated the system (ENDOANGEL), verified its effectiveness in improving endoscopy quality, and pretested its performance in detecting EGC in a multicenter randomized controlled trial. METHODS: ENDOANGEL was developed using deep convolutional neural networks and deep reinforcement learning. Patients undergoing EGD in five hospitals were randomly assigned to the ENDOANGEL-assisted group or to a control group without use of ENDOANGEL. The primary outcome was the number of blind spots. Secondary outcomes included performance of ENDOANGEL in predicting EGC in a clinical setting. RESULTS: 1050 patients were randomized, and 498 and 504 patients in the ENDOANGEL and control groups, respectively, were analyzed. Compared with the control group, the ENDOANGEL group had fewer blind spots (mean 5.38 [standard deviation (SD) 4.32] vs. 9.82 [SD 4.98]; P < 0.001) and longer inspection time (5.40 [SD 3.82] vs. 4.38 [SD 3.91] minutes; P < 0.001). In the ENDOANGEL group, 196 gastric lesions with pathological results were identified. ENDOANGEL correctly predicted all three EGCs (one mucosal carcinoma and two high grade neoplasias) and two advanced gastric cancers, with a per-lesion accuracy of 84.7 %, sensitivity of 100 %, and specificity of 84.3 % for detecting gastric cancer. CONCLUSIONS: In this multicenter study, ENDOANGEL was an effective and robust system to improve the quality of EGD and has the potential to detect EGC in real time.

The architecture and application of an automatic operational model system for basin scale water environment management and design making supporting.

An advanced framework for automatic water quality forecasting and water quality management design supporting was put forward. The system is designed as a flexible and extensible service-oriented architecture with data center, system control center, model center and client center. Two operational running modes, one for water environment automatic assessment and forecast and the other for situational analysis, were set to satisfy water quality management requirements. With loosely-coupled air-land-water numerical models, the weather, pollutants sources, hydrodynamic and water quality are automatically forecasted. According to philosophy of the framework, a one-stop platform with four different subsystems for the Three Gorges Reservoir Basin (TGRB) was developed and has been in operational running for more than two years. The system can accurately assessed, forecasted and perfectly displayed the current status and future character of TGRB in air, land and water environment.

HTO/Cellulose Aerogel for Rapid and Highly Selective Li+ Recovery from Seawater.

To achieve rapid and highly efficient recovery of Li+ from seawater, a series of H2TiO3/cellulose aerogels (HTO/CA) with a porous network were prepared by a simple and effective method. The as-prepared HTO/CA were characterized and their Li+ adsorption performance was evaluated. The obtained results revealed that the maximum capacity of HTO/CA to adsorb Li+ was 28.58 ± 0.71 mg g-1. The dynamic k2 value indicated that the Li+ adsorption rate of HTO/CA was nearly five times that of HTO powder. Furthermore, the aerogel retained extremely high Li+ selectivity compared with Mg2+, Ca2+, K+, and Na+. After regeneration for five cycles, the HTO/CA retained a Li+ adsorption capacity of 22.95 mg g-1. Moreover, the HTO/CA showed an excellent adsorption efficiency of 69.93% ± 0.04% and high selectivity to Li+ in actual seawater. These findings confirm its potential as an adsorbent for recovering Li+ from seawater.

Marketing innovations during a global crisis: A study of China firms' response to COVID-19.

As a worldwide disaster, the COVID-19 crisis is profoundly affecting the development of the global economy and threatening the survival of firms worldwide. It seems unavoidable that this natural disruption has hit the global economy and produced a huge crisis for firms. This study explores how firms in China are innovating their marketing strategies by critically identifying the typology of firms' marketing innovations using two dimensions, namely, motivation for innovations and the level of collaborative innovations. This research also explores the influence of the external environment, internal advantages (e.g., dynamic capabilities and resource dependence), and characteristics of firms on Chinese firms' choice and implementation of marketing innovation strategies. It provides valuable insights for firms to respond successfully to similar crisis events in the future.

Accurately early warning to water quality pollutant risk by mobile model system with optimization technology.

A fast and accurate water quality pollutant risk assessment and early warning system, which has great practical significance for decision making in accident management, is urgently needed for water protection and management. Based on a fast mobile early warning system named MEWSUB, this paper modified its framework to make it generate data more automatically and accurately. By adapting manning formula and particle swarm optimization (PSO) for parameters optimization, the accuracy of water quantity and water quality simulation results has been improved. The modified system was successfully applied in an antimony tailings dam leakage accident that happened in China. The coefficient of determination (R2) of the prediction result was higher than 0.9 and relative error (ree) was less than 0.1, which indicated that the accuracy of MEWSUB was high enough for realistic water quality pollutant risk early warning.

