Mendelian randomization study and mediation analysis about the relation of inflammatory bowel disease and diabetic retinopathy: the further exploration of gut-retina axis.

Background: The concept of the gut-retinal axis proposed by previous scholars primarily focused on the relationship between intestinal microbiota and retinal diseases, and few further expanded the relationship between intestinal diseases and retinal diseases. To further substantiate the concept of the gut-retinal axis, we analyzed inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and diabetic retinopathy (DR) using Mendelian randomization (MR), and use mediation analysis to further explore the potential substances that influence this causal relationship. Methods: The genome-wide association study's (GWAS) summary statistics for genetic variations were utilized in a Mendelian randomization (MR) investigation. GWAS data on IBD (including ulcerative colitis (UC), Crohn's disease (CD), and IBD) for non-Finnish Europeans (NFE) were sourced from published articles. In contrast, data on DR (including DR and diabetic maculopathy (DMP)) were obtained from FinnGen R9. The causal relationship has been investigated using inverse variance weighted (IVW), MR-Egger, and weighted median and sensitivity analysis was applied to verify the stability of the results. In addition, we applied mediation analysis to investigate whether circulating inflammatory proteins and plasma lipids played a mediating role, and calculated its effect ratio. Results: The causal relationship between IBD and DR was discovered by employing the inverse variance weighted (IVW) method and weighted median method. In forward MR, UC was significantly associated with lower risk of DR (IVW: OR=0.874; 95%CI= 0.835-0.916; P value= 1.28E-08) (Weighted median: OR=0.893; 95%CI= 0.837-0.954; P value= 7.40E-04). In reverse MR, it was shown that DR (IVW: OR=0.870; 95%CI= 0.828-0.914; P value= 2.79E-08)(Weighted median: OR=0.857; 95%CI= 0.801-0.916; P value= 6.40E-06) and DMP (IVW: OR=0.900; 95%CI= 0.865-0.937; P value= 3.34E-07)(Weighted median: OR=0.882; 95%CI= 0.841-0.924; P value= 1.82E-07) could reduce the risk of CD. What's more, DR is associated with a lower risk of IBD according to genetic prediction (IVW: OR=0.922; 95%CI= 0.873-0.972; P value= 0.002) (Weighted median: OR=0.924; 95%CI= 0.861-0.992; P value= 0.029). Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21), phosphatidylcholine (PC), and triacylglycerol (TG) serve as mediators in these relationships. Conclusions: Our research offers novel insights and sources for investigating the gut-retina axis in the genetic relationship between IBD and DR. We discover four mediators and more about the association between the intestine and retinal disorders and provide more evidence for the gut-retinal axis theory.

Effect of acupuncture on tic disorder: a randomized controlled clinical trial based on energy metabolomics and infrared thermography.

BACKGROUND: Acupuncture is a method for treating tic disorder. However, there is a lack of sufficient clinical objective basis in regards of its treatment efficacy. Indeed, there are structural abnormalities present in energy metabolism and infrared thermography in children with tic disorder. Therefore, this study proposes a clinical trial scheme to explore the possible mechanism of acupuncture in treating tic disorder. METHODS: This randomized controlled trial will recruit a total of 90 children, in which they will be divided into non-intervention group and intervention group. The non-intervention group consists of 30 healthy children while the intervention group consists of 60 children with tic disorder. The intervention group will be randomly allocated into either the treatment group or the control group, with 30 children randomly assigned in each group. Children either received acupuncture treatment and behavioral therapy (treatment group) or sham acupuncture treatment and behavioral therapy (control group), 3 treatment sessions per week for a period of 12 weeks, with a total of 36 treatment sessions. Outcome measures include YGTSS, urinary and fecal metabolomics, infrared thermography of body surface including governor vessel. For the intervention group, these outcome measures will be collected at the baseline and 90th day prior to intervention. Whereas for the non-intervention group, outcome measures (excluding YGTSS) will be collected at the baseline. DISCUSSION: The main outcome will be to observe the changes of the severity of tic condition, the secondary outcome will be to observe the changes of structural characteristic of infrared thermography of body surface/acupoints along the governor vessel and to evaluate the changes of urinary and fecal metabolomics at the end of the treatment, so as to analyze the relationship between them and to provide further knowledge in understanding the possible mechanism of acupuncture in improving the clinical symptoms via regulating and restoring the body metabolomics network, which in future it can develop as a set of clinical guideline (diagnosis, treatment, assessment, prognosis) in treating tic disorder. ChiCTR2300075188(Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, http://www.chictr.org.cn , registered on 29 August 2023).

