A Prognostic Model for Cancer-Specific Survival Among Patients with Nodular Melanoma in Head and Neck.

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to evaluate the correlation between risk factors and treatment methods affecting nodular melanoma (NM) in the head and neck, as well as cancer-specific survival (CSS), and provide personalized predictive tools for clinical physicians. METHODS: The retrospective study data of 1848 patients were extracted from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. All variables were included in the correlation analysis using the Spearman method. Significant prognostic factors were extracted and integrated through Cox risk regression analysis to construct a nomogram. To assess the performance of the nomogram, Harrell's concordance index (C-index) and a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis were employed. RESULTS: Spearman's correlation analysis revealed a positive correlation between radiotherapy and lymph node metastasis, whereas chemotherapy showed a stronger association with distant metastasis. However, Cox risk regression analysis demonstrated that Mohs surgery and wide excision with margins exceeding 1 cm yielded substantial therapeutic advantages. Five independent risk prognostic factors (Breslow thickness, ulceration, N classification, M classification, and surgery type) were employed to construct a nomogram. The C-index for this nomogram was 0.713 for the training set and 0.720 for the validation set. In the training set, the 3-, 5-, and 8-year areas under the curve (AUCs) for CSS were 0.752, 0.723, and 0.720, whereas the validation set's AUCs were 0.754, 0.763, and 0.760, respectively. Calibration curves indicated the nomogram's strong discriminative ability for predicting CSS. CONCLUSION: In this study, we identified independent prognostic factors for patients with NM in head and neck and developed a relatively accurate model to predict the survival probability of them, which could contribute to the tumor assessment and clinical decision-making. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3 Laryngoscope, 134:3611-3619, 2024.

Optimization of target system for the production of 99Mo via 100Mo(γ,n)99Mo reaction.

With an increase of stopping operation of nuclear reactors worldwide, the supply of medical 99Mo becomes difficult and thus many efforts have been made to find an alternative. A process based on an electron linear accelerator (linac) system and a100Mo target via the 100Mo (γ,n)99Mo reaction receives a lot of attention due to the relatively low level of co-produced impurities. This process has been recently developed at the Institute of Modern Physics (IMP) and the Monte Carlo simulation was used to optimize the target system before operating pilot irradiation experiments. First, tungsten and tantalum, as mostly used converter materials, were tested. The yield of 99Mo was evaluated with respect to the converter thickness and the electron beam energy by means of Geant4 simulations. Besides, the specific activity of 99Mo produced from one-stage approach (100Mo target without a converter) and two-stage approach (100Mo target with a converter) was compared when varying the testing conditions. The two-stage approach was selected for the experiment due to the higher specific activity of produced 99Mo at all tested conditions. A target consisting of a 10 mm thickness of the 100Mo tablets and a 2.4 mm thick Ta converter was irradiated for 40 h (50 MeV with 0.2 µA). The Geant4-calculated specific activity of generated 99Mo at the end of bombardment agreed well with the experimental value, which proved high level of accuracy of the Geant4 simulation. In future studies, the Geant4 simulation will be used to optimize the production process when using high power linac system.

A compound heterozygous mutation in the S-Antigen Visual Arrestin SAG gene in a Chinese patient with Oguchi type one: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Oguchi disease is a rare autosomal recessive form of congenital quiescent night blindness. Oguchi disease has been found to be associated with gene mutations in SAG and GRK1, which are vital factors in the recovery phase of phototransduction after light stimuli. We report a case of Oguchi disease with novel heterozygous mutations in SAG. CASE PRESENTATION: A 7-year-old girl with a history of night blindness since childhood, was referred to our hospital. Ophthalmologic examinations included visual acuity, fundus examinations, fundus photography, spectral-domain optical coherence tomography, electroretinographic (ERG). Mutation screening of the SAG and GRK1 genes was performed. This patient exhibited typical clinical characteristics of Oguchi disease, including night blindness, golden fundus with the Mizuo-Nakamura phenomenon, packed structure of the parafovea in optical coherence tomography and reduced a-waves and b-waves in scotopic 3.0 ERG. Genetic testing revealed a heterozygous change in nucleotide c.72_75+15delATCGGTGAGTGGTGCACAA in exon 2 of the SAG gene in this patient, her unaffected mother and younger brother. A splicing alteration of nucleotide c.376-2A>C was identified in exon 6 of the SAG gene with heterozygous status in this patient and her unaffected father. CONCLUSIONS: Compound heterozygosity of a nonsense p.S25X mutation in exon 2 and a splicing alteration in exon 6 of the SAG gene is the cause of this patient with Oguchi type 1 disease in China.