How Bound and Free Fatty Acids in Cellulose Films Impact Nonspecific Protein Adsorption.

The effect of fatty acids and fatty acid esters to impair nonspecific protein adsorption on cellulose thin films is investigated. Thin films are prepared by blending trimethylsilyl cellulose solutions with either cellulose stearoyl ester or stearic acid at various ratios. After film formation by spin coating, the trimethylsilyl cellulose fraction of the films is converted to cellulose by exposure to HCl vapors. The morphologies and surface roughness of the blends were examined by atomic force microscopy revealing different feature shapes and sizes depending on the blend ratios. Nonspecific protein adsorption at the example of bovine serum albumin toward the blend thin films was tested by means of surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy in real-time. Incorporation of stearic acid into the cellulose leads to highly protein repellent surfaces regardless of the amount added. The stearic acid acts as a sacrificial compound that builds a complex with bovine serum albumin thereby inhibiting protein adsorption. For the blends where stearoyl ester is added to the cellulose films, the cellulose:cellulose stearoyl ester ratios of 3:1 and 1:1 lead to much lower nonspecific protein adsorption compared to pure cellulose, whereas for the other ratios, adsorption increases. Supplementary results were obtained from atomic force microscopy experiments performed in liquid during exposure to protein solution and surface free energy determinations.

Robust Heterogeneous Hydrogels with Dynamic Nanocrystal-Polymer Interface.

A kind of novel heterogeneous composite hydrogel with dynamic nanocrosslinkers is designed, which is built via the preorganized host-guest interaction on the surface of cellulose nanocrystals. The reversible ß-cyclodextrin/adamantane conjunctions and their gradual dissociation on the nanocrystal-polymer interface guarantee the compressibility and stretchability of the composite hydrogels. While the sacrificed toughening mechanism can be rebuilt in the as-prepared hydrogels, it fails to be regenerated in the swollen hydrogels. This fact is originally due to the extreme mechanical contrast between rigid nanocrystals and the flexible polymer phase. This heterogeneity is largely amplified by the swelling process: polymer chains are prestretched between nanocrosslinkers and generate residual stress on the dynamic nanocrystal-polymer interface. Thus, this swelling-induced heterogeneity resists the reassociation of the sacrificed ß-cyclodextrin/adamantane complexes. Furthermore, the unstable nanocrystal-polymer interface induces the crack propagate along the nanocrosslinker surface, which remarkably retards the crack propagation during the stretch.

Finite Element Analysis of the Effect of Femoral Prosthesis Varus and Valgus Angle Installation on the Lateral Compartment in Unicompartmental Knee Arthroplasty.

BACKGROUND: This study used finite element analysis (FEA) to investigate the effect of varus and valgus angle on the lateral compartment in unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA). METHODS: One patient who underwent UKA was enrolled as the subject. Thirteen working conditions of the femoral prosthesis were simulated at varus and valgus angles of 0°, 2°, 4°, 6°, 8°, 10°, and 12°. A load of 1,000 N was applied downward along the mechanical axis of the femur, and the highest stress values on the surface of the polyethylene liner, cancellous bone under the tibial prosthesis, cartilage of femur lateral condyle, lateral meniscus, and tibial lateral plateau cartilage in each model were recorded. The six highest points were used to calculate the mean value. RESULTS: The highest stress values on the surface of the polyethylene liner, cancellous bone under the tibial prosthesis, cartilage of femur lateral condyle, lateral meniscus, and tibial lateral plateau cartilage increased with an increase in the femoral prosthesis varus/valgus angle. As compared with the standard position of the femoral prosthesis, there was no significant difference in the surface stress values of the polyethylene liner, cancellous bone under the tibial prosthesis, cartilage of femur lateral condyle, lateral meniscus and tibial lateral plateau cartilage when the femoral prosthesis varus/valgus angle was less than 4° (p > 0.05). In addition, the stress magnitude on the polyethylene liner, cancellous bone under the tibial prosthesis, cartilage of femur lateral condyle, lateral meniscus, and tibial lateral plateau cartilage significantly increased when the femoral prosthesis varus/valgus angle was greater than 4° (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The optimal femoral prosthesis varus/valgus angle in UKA was less than 4°.