Association between gut microbiota and anxiety disorders: a bidirectional two-sample mendelian randomization study.

BACKGROUND: There are many articles reporting that the component of intestinal microbiota implies a link to anxiety disorders (AD), and the brain-gut axis is also a hot topic in current research. However, the specific relevance between gut microbiota and AD is uncertain. We aimed to investigate causal relationship between gut microbiota and AD by using bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR). METHODS: Genetic instrumental variable (IV) for the gut microbiota were obtained from a genome-wide association study (GWAS) involving 18,340 participants. Summary data for AD were derived from the GWAS and included 158,565 cases and 300,995 controls. We applied the inverse variance weighted (IVW) method as the main analysis. Cochran's Q values was computed to evaluate the heterogeneity among IVs. Sensitivity analyses including intercept of MR-Egger method and MR-PRESSO analysis were used to test the horizontal pleiotropy. RESULT: We discovered 9 potential connections between bacterial traits on genus level and AD. Utilizing the IVW method, we identified 5 bacterial genera that exhibited a direct correlation with the risk of AD: genus Eubacteriumbrachygroup, genus Coprococcus3, genus Enterorhabdus, genus Oxalobacter, genus Ruminiclostridium6. Additionally, we found 4 bacterial genera that exhibited a negative association with AD: genus Blautia, genus Butyricicoccus, genus Erysipelotrichaceae-UCG003 and genus Parasutterella. The associations were confirmed by the sensitivity analyses. CONCLUSION: Our study found a causal relation between parts of the gut microbiota and AD. Further randomized controlled trials are crucial to elucidate the positive effects of probiotics on AD and their particular protection systems.

Possible hazards from biodegradation of soil plastic mulch: Increases in microplastics and CO2 emissions.

Biodegradable mulches are widely recognized as ecologically friendly substances. However, their degradation percentage upon entering soils may vary based on mulch type and soil microbial activities, raising concerns about potential increases in microplastics (MPs). The effects of using different types of mulch on soil carbon pools and its potential to accelerate their depletion have not yet well understood. Therefore, we conducted an 18-month experiment to investigate mulch biodegradation and its effects on CO2 emissions. The experiment included burying soil with biodegradable mulch made of polylactic acid (PLA) and polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT), and control treatments with traditional mulch (PE) and no mulch (CK). The results indicated that PE did not degrade, and the degradation percentage of PLA and PBAT were 46.2% and 88.1%, and the MPs produced by the degradation were 6.7 × 104 and 37.2 × 104 items/m2, respectively. Biodegradable mulch, particularly PLA, can enhance soil microbial diversity and foster more intricate bacterial communities compared to PE. The CO2 emissions were 0.58, 0.74, 0.99, and 0.86 g C/kg in CK, PE, PLA, , PBAT, respectively. A positive correlation was observed between microbial abundance and diversity with CO2 emissions, while a negative correlation was observed with soil total organic carbon. Biodegradable mulch enhanced the transformation of soil organic C into CO2 by stimulating microbial activity.

Association of refractive outcome with postoperative anterior chamber depth measured with 3 optical biometers.