Comparison of the influence of light between circularly polarized and linearly polarized smartphones on dry eye symptoms and asthenopia.

This paper aims to investigate the efficacy of circularly polarized light smartphones in affecting dry eye symptoms and asthenopia through a comparison with linearly polarized smartphones. One hundred twenty participants were randomly divided into four groups. Dry eye and asthenopia symptoms were evaluated using the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI), Computer Vision Syndrome Scale 17 (CVSS17), Convergence Insufficiency Symptom Survey (CISS), and visual analogue scale (VAS). Objective ocular examinations were assessed by confusion flicker frequency (CFF), tear meniscus height (TMH), noninvasive break-up time (NIBUT), conjunctiva redness, fluorescein tear break-up time (FTBUT), corneal fluorescein staining, and the Schirmer I test. Tests were performed before and after a reading task. Subjective evaluations including the OSDI, CVSS17, and CISS were all significantly increased after reading on a linearly polarized smartphone, whereas no change was observed in the circular polarization groups in both light and dark environments. A significantly enlarged VAS was shown in all of the four groups, but a significant increase in ΔVAS only appeared in the linear polarization groups. There were significant decreases in TMH, NIBUT, conjunctiva redness, FTBUT, and CFF after reading on a linearly polarized smartphone but the circularly polarized smartphone had lesser effects on these parameters. Our study indicated that reading on linearly polarized smartphones may cause dry eye disorder, asthenopia, and ocular discomforts, whereas circularly polarized smartphones appears to minimize these adverse effects on eye dryness and visual fatigue in light and dark environments.

Practicality of hierarchically macro/mesoporous γ-Al2O3 as a promising sorbent in the preparation of low specific activity 99Mo/99mTc generator.

Hierarchically macro-/mesoporous γ-Al2O3 (HMMA) was synthesized and characterized by various analytical techniques. The results indicated that HMMA possessed macropores (∼0.45 µm) and mesopores (∼10.6 nm) with a large surface area (∼542 m2 g-1). The absorption behaviors of Mo and Re with HMMA were investigated. The maximum static absorption capacity could reach about 250 mg Mo per g HMMA. The absorption equilibrium can be attained quickly within 10 mins. At initial Mo ions concertation of 10,000 mg L-1, the breakthrough capacity was determined to be around 200 mg Mo per g HMMA. Additional, absorption mechanism results indicated that Mo ions reacts strongly with a hydroxyl on the surface of γ-Al2O3 and an adjacent Al atom, simultaneously. A 9.15 mCi (339 MBq) 99Mo generator was prepared and evaluated its performance for over one week. The recovery of 99mTc could reach about 89% with favorable radionuclidic, radiochemical and chemical purity for nuclear medicine application. HMMA has a potential application prospect for the preparation of low specific activity (LSA) 99Mo/99mTc generator.

Complexity Changes in the US and China's Stock Markets: Differences, Causes, and Wider Social Implications.