In situ growth of Zr-based metal-organic frameworks on cellulose sponges for Hg2+ and methylene blue removal.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are characterised by high porosity levels and controllable structures, making them ideal adsorbents for wastewater. However, obtaining substrate materials with mechanical stability, excellent pore accessibility, and good processability for compositing MOF crystal powders to adsorb multiple pollutants in complex aqueous environments is challenging. In this study, porous MOFs@ modified cellulose sponge (MCS) composites were fabricated using MCS as a scaffold to provide anchoring sites for the coordination of Zr4+ ions and further in situ synthesis of MOFs, namely UiO-66@MCS and UiO-66-NH2@MCS, which effectively removed heavy metal ions and organic dyes. MOFs@MCS composites exhibit excellent water and dimensional stability, maintaining the pore structure by ambient drying during reuse. Compared with UiO-66@MCS composite, UiO-66-NH2@MCS composite exhibited a higher adsorption capacity of 224.5 mg·g-1 for Hg2+ and 400.9 mg·g-1 for methylene blue (MB). The adsorption of Hg2+ onto the MOFs@MCS composites followed the Langmuir and pseudo-second-order models, whereas the Freundlich and pseudo-second-order models were more suitable for MB adsorption. Moreover, the MOFs@MCS composites exhibited excellent reusability and were selective for the removal of Hg2+. Overall, this approach effectively combines Zr-based MOFs with mechanically and dimensionally stable porous cellulose sponges, rendering the approach suitable for purifying complex wastewater.

Cellulose nanocrystal thermal smart molecular brushes with upper critical aggregation temperature.

Grafting thermo-responsive polymers onto cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and achieving critical temperature regulation has drawn significant research interest. The thermal transition behavior of CNCs can be controlled by adjusting the polymer molecular brushes on the CNCs surface. We synthesized poly((2-dimethylamino) ethyl methacrylate) (PDMAEMA) grafted CNCs via surface-initiated reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer, followed by modifying PDMAEMA brushes into poly-3-dimethyl(methacryloyloxyethyl) ammonium propane sulfonate (PDMAPS) brushes via quaternization. The critical temperature was regulated by modifying and grafting of poly (ethylene glycol) methacrylate. Found the thermal stimulus-responsive type and transition point of CNCs can be controlled by adjusting the surface molecular brushes. Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy and dynamic light scattering analyses indicated that CNC-PDMAEMA aggregated above 70 °C, whereas CNC-PDMAPS aggregated below 31 °C. The thermo-responsive materials based on CNCs exhibited a conversion from a lower critical aggregation temperature to an upper critical aggregation temperature (UCAT) type. CNC-PDMAPS-mPEG was obtained by modifying and grafting for UCAT to be regulated to approximately 37 °C, which is close to the human body temperature. CNC-PDMAPS and CNC-PDMAPS-mPEG exhibited only microscopic alterations and could encapsulate and release substances. Therefore, they demonstrate considerable potential for biomedical applications.

Decoupling in international business: The 'new' vulnerability of globalization and MNEs' response strategies.

What can MNEs learn from the COVID-19 pandemic? IB scholars have provided ample insights into this question with many focusing on risk management. Complementing these insights, we argue that MNEs should also consider the long-lasting effect that COVID-19, inter alia, had on the institutional logic underlying globalization. The U.S. and its allies have redefined their logic from pursuing cost-reduction to building partnerships based on shared value, aiming to substitute China's role in the world economy. The geopolitical pressure for decoupling from China is the source of 'new' vulnerability of globalization. Such pressure is counteracted by economic rationality, creating unsettled priority between the globalization and deglobalization logics at the macro-level institutional space. Combining both risk-management and institutional logic perspectives, we develop a more comprehensive framework on how MNEs should respond to these challenges. This paper contributes to the debate regarding the impact of COVID-19 on globalization, suggesting that neither globalization nor deglobalization logics will prevail in the short run, and IB will likely be more fractured in the long run, based on not only geographic but also ideological and value propinquity. In strategic sectors, the balance will shift toward bifurcation while in others the balance will shift toward the globalization logic.

Que peuvent apprendre les entreprises multinationales (Multinational Enterprises ­ MNEs) de la pandémie de COVID-19 ? A cette question, les chercheurs en affaires internationales (International Business ­ IB) ont fourni de nombreux renseignements dont beaucoup se concentrent sur la gestion des risques. En complément de ces renseignements, nous argumentons que les MNEs devraient également tenir compte de l'effet durable que la COVID-19 a eu, entre autres, sur les logiques institutionnelles sous-tendant la globalisation. Les États-Unis et leurs alliés ont redéfini leur logique, passant de la recherche de la réduction des coûts à la construction de partenariats fondés sur la valeur partagée, et ce dans le but de substituer le rôle de la Chine dans l'économie mondiale. La pression géopolitique en faveur de la dissociation de la Chine constitue la source de la "nouvelle" vulnérabilité de la globalisation. Une telle pression est contrecarrée par la rationalité économique, impliquant une priorité instable entre les logiques de globalisation et de dé-globalisation dans l'espace institutionnel au niveau macro. En combinant les perspectives de la gestion des risques et de la logique institutionnelle, nous développons un cadre théorique plus complet sur la façon dont les MNEs devraient répondre à ces défis. Cet article contribue au débat sur l'impact de la COVID-19 sur la globalisation en suggérant que ni la logique de globalisation ni celle de dé-globalisation ne prévaudront à court terme, et que l'IB sera probablement plus fracturé à long terme en fonction de la proximité géographique, idéologique et de valeurs. Dans les secteurs stratégiques, l'équilibre penchera vers la bifurcation tandis que dans d'autres, il penchera vers la logique de globalisation.