PURPOSE: This study evaluated the relationship between refractive outcomes and postoperative anterior chamber depth (ACD, measured from corneal epithelium to lens) measured by swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT), optical low-coherence reflectometry (OLCR), and Scheimpflug devices under the undilated pupil. METHODS: Patients undergoing cataract phacoemulsification with intraocular lens (IOL) implantation in a hospital setting were enrolled. Postoperative ACD (postACD) was performed with an SS-OCT device, an OLCR device, and a Scheimpflug device at least 1 month after cataract surgery. After adjusting the mean predicted error to 0, differences in refractive outcomes were calculated with the Olsen formula using actual postACD measured from 3 devices and predicted value. RESULTS: Overall, this comparative case study included 69 eyes of 69 patients, and postACD measurements were successfully taken using all 3 devices. The postACD measured with the SS-OCT, OLCR, and Scheimpflug devices was 4.59 ± 0.30, 4.50 ± 0.30, and 4.54 ± 0.32 mm, respectively. Statistically significant differences in postACD were found among 3 devices (P < 0.001), with intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) and Bland-Altman showing good agreement. No significant difference in median absolute error was found with the Olsen formula using actual postACD obtained with 3 devices. Percentage prediction errors were within ± 0.50 D in 65% (OLCR), 70% (Scheimpflug), and 67% (SS-OCT) calculated by actual postACD versus 64% by predicted value. CONCLUSION: Substantial agreement was found in postACD measurements obtained from the SS-OCT, OLCR, and Scheimpflug devices, with a trend toward comparable refractive outcomes in the Olsen formula. Meanwhile, postACD measurements may be potentially superior for the additional enhancement of refractive outcomes.

A review on chitosan/metal oxide nanocomposites for applications in environmental remediation.

A cleaner and safer environment is one of the most important requirements in the future. It has become increasingly urgent and important to fabricate novel environmentally-friendly materials to remove various hazardous pollutants. Compared with traditional materials, chitosan is a more environmentally friendly material due to its abundance, biocompatibility, biodegradability, film-forming ability and hydrophilicity. As an abundant of -NH2 and -OH groups on chitosan molecular chain could chelate with all kinds of metal ions efficiently, chitosan-based materials hold great potential as a versatile supporting matrix for metal oxide nanomaterials (MONMs) (TiO2, ZnO, SnO2, Fe3O4, etc.). Recently, many chitosan/metal oxide nanomaterials (CS/MONMs) have been reported as adsorbents, photocatalysts, heterogeneous Fenton-like agents, and sensors for potential and practical applications in environmental remediation and monitoring. This review analyzed and summarized the recent advances in CS/MONMs composites, which will provide plentiful and meaningful information on the preparation and application of CS/MONMs composites for wastewater treatment and help researchers to better understand the potential of CS/MONMs composites for environmental remediation and monitoring. In addition, the challenges of CS/MONM have been proposed.

Industrial wastewater treatment using floating wetlands: a review.

Industrial wastewater generated from various production processes is often associated with elevated pollutant concentrations and environmental hazards, necessitating efficient treatment. Floating wetlands (FWs) have emerged as a promising and eco-friendly solution for industrial wastewater treatment, with numerous successful field applications. This article comprehensively reviews the removal mechanisms and treatment performance in the use of FWs for the treatment of diverse industrial wastewaters. Our findings highlight that the performance of FWs relies on proper plant selection, design, aeration, season and temperature, plants harvesting and disposal, and maintenance. Well-designed FWs demonstrate remarkable effectiveness in removing organic matter (COD and BOD), suspended solids, nutrients, and heavy metals from industrial wastewater. This effectiveness is attributed to the intricate physical and metabolic interactions between plants and microbial communities within FWs. A significant portion of the reported applications of FWs revolve around the treatment of textile and oily wastewater. In particular, the application reports of FWs are mainly concentrated in temperate developing countries, where FWs can serve as a feasible and cost-effective industrial wastewater treatment technology, replacing high-cost traditional technologies. Furthermore, our analysis reveals that the treatment efficiency of FWs can be significantly enhanced through strategies like bacterial inoculation, aeration, and co-plantation of specific plant species. These techniques offer promising directions for further research. To advance the field, we recommend future research efforts focus on developing novel floating materials, optimizing the selection and combination of plants and microorganisms, exploring flexible disposal methods for harvested biomass, and designing multi-functional FW systems.

Stability switches and chaos induced by delay in a reaction-diffusion nutrient-plankton model.