How different are the emerging and the well-developed stock markets in terms of efficiency? To gain insights into this question, we compared an important emerging market, the Chinese stock market, and the largest and the most developed market, the US stock market. Specifically, we computed the Lempel-Ziv complexity (LZ) and the permutation entropy (PE) from two composite stock indices, the Shanghai stock exchange composite index (SSE) and the Dow Jones industrial average (DJIA), for both low-frequency (daily) and high-frequency (minute-to-minute)stock index data. We found that the US market is basically fully random and consistent with efficient market hypothesis (EMH), irrespective of whether low- or high-frequency stock index data are used. The Chinese market is also largely consistent with the EMH when low-frequency data are used. However, a completely different picture emerges when the high-frequency stock index data are used, irrespective of whether the LZ or PE is computed. In particular, the PE decreases substantially in two significant time windows, each encompassing a rapid market rise and then a few gigantic stock crashes. To gain further insights into the causes of the difference in the complexity changes in the two markets, we computed the Hurst parameter H from the high-frequency stock index data of the two markets and examined their temporal variations. We found that in stark contrast with the US market, whose H is always close to 1/2, which indicates fully random behavior, for the Chinese market, H deviates from 1/2 significantly for time scales up to about 10 min within a day, and varies systemically similar to the PE for time scales from about 10 min to a day. This opens the door for large-scale collective behavior to occur in the Chinese market, including herding behavior and large-scale manipulation as a result of inside information.

Glucocorticoids May Exacerbate Fungal Keratitis by Increasing Fungal Aggressivity and Inhibiting the Formation of Neutrophil Extracellular Traps.

Purpose: To evaluate whether glucocorticoids affect the prognosis of fungal keratitis by inhibiting the formation of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs).Methods: A mouse model of Candida albicans (C.albicans) keratitis was established. Animals were randomly assigned to treatment with 0.1% dexamethasone (DXM) eye drops and normal saline (3 times each day for 3 days). The effects of DXM on fungal keratitis were assessed using clinical scores, immunofluorescence staining, histopathological examination, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and pathogen burden assay. All the analyses were performed using SPSS software version 17.0 (Chicago, IL).Results: NETs formation was noteworthy in the cornea lesions of fungal keratitis. The clinical score of the DXM-treated group was significantly higher than that of the control group (P < .05). During the measured period, corneas from DXM-treated group contained more C.albicans than those from the control group by histology and pathogen burden assay. Compared with the control group, the DXM treatment group had a higher depth of infiltration of C.albicans. Histological and immunofluorescence staining showed that there were fewer neutrophils in the cornea focus of DXM-treated group (P < .05）, and the number of NETs formed in scrapings from control group was higher than that in the DXM treatment group on day 3 (P < .05, Z = -3.56)) and day 5 (P < .05, Z = -3.69). In a similar amount of cell scraping, the NETs of neutrophils formation from the DXM-treated group were also less than that from the control group.Conclusion: Our results indicated that NETs were involved in the immune response in C.albicans keratitis. Glucocorticoids may exacerbate fungal keratitis not only by increasing fungal aggressivity and reducing the infiltration of neutrophils but also by inhibiting the formation of NETs.

The study of rhenium pentacarbonyl complexes using single-atom chemistry in the gas phase.

A gas-phase chemical study of rhenium carbonyls was carried out using short-lived radioisotopes produced at a heavy-ion accelerator. The Re isotopes produced in the nuclear reactions of natGd(23Na,xn)172-177Re were pre-separated with a gas-filled recoil ion separator and their carbonyls were synthesized in a mixture of inert gas and carbon monoxide. Using a low temperature isothermal chromatography apparatus, the adsorption enthalpies of Re carbonyls were derived to be ΔHads = -42 ± 2 kJ mol-1 on a Teflon® surface by fitting the external chromatograms with a Monte Carlo simulation program. A chemical yield of 25% relative to that of the transport yield for Re by a He/KCl gas-jet was achieved. The laser-ablation time-of-flight mass-spectrometric technique was employed to identify the species of Re carbonyls produced in the gas phase. The most stable species was deduced to be Re(CO)5 based on the mass-spectrometric analysis as well as quantum chemistry calculations.

Highly Efficient and Selective Dissolution Separation of Fission Products by an Ionic Liquid [Hbet][Tf2N]: A New Approach to Spent Nuclear Fuel Recycling.