¿Qué pueden aprender las empresas multinacionales de la pandemia? Los académicos de negocios internacionales han dado numerosos aportes sobre esta pregunta, muchas de ellas enfocadas en la gestión de riesgos. Complementando estos aportes, sostenemos que las empresas multinacionales deben también considerar el efecto duradero que COVID, entre otras cosas, tuvo en las lógicas institucionales que subyacen la globalización. Los Estados Unidos y sus aliados han redefinido su lógica de perseguir reducción de costos a la construcción de valor basado en valor compartido, con el objetivo de substituir el papel de China en la economía mundial. La presión geopolítica para desacoplarse de China es la fuente de la "nueva" vulnerabilidad de la globalización. Esta presión es contrarrestada con la racionalidad económica, creando prioridades inestables entre las lógicas de globalización y desglobalización a nivel macro del espacio institucional. Combinando las perspectivas tanto gestión de riesgos como la lógica institucional, desarrollamos un marco más completo sobre las multinacionales deben responder a estos retos. Este manuscrito contribuye al debate sobre el impacto del COVID-19 en la globalización, indicando que ni la lógica de globalización o de desglobalización van a prevalecer en el corto plazo, y los negocios internacionales estén más fracturados en el largo plazo, en función no solo en la proximidad geográfica, sino también ideológica y de valores. En sectores estratégicos la balanza se inclinará hacia la bifurcación mientras que en los otros la balanza se inclinará a la lógica de globalización.

O que MNEs podem aprender com a pandemia do COVID-19? Acadêmicos de IB forneceram amplos insights sobre essa questão, muitos deles focados no gerenciamento de riscos. Complementando esses insights, argumentamos que MNEs também devem considerar o efeito duradouro que o COVID-19 teve, entre outros, nas lógicas institucionais subjacentes à globalização. Os EUA e seus aliados redefiniram sua lógica de buscar a redução de custos para construir parcerias baseadas no valor compartilhado, visando substituir o papel da China na economia mundial. A pressão geopolítica para a separação da China é a fonte da "nova" vulnerabilidade da globalização. Tal pressão é contrabalançada pela racionalidade econômica, criando uma prioridade instável entre as lógicas da globalização e da desglobalização no espaço institucional de nível macro. Combinando as perspectivas de gerenciamento de risco e lógica institucional, desenvolvemos um modelo mais abrangente sobre como MNEs devem responder a esses desafios. Este artigo contribui para o debate sobre o impacto do COVID-19 na globalização, sugerindo que nem a lógica da globalização nem a da desglobalização prevalecerão no curto prazo, e IB provavelmente será mais fendido no longo prazo, com base não apenas na proximidade geográfica, mas também na ideológica e de valor. Em setores estratégicos o equilíbrio se deslocará para a bifurcação enquanto em outros o equilíbrio se deslocará para a lógica da globalização..

Comparative analysis of water quality prediction performance based on LSTM in the Haihe River Basin, China.

As the most water shortage and water polluted area in China, the water quality prediction is of utmost needed and important in Haihe River Basin for its water resource management. The long short-term memory (LSTM) has been a widely used tool for water quality forecast in recent years. The performance and adaptability of LSTM for water quality prediction of different indicators needs to be discussed before it adopted in a specific basin. However, literature contains very few studies on the comparative analysis of the various prediction accuracy of different water quality indicators and the causes, especially in Haihe River Basin. In this study, LSTM was employed to predict biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), permanganate index (CODMn), dissolved oxygen (DO), ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N), total phosphorus (TP), hydrogen ion concentration (pH), and chemical oxygen demand digested by potassium dichromate (CODCr). According to results under 24 different input conditions, it is demonstrated that LSTMs present better predicting on BOD, CODMn, CODCr, and TP (median Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency reaching 0.766, 0.835, 0.837, and 0.711, respectively) than NH3-N, DO, and pH (median Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency of 0.638, 0.625, and 0.229, respectively). Besides, the performance of LSTM to predict water quality is linearly related to the maximum value of temporal autocorrelation and cross-correlation coefficients of water quality indicators calculated by maximal information coefficient with the coefficients of determination of 0.79 to approximately 0.80. This study would provide new knowledge and support for the practical application and improvement of the LSTM in water quality prediction.