In this paper, we investigate a reaction-diffusion model incorporating dynamic variables for nutrient, phytoplankton, and zooplankton. Moreover, we account for the impact of time delay in the growth of phytoplankton following nutrient uptake. Our theoretical analysis reveals that the time delay can trigger the emergence of persistent oscillations in the model via a Hopf bifurcation. We also analytically track the direction of Hopf bifurcation and the stability of the bifurcating periodic solutions. Our simulation results demonstrate stability switches occurring for the positive equilibrium with an increasing time lag. Furthermore, the model exhibits homogeneous periodic-2 and 3 solutions, as well as chaotic behaviour. These findings highlight that the presence of time delay in the phytoplankton growth can bring forth dynamical complexity to the nutrient-plankton system of aquatic habitats.

Protective immunity induced by DNA vaccine containing TgGRA35, TgGRA42, and TgGRA43 against Toxoplasma gondii infection in Kunming mice.

Background: Toxoplasma gondii can cause congenital infection and abortion in humans and warm-blooded animals. T. gondii dense granule proteins, GRA35, GRA42, and GRA43, play a critical role in the establishment of chronic infection. However, their potential to induce protective immunity against T. gondii infection remains unexplored. Objective: This study aimed to test the efficacy of a DNA vaccine encompassing GRA35, GRA42, and GRA43 in inducing protective immunity against the highly virulent T. gondii RH strain (type I) and the brain cyst-forming PRU strain (type II). Methods: The eukaryotic plasmids pVAX-GRA35, pVAX-GRA42, and pVAX-GRA43 were constructed and formulated into two- or three-gene cocktail DNA vaccines. The indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) was used to analyze their expression and immunogenicity. Mice were immunized with a single-gene, two-genes, or multicomponent eukaryotic plasmid, intramuscularly. We assessed antibody levels, cytotoxic T-cell (CTL) responses, cytokines, and lymphocyte surface markers by using flow cytometry. Additionally, mouse survival and cyst numbers in the brain of mice challenged 1 to 2 months postvaccination were determined. Results: Specific humoral and cellular immune responses were elicited in mice immunized with single-, two-, or three-gene cocktail DNA vaccine, as indicated by significant increases in serum antibody concentrations of total IgG, IgG2a/IgG1 ratio, cytokine levels (IFN-γ, IL-2, IL-12, IL-4, and IL-10), lymphocyte proliferation, lymphocyte populations (CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes), CTL activities, and survival, as well as decreased brain cysts, in comparison with control mice. Moreover, compared with pVAX-GRA35 + pVAX-GRA42, pVAX-GRA42 + pVAX-GRA43, or pVAX-GRA35 + pVAX-GRA43, multicomponent DNA vaccine with three genes (pVAX-GRA35 + pVAX-GRA42 + pVAX-GRA43) induced the higher humoral and cellular immune responses, including serum antibody concentrations, cytokine levels, lymphocyte proliferation, lymphocyte populations, CTL activities and survival, resulting in prolonged survival time and reduced brain cyst loads. Furthermore, mice immunized with pVAX-GRA35 + pVAX-GRA42, pVAX-GRA42 + pVAX-GRA43, or pVAX-GRA35 + pVAX-GRA43 showed greater Th1 immune responses and protective efficacy than the single-gene-vaccinated groups. Conclusion: These results demonstrate that TgGRA35, TgGRA42, or TgGRA43 are vaccine candidates against T. gondii infection, and the three-gene DNA vaccine cocktail conferred the strongest protection against T. gondii infection.

Identification of cadmium phytoavailability in response to cadmium transformation and changes in soil pH and electrical conductivity.

Owing to complex changes in the soil environment, determining cadmium (Cd) phytoavailability is challenging. We devised a soil-wheat system to monitor alterations in soil pH, electrical conductivity (EC), and Cd transformation under various rates of calcium chloride and/or low-molecular-weight organic acids (LMWOAs) addition. The findings indicate that decreasing soil pH value, increasing soil EC value, and Cd transformation affect the phytoextraction of Cd. The exchangeable Cd and transformation of Cd under shifts in soil pH and EC contribute differentially to the phytoextracted Cd. The level of potentially phytoavailable Cd was identified through complete wheat cultivation in which the soil pH decreased by 0.47 unit and soil EC increased by 600-1000 µS cm-1, resembling the concentration of 0.01 M LMWOAs extractable Cd, when transitioning from paddy to dryland soil. Based on considering the phytoextracted Cd as the phytoavailable Cd throughout a complete wheat growth term, the threshold for phytoavailable Cd in soil, ensuring the safety of wheat grain (limit: 0.1 mg kg-1), is determined to be 2.90 µg kg-1. Maintaining control over Cd phytoavailability in soil emerges as the key factor in ensuring the safety of wheat grain cultivation.