Here, we propose the use of carboxyl-functionalized ionic liquid, [Hbet][Tf2N], to separate the fission products from spent nuclear fuels. This innovative method allows the selective dissolution of neutron poisons, lanthanides oxide, as well as some fission products with high yield, leaving most of the UO2 matrix and minor actinides behind in the spent nuclear fuel and accomplishing the actinides recovery as a group. Water-saturated [Hbet][Tf2N] can dissolve lanthanides oxide from simulated spent nuclear fuel with a dissolution ratio of 100% at 40 °C. However, the dissolution of uranium is almost negligible (<1%) under the same conditions. This big difference in dissolution provides a novel separation approach to spent nuclear fuel recycling and may open new perspectives for spent nuclear fuel reprocessing. The recovery of Nd and U from metal-loaded ionic liquids and the recyclability of the ionic liquid [Hbet][Tf2N] have also been investigated. Furthermore, a U/ x value related to the lattice energy U of metal compound M xO y is used to elaborate the solubility. This work represents the first case for efficient fission products removal by selective dissolution, avoiding the complete dissolution of spent nuclear fuel, the producing of the large high-level radioactive waste, and reducing environmental hazards.

Evaluation of artificial tears on cornea epithelium healing.

AIM: To observe the efficacy of different artificial eye drops on corneal epithelium healing in rabbit. METHODS: Thirty-five rabbits with 6 mm diameter central corneal epithelium removed were randomly assigned to six groups: 0.9% normal saline (NS) group, 0.1% hyaluronate (HA) group, 0.3% HA group, Tears Naturale Free® (TNF) group, 0.4% polyethylene glycol (PEG) group, 0.5% carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) group and blank control group. Treatments were administered topically four times daily. Corneal epithelium healing was evaluated by the percentage reduction in wound area at 24, 36, 48, 60, and 72h after removal of the corneal epithelium. Cornea re-epithelialization was also assessed by histological analysis and electron microscopy. RESULTS: All corneal wounds completely re-epithelialized in less than 72h. The average re-epithelialization time was 47.61±4.25h in the 0.3% HA group and 49.72±1.05h in the 0.9% NS group, followed by 0.1% HA, TNF, 0.4% PEG, 0.5% CMC, and lastly by the control group. Compared to the control group, there were significant differences among 0.3% HA, 0.9% NS, PEG, and TNF (P<0.05) groups. At the first 24h, re-epithelialization at the 0.3% HA, TNF, and 0.9% NS treatment groups were significantly faster than the other groups. At 48h post-wounding, corneal epithelium is nearly completing re-epithelialization at 0.3% HA and 0.9% NS treatment groups. Electron microscopy revealed that there were a large number of vacuoles in the cells of the 0.9% NS group at 72h. CONCLUSION: Artificial tears promote corneal re-epithelium varied in the efficacy. Obviously, all artificial eye drops better than blank group. In the process of corneal healing, corneal epithelium cells suffered from hypoxia caused by NS.

Dexamethasone Inhibits S. aureus-Induced Neutrophil Extracellular Pathogen-Killing Mechanism, Possibly through Toll-Like Receptor Regulation.

Neutrophils release neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) in a pathogen-killing process called NETosis. Excessive NETs formation, however, is implicated in disease pathogenesis. Therefore, to understand how NETosis is regulated, we examined the effect of dexamethasone (DXM), an anti-inflammatory drug, on this process and the role of toll-like receptors (TLRs). We stimulated human neutrophils with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) or Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and quantified NETs formation. We also examined the effect of DXM on the bactericidal effect of NETs and the role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nuclear factor (NF)-κB in DXM-regulated NETosis. DXM significantly inhibited S. aureus-induced NETosis and extracellular bacterial killing. ROS production and NF-κB activation were not involved in DXM-regulated NETosis. TLR2 and TLR4, but not TLR5 or TLR6, modified S. aureus-induced NETs formation. Neither DXM nor TLRs were involved in PMA-induced NETosis. Furthermore, TLR2 and TLR4 agonists rescued DXM-inhibited NETosis, and neither TLR2 nor TLR4 antagonists could further inhibit NETosis reduction induced by DXM, indicating that DXM may inhibit NETosis by regulating TLR2 and TLR4. In conclusion, the mechanisms of S. aureus- and PMA-induced NETosis are different. DXM decreases NETs formation independently of oxidant production and NF-κB phosphorylation and possibly via a TLR-dependent mechanism.

