Wheat Seed Detection and Counting Method Based on Improved YOLOv8 Model.

Wheat seed detection has important applications in calculating thousand-grain weight and crop breeding. In order to solve the problems of seed accumulation, adhesion, and occlusion that can lead to low counting accuracy, while ensuring fast detection speed with high accuracy, a wheat seed counting method is proposed to provide technical support for the development of the embedded platform of the seed counter. This study proposes a lightweight real-time wheat seed detection model, YOLOv8-HD, based on YOLOv8. Firstly, we introduce the concept of shared convolutional layers to improve the YOLOv8 detection head, reducing the number of parameters and achieving a lightweight design to improve runtime speed. Secondly, we incorporate the Vision Transformer with a Deformable Attention mechanism into the C2f module of the backbone network to enhance the network's feature extraction capability and improve detection accuracy. The results show that in the stacked scenes with impurities (severe seed adhesion), the YOLOv8-HD model achieves an average detection accuracy (mAP) of 77.6%, which is 9.1% higher than YOLOv8. In all scenes, the YOLOv8-HD model achieves an average detection accuracy (mAP) of 99.3%, which is 16.8% higher than YOLOv8. The memory size of the YOLOv8-HD model is 6.35 MB, approximately 4/5 of YOLOv8. The GFLOPs of YOLOv8-HD decrease by 16%. The inference time of YOLOv8-HD is 2.86 ms (on GPU), which is lower than YOLOv8. Finally, we conducted numerous experiments and the results showed that YOLOv8-HD outperforms other mainstream networks in terms of mAP, speed, and model size. Therefore, our YOLOv8-HD can efficiently detect wheat seeds in various scenarios, providing technical support for the development of seed counting instruments.

Roles of bone morphogenetic proteins in endometrial remodeling during the human menstrual cycle and pregnancy.

BACKGROUND: During the human menstrual cycle and pregnancy, the endometrium undergoes a series of dynamic remodeling processes to adapt to physiological changes. Insufficient endometrial remodeling, characterized by inadequate endometrial proliferation, decidualization and spiral artery remodeling, is associated with infertility, endometriosis, dysfunctional uterine bleeding, and pregnancy-related complications such as preeclampsia and miscarriage. Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs), a subset of the transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß) superfamily, are multifunctional cytokines that regulate diverse cellular activities, such as