Investigation of a nutrient-plankton model with stochastic fluctuation and impulsive control.

In this paper, we investigate a stochastic nutrient-plankton model with impulsive control of the nutrient concentration and zooplankton population. Analytically, we find that the population size is nonnegative for a sufficiently long time. We derive some sufficient conditions for the existence of stable periodic oscillations, which indicate that the plankton populations will behave periodically. The numerical results show that the plankton system experiences a transition from extinction to the coexistence of species due to the emergence of impulsive control. Additionally, we observe that the nutrient pulse has a stronger relationship with phytoplankton growth than the zooplankton pulse. Although the frequency of impulsive control and appropriate environmental fluctuations can promote the coexistence of plankton populations, an excessive intensity of noise can result in the collapse of the entire ecosystem. Our findings may provide some insights into the relationships among nutrients, phytoplankton and zooplankton in a stochastic environment.

Effect of ultrasonic homogenization on crude oil-water emulsion stability.

This research aims to evaluate the effect of ultrasonic processing parameters (power and sonication time), emulsion characteristics (water salinity and pH) and their interaction on oil-in-water emulsion stability for Cold Lake Blend (CLB) crude oil. Response surface methodology was used to design experimental runs, in which the parameters were investigated at five levels. Emulsion stability was evaluated by measuring creaming index, emulsion turbidity and microscopic image analysis. The effect of crude oil condition (fresh and weathered) on the emulsion stability was also investigated at the optimum sonication parameters and emulsion characteristics. The optimum condition was found at a power level of 76-80 W, sonication time of 16 mins, water salinity of 15 g/L NaCl, and pH of 8.3. Increasing sonication time beyond the optimum value had adverse effect on the emulsion stability. High water salinity (> 20 g/L NaCl) and pH (> 9) decreased the emulsion stability. These adverse effects intensified at higher power levels (> 80-87 W) and longer sonication times (> 16 mins). Interaction of parameters showed that the required energy to generate stable emulsion was within 60 - 70 kJ. Emulsion with fresh crude oil was more stable than those generated with the weathered oil.

Adsorptive removal of anionic azo dye by Al3+-modified magnetic biochar obtained from low pyrolysis temperatures of chitosan.

Magnetic γ-Fe2O3/Al3+@chitosan-derived biochar (m-Fe2O3/Al3+@CB) was prepared by introducing magnetic maghemite (γ-Fe2O3) nanoparticles and aluminum sulfate [Al2(SO4)3] into chitosan-derived biochar (CB) obtained at low pyrolysis temperatures. m-Fe2O3/Al3+@CB was used to remove typical anionic azo dye (Congo red, CR). Effects of initial CR concentration, contact time, initial pH value, background electrolytes, and temperature on CR adsorption by m-Fe2O3/Al3+@CB were studied. Compared with magnetic chitosan-derived biochar (m-Fe2O3@CB), m-Fe2O3/Al3+@CB exhibited excellent performance for a wider range of pH values (pH 1-7) and in the presence of background electrolyte. The introduction of Al3+ is an effective method for improving the properties of magnetic chitosan-derived biochar. High CR adsorption capacity (636.94 mg g-1) of m-Fe2O3/Al3+@CB could result from collaborative effect of flocculation/coagulation and electrostatic attraction. These results demonstrated that m-Fe2O3/Al3+@CB is a potential adsorbent for effective removal of organic dyes from aqueous solution due to its high adsorption capacity and convenient magnetic recovery and stronger anti-interference ability against coexisting anions in wastewater.

Magnetic Fe3O4 embedded chitosan-crosslinked-polyacrylamide composites with enhanced removal of food dye: Characterization, adsorption and mechanism.