Management lacrimal sac abscesses using lacrimal probe and crawford silicon tube.

BACKGROUND: Treatment of lacrimal sac abscess of the traditional surgical approach may result in complications from cutaneous fistula formation, damage the sac, cause skin scarring and even have the potential for inducing cicatricial ectropion. We designed a new treatment scheme that is expected to achieve internal drainage with the use of lacrimal probe and crawford silicon tube. METHODS: A prospective study was performed for the management of lacrimal sac abscesses. All suitable patients from January 2011 to June 2014 were managed by lacrimal probe and crawford tube insertion. Postoperatively, patients received 0.5% Levofloxacin eye drops four times per day and oral Levofloxacin tablets 0.5 g once per day for four days. Follow-up times were for more than three months after removing the Crawford tube. The condition of the lacrimal sac and the patient's symptoms were carefully evaluated. RESULTS: Fourteen patients suffering from lacrimal sac abscesses were included in this study. A history of chronic dacryocystitis was found in six patients, after acute dacryocystitis was found in three patients, and nasolacrimal occlusion with epiphora was found in other five patients. Resolution of signs and symptoms of lacrimal sac abscesses in all fourteen patients. No recurrence of lacrimal sac abscesses occurred during the median follow up period of 20.9 ± 7.8 months (range 6-36 months). Epiphora reoccurred in four patients. CONCLUSIONS: Lacrimal probe and crawford silicon tube is successful as a procedure of choice for lacrimal sac abscesses. The insertion of a Crawford tube also offers potential advantages over standard treatment with the lack of recurrence of dacryocystitis or infection in post-surgical patients.

A treatment method for chronic suppurative lacrimal canaliculitis using chalazion forceps.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of chronic suppurative lacrimal canaliculitis treatment using chalazion forceps. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A prospective study was performed on consecutive patients who accepted the aid of chalazion forceps to treat chronic suppurative lacrimal canaliculitis. Two different treatment methods using chalazion forceps were performed according to the degree of lacrimal canaliculitis. Postoperatively, the patients received 0.5% levofloxacin eye drops four times per day and 0.5 g oral levofloxacin tablets once per day for 4 days. The follow-up period was more than 3 months. Lacrimal irrigation, the condition of the lacrimal punctum, and patients' symptoms were carefully evaluated. RESULTS: In total, 32 patients met the criteria for chronic suppurative lacrimal canaliculitis. Included were 6 males and 26 females. Their average age was 51.7 ± 14.9 years (range; 19-80 years), and all had unilateral canaliculitis. The mean duration of the symptoms was 18.9 ± 9.8 months (range; 3-48 months). The mean follow-up time was 14.7 ± 7.8 months. The signs and symptoms resolved completely in all patients within 15 days, and no recurrence was observed. No patients reported epiphora after the treatment. CONCLUSIONS: The use of chalazion forceps is effective in treating chronic suppurative lacrimal canaliculitis. The forceps may offer an alternative treatment technology in the management of suppurative lacrimal canaliculitis.

Neutrophil extracellular traps involvement in corneal fungal infection.

PURPOSE: Neutrophils release neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) when defending against invading microorganisms. We investigated the existence of NETs in fungal keratitis. METHODS: Fourteen patients with unilateral fungal keratitis were included. Detailed information about each patient was recorded, including (1) patient history (onset of symptoms and previous therapy), (2) ocular examination findings by slit-lamp biomicroscopy, (3) laboratory findings from direct smear examination and culture of corneal scrapings, (4) NET formation, and (5) treatment strategy and prognosis. Immunofluorescence staining was used to evaluate the existence of NETs on corneal scrapings. The relationship between the quantification of NETs and the clinical character of the fungal keratitis was identified. RESULTS: NETs were identified in all 14 patients. Patients with a higher grade of NET formation and fewer fungal hyphae always showed a good treatment response and a short course of infection. NETs were consistently found mixed with fungal hyphae in the corneal scrapings from infected patients. No statistical significance was found between the grade of NETs formed and the course of infection before presentation, and no relationship between the quantification of NETs and the size of the ulcer was found. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that NETs are involved in fungal keratitis. The number of NETs in infected corneas may provide a tool for evaluating the prognosis for fungal keratitis.