Flexible Janus wood membrane with asymmetric wettability for high-efficient switchable oil/water emulsion separation.

Janus membranes have attracted much attention for switchable oil/water separation because they have opposite wetting behavior on each side. However, it remains a challenge to fabricate Janus membranes with asymmetric wettability from biomass by simple methods. Herein, we prepared a flexible Janus wood (JW) membrane by cutting the natural wood along the longitudinal direction, followed by a facile top-down approach. The hydrophobic lignin was removed from the wood to prepare a highly porous and superhydrophilic wood (SW) with underwater superoleophobicity. Then, one side of the SW was sprayed with a mixture of 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorooctyltrichlorosilane/SiO2 nanoparticles to form a superhydrophobic surface that hardly affected the wettability of the other side. The obtained JW membrane maintains its selective wettability in harsh environments owing to its durability and stability. Furthermore, it has a switchable, high separation efficiency of >99% for both oil-in-water and water-in-oil emulsions, which can be attributed to the unique wettability and hierarchical micro/nano structure of the JW membrane. Notably, the three-dimensional interconnected micro/nanochannels (pits and nanopores) of the JW membrane are beneficial to the size-sieving effect during emulsion separation. At the same time, the layered channels (tracheids and vessels) enable multiple separations. JW membrane is sustainable, inexpensive, stable, and easy to manufacture, providing more implications for the innovation of biomass-based Janus separation materials in industrial wastewater treatment.

Scale effects of land use on river water quality: a case study of the Tuojiang River Basin, China.

Assessing the scale effects of land use on water quality is of great significance for effectively controlling nonpoint source (NPS) pollution in river basins. In this study, redundancy analysis (RDA) and stepwise multiple linear regression (SMLR) analysis were applied to assess the effects of land use on water quality across multiscales in the Tuojiang River Basin. All monitoring sections were classified into three groups according to the characteristics of land use and cluster analysis of water quality. Results showed that the improvement in water quality of rivers in the Tuojiang River Basin lies in the emphasis and protection of the small-scale scope. Concomitantly, the linkages between individual water quality parameter and land use were highly dependent on spatial scales and regional basis. For the upstream group A, urban land is the main source of COD and TN pollution, while industrial and rural residential land contributed the most to TP pollution. Water body exhibits favorable effects on ammonia nitrogen due to its absorption and degradation, together with the growth of phytoplankton within it. For group B in the middle-lower reaches, controlling the input of organic fertilizers in paddy field will effectively alleviate COD pollution. Increasing the proportion of grassland near the riparian zone can have a positive effect on TN and TP pollution. It should continue to strengthen the strict supervision of NH3-N concentration in wastewater discharge from industrial enterprises. Our results can provide important information for land use planning and making multiple scale measures for water quality conservation.

Co-assembly of stearoylated cellulose nanocrystals and GO (or CNTs) for the construction of superhydrophobic hierarchical structure with enhanced photothermal conversion.

The development of photothermal materials with high photothermal-conversion efficiencies is important in a range of applications, such as power generation, sterilization, desalination, and energy-production. To date, a few reports have been published related to improving the photothermal conversion performances of photothermal materials based on self-assembled nanolamellae. Herein, hybrid films of co-assembled stearoylated cellulose nanocrystals (SCNCs) and polymer-grafted graphene oxide (pGO)/polymer-grafted carbon nanotubes (pCNTs) were prepared. The chemical compositions, microstructures, and morphologies of these products were characterized, and it was found that the self-assembled SCNC structures exhibited numerous surface nanolamellae due to crystallization of the long alkyl chains. The hybrid films (i.e., SCNC/pGO and SCNC/pCNTs films) consisted of ordered nanoflake structures, confirming the co-assembly behavior of the SCNCs with pGO or pCNTs. The melting temperature (~65 °C) and latent heat of melting (87.87 J/g) of SCNC1.07 indicate its potential to induce the formation of nanolamellar pGO or pCNTs. Under light irradiation (50-200 mW/cm2), the pCNTs exhibited a higher light absorption capacity than pGO, and as a result, the SCNC/pCNTs film exhibited the best photothermal performance and electrical conversion, ultimately demonstrating its potential for use as a solar thermal device in practical applications.