The water solubility in acid solution, relative low adsorption capacities and unsatisfactory separation performance limit application of traditional chitosan-based adsorbents in wastewater treatment. To break the limitation, a hydrophilic magnetic Fe3O4 embedded chitosan-crosslinked-polyacrylamide composites (abbreviated as m-CS-c-PAM) were prepared by a two-step method. The m-CS-c-PAM composites were systematically characterized using SEM, XRD, FTIR, VSM, TGA and BET. Sunset yellow (SY) was selected as model food dye to investigate adsorption kinetics and thermodynamic parameters of food dye adsorption onto m-CS-c-PAM. Compared with magnetic Fe3O4/chitosan, m-CS-c-PAM can adapt to a wider range of pH (2-10) and resist the presence of inorganic salts. m-CS-c-PAM was proved to have high adsorption capacity (359.71 mg g-1) for SY dye at 298 K, much higher than magnetic Fe3O4/chitosan and many reported adsorbents. Moreover, m-CS-c-PAM could be rapidly and efficiently separated from treated solution within 15 s by an external magnet and regenerated by NaOH solution. With its excellent adsorption capacity, pH-independent adsorption capability for food dye, easy and convenient separation ability, satisfactory reusability, m-CS-c-PAM can be a promising material for food wastewater treatment.

Investigation of Dioctyl Sodium Sulfosuccinate in Demulsifying Crude Oil-in-Water Emulsions.

This research investigated the performance of dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate (DSS), a double-chain anionic surfactant, in breaking crude oil-in-water emulsions. The response surface methodology was used to consider the effect of the DSS concentration, oil concentration, and shaking time on demulsification efficiency and obtain optimum demulsification conditions. Further single-factor experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of salinity, crude oil conditions (fresh and weathered), and gravity separation settling time. The results showed that DSS efficiently demulsified stable emulsions under different oil concentrations (500-3000 mg/L) within 15 min shaking time. Increasing DSS concentration to 900 mg/L (critical micelle concentration) increased the demulsification efficiency to 99%. DSS not only improved the demulsification efficiency but also did not impede the demulsifier interfacial adsorption at the oil-water interface due to the presence of the double-chain structure. The low molecular weight enables the homogeneous distribution of DSS molecules in the emulsion, leading to a high demulsification efficiency within 15 min. Analysis of variance results indicated the importance of considering the interaction of oil concentration and shaking time in demulsification. DSS could reduce the total extractable petroleum hydrocarbons in the separated water to <10 mg/L without gravity separation and could achieve promising demulsification performance at high salinity (36 g/L) and various concentrations of fresh and weathered oil. The demulsification mechanism was explained by analyzing the microscopic images and the transmittance of the emulsion. DSS could be an efficient double-chain anionic surfactant in demulsifying stable oil-in-water emulsions.

Characteristics of an Eight-Quadrant Corner Reflector Involving a Reconfigurable Active Metasurface.

The traditional corner reflector is a type of classical passive jamming equipment but with several shortcomings, such as fixed electromagnetic characteristics and a poor response to radar polarization. In this paper, an eight-quadrant corner reflector equipped with an electronically controlled miniaturized active frequency-selective surface (MAFSS) for X band is proposed to obtain better radar characteristics controllability and polarization adaptability. The scattering characteristics of the new eight-quadrant corner reflector for different switchable scattering states (penetration/reflection), frequency and polarization are simulated and analyzed. Results show that the RCS modulation depth, which is jointly affected by the electromagnetic wave frequency and incident directions, can be maintained above 10 dB in the majority of directions, and even larger than 30 dB at the resonant frequency. Moreover, the RCS adjustable bandwidth can be as wide as 1 GHz in different incident directions.

Selection of green remediation alternatives for chemical industrial sites: An integrated life cycle assessment and fuzzy synthetic evaluation approach.