Gas-phase chemistry of ruthenium and rhodium carbonyl complexes.

Short-lived ruthenium and rhodium isotopes were produced from a (252)Cf spontaneous fission (SF) source. Their volatile carbonyl complexes were formed in gas-phase reactions in situ with the carbon-monoxide containing gas. A gas-jet system was employed to transport the volatile carbonyls from the recoil chamber to the chemical separation apparatus. The gas-phase chemical behaviors of these carbonyl complexes were studied using an online low temperature isothermal chromatography (IC) technique. Long IC columns made up of FEP Teflon were used to obtain the chemical information of the high-volatile Ru and Rh carbonyls. By excluding the influence of precursor effects, short-lived isotopes of (109-110)Ru and (111-112)Rh were used to represent the chemical behaviours of Ru and Rh carbonyls. Relative chemical yields of about 75% and 20% were measured for Ru(CO)5 and Rh(CO)4, respectively, relative to the yields of KCl aerosols transported in Ar gas. The adsorption enthalpies of ruthenium and rhodium carbonyl complexes on a Teflon surface were determined to be around ΔHads = -33(+1)(-2) kJ mol(-1) and -36(+2)(-1) kJ mol(-1), respectively, by fitting the breakthrough curves of the corresponding carbonyl complexes with a Monte Carlo simulation program. Different from Mo and Tc carbonyls, a small amount of oxygen gas was found to be not effective for the chemical yields of ruthenium and rhodium carbonyl complexes. The general chemical behaviors of short-lived carbonyl complexes of group VI-IX elements were discussed, which can be used in the future study on the gas-phase chemistry of superheavy elements - Bh, Hs, and Mt carbonyls.

Gas-phase chemistry of technetium carbonyl complexes.

Gas-phase chemical behaviors of short-lived technetium carbonyl complexes were studied using a low temperature isothermal chromatograph (IC) coupled with a (252)Cf spontaneous fission (SF) source. Fission products recoiled from the (252)Cf SF source were thermalized in a mixed gas containing CO, and then technetium carbonyl complexes were formed from reactions between CO gas and various technetium isotopes. A gas-jet system was employed to transport the volatile carbonyl complexes from a recoil chamber to the IC. Short IC columns made of Fluorinated Ethylene Propylene (FEP) Teflon and quartz were used to obtain chemical information about the technetium carbonyl complexes. The results for the (104)Tc-(106)Tc carbonyl complexes were found to be strongly influenced by the precursors, and showed the chemical behaviors of (104)Mo-(106)Mo carbonyl complexes, respectively. However, (107)Tc and (108)Tc could represent the chemical information of the element technetium due to their high independent yields and the very short half-lives of their precursors (107)Mo and (108)Mo. An adsorption enthalpy of about ΔHads = -43 kJ mol(-1) was determined for the Tc carbonyl complexes on both the Teflon and quartz surfaces by fitting the breakthrough curves of the (107)Tc and (108)Tc carbonyl complexes with a Monte Carlo simulation program. Chemical yields of around 25% were measured for the Tc carbonyl complexes relative to the transport yields obtained with the gas-jet transport of KCl aerosol particles with Ar carrier gas. Furthermore, the influence of a small amount of O2 gas on the yields of the Mo and Tc carbonyl complexes was studied.

Crisis-like behavior in China's stock market and its interpretation.

In order for China to play a bigger, more positive role in the world, it is important for China to have a healthy capital market. This perception motivates us to examine the health of China's capital market, especially the severity of the overall loss of the listed companies in China and the effects of accounting irregularities on the losses. We show the overall loss of the listed companies was very severe, in particular, crisis-like behavior emerged in the fourth quarter of 2002, 2004, 2005, and 2008. We further observe that loss in the fourth quarter was much greater than the average loss of the first three quarters in the same year. The most straightforward interpretation of this loss pattern is that companies underreported losses in the first three quarters, to boost their stock values in most time of the year. However, in the fourth quarter, accounting balance of the whole year dictated that the reported loss in the fourth quarter had to be much greater than the actual loss. Fortunately, such irregularity has been greatly reduced, thanks to the accounting reforms in China in 2007.

[Species-abundance distribution patterns along succession series of Phyllostachys glauca forest in a limestone mountain].

To detect the ecological process of the succession series of Phyllostachys glauca forest in a limestone mountain, five niche models, i.e., broken stick model (BSM), niche preemption model (NPM), dominance preemption model (DPM), random assortment model (RAM) and overlap- ping niche model (ONM) were employed to describe the species-abundance distribution patterns (SDPs) of 15 samples. χ² test and Akaike information criterion (AIC) were used to test the fitting effects of the five models. The results showed that the optimal SDP models for P. glauca forest, bamboo-broadleaved mixed forest and broadleaved forest were DPM (χ² = 35.86, AIC = -69.77), NPM (χ² = 1.60, AIC = -94.68) and NPM (χ² = 0.35, AIC = -364.61), respectively. BSM also well fitted the SDP of bamboo-broadleaved mixed forest and broad-leaved forest, while it was unsuitable to describe the SDP of P. glauca forest. The fittings of RAM and ONM in the three forest types were all rejected by the χ² test and AIC. With the development of community succession from P. glauca forest to broadleaved forest, the species richness and evenness increased, and the optimal SDP model changed from DPM to NPM. It was inferred that the change of ecological process from habitat filtration to interspecific competition was the main driving force of the forest succession. The results also indicated that the application of multiple SDP models and test methods would be beneficial to select the best model and deeply understand the ecological process of community succession.

Equilibrium, kinetic and thermodynamic studies of uranium biosorption by calcium alginate beads.

Calcium alginate beads are potential biosorbent for radionuclides removal as they contain carboxyl groups. However, until now limited information is available concerning the uptake behavior of uranium by this polymer gel, especially when sorption equilibrium, kinetics and thermodynamics are concerned. In present work, batch experiments were carried out to study the equilibrium, kinetics and thermodynamics of uranium sorption by calcium alginate beads. The effects of initial solution pH, sorbent amount, initial uranium concentration and temperature on uranium sorption were also investigated. The determined optimal conditions were: initial solution pH of 3.0, added sorbent amount of 40 mg, and uranium sorption capacity increased with increasing initial uranium concentration and temperature. Equilibrium data obtained under different temperatures were fitted better with Langmuir model than Freundlich model, uranium sorption was dominated by a monolayer way. The kinetic data can be well depicted by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The activation energy derived from Arrhenius equation was 30.0 kJ/mol and the sorption process had a chemical nature. Thermodynamic constants such as ΔH(0), ΔS(0) and ΔG(0) were also evaluated, results of thermodynamic study showed that the sorption process was endothermic and spontaneous.

Biosorption of uranium by magnetically modified Rhodotorula glutinis.

Adsorption of uranium from aqueous solution onto the magnetically modified yeast cell, Rhodotorula glutinis, was investigated in a batch system. Factors influencing sorption such as initial solution pH, biomass dosage, contact time, temperature, initial uranium concentration and other common cations were analyzed. Sorption isotherm, kinetic and thermodynamic studies of uranium on magnetically modified R. glutinis were also carried out. The temperature dependent equilibrium data agreed well with the Langmuir model. Kinetic data obtained at different temperatures were simulated using pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order kinetic models, the pseudo-second-order kinetic model was found to describe the data better with correlation coefficients near 1.0. The thermodynamic parameters, ΔH°, ΔS° and ΔG° were calculated from the sorption data gained at different temperatures. These thermodynamic parameters showed that the sorption process was endothermic and spontaneous. All results indicated that magnetically modified R. glutinis can be a potential sorbent for uranium wastewater treatment.