The concept of green site remediation calls for a model that can consider environmental impacts in the selection of site remediation alternatives. In this study, an integrated life cycle assessment (LCA)-fuzzy synthetic evaluation (FSE) model is developed to help practitioners select the optimal site remediation plan by incorporating life cycle impacts into the comprehensive suitability evaluation. The LCA module quantifies environmental and economic impacts using ReCiPe and Input-Output LCA methods, respectively. The impacts are evaluated along with other suitability considerations, presented in 32 indicators under ten criteria, by practitioners through a questionnaire survey. FSE is used to process the collected subjective judgments and generate a suitability index for informed selection. The integrated model is applied to a case study of an abandoned chemical industrial site contaminated by various organic chemicals and mercury. Four remediation alternatives, designed as the combined uses of ex-situ thermal desorption, in-situ thermal desorption, and in-situ containment, are evaluated. The LCA results show that the alternative with extensive use (treating 93.8 % of the contaminated soil) of in-situ thermal desorption is associated with the highest environmental and economic impacts, followed by the alternative with less extensive use (6.2 %) of in-situ thermal desorption. The FSE results show that the economic, technical, and environmental impact considerations are the top three important criteria. The integrated LCA-FSE results indicate that the alternative with mixed use of ex-situ thermal desorption and in-situ containment could be the optimal plan. Excluding LCA results could alter the suitability ranks of the alternatives.

Evaluation of machine learning techniques to select marine oil spill response methods under small-sized dataset conditions.

Oil spill incidents can significantly impact marine ecosystems in Arctic/subarctic areas. Low biodegradation rate, harsh environments, remoteness, and lack of sufficient response infrastructure make those cold waters more susceptible to the impacts of oil spills. A major challenge in Arctic/subarctic areas is to timely select suitable oil spill response methods (OSRMs), concerning the process complexity and insufficient data for decision analysis. In this study, we used various regression-based machine learning techniques, including artificial neural networks (ANNs), Gaussian process regression (GPR), and support vector regression, to develop decision-support models for OSRM selection. Using a small hypothetical oil spill dataset, the modelling performance was thoroughly compared to find techniques working well under data constraints. The regression-based machine learning models were also compared with integrated and optimized fuzzy decision trees models (OFDTs) previously developed by the authors. OFDTs and GPR outperformed other techniques considering prediction power (> 30 % accuracy enhancement). Also, the use of the Bayesian regularization algorithm enhanced the performance of ANNs by reducing their sensitivity to the size of the training dataset (e.g., 29 % accuracy enhancement compared to an unregularized ANN).

Evaluation of offshore oil spill response waste management strategies: A lifecycle assessment-based framework.

This study presents a novel life cycle assessment-based framework for low-impact offshore oil spill response waste (OSRW) management. The framework consists of design of experiment, life cycle assessment (LCA), multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA), operational cost analysis, and generation of regression models for impact prediction. The framework is applied to four OSRW management strategies as different combinations of solid and liquid oily waste collection, segregation, transportation, and treatment/disposal technologies. Hypothetical scenarios based on oily waste compositions are developed, and the associated environmental impacts and operational costs are evaluated. The LCA results show that oily waste composition accounts for < 5% of the total environmental impacts. Chemical demulsification has the highest total impacts due to high marine ecotoxicity and human toxicity, followed by incineration and transportation. The cost analysis reveals that the strategy comprised of centrifugation and landfilling is most preferable while the combination of chemical demulsification and incineration is least favorable. The strategy of combined use of centrifugation and landfilling is ranked as the most suitable in the MCDA. Regression models are developed to predict environmental impacts based on important factors. The framework can help waste management practitioners select low-impact strategies for handling offshore OSRW.

[Professor SHENG Can-ruo's experience of acupuncture for chronic pelvic pain of sequelae of pelvic inflammatory diseases].

Professor SHENG Can-ruo proposes that the pathogenesis of chronic pelvic pain of sequelae of pelvic inflammatory diseases is "kidney deficiency and cold coagulation, obstruction of the governor vessel and the belt vessel". For the treatment, attention is paid to warming yang and tonifying kidney, dredging and regulating the governor vessel and the belt vessel; the acupoints of Sanyinjiao (SP 6), Fuliu (KI 7), Taixi (KI 3) etc. are selected. With the method of treating yang for yin disorder and mao-acupuncture, professor SHENG emphasizes the importance of syndrome differentiation-based treatment. The main point of treatment is to balance yin-yang and to maintain both sides of the symptoms and root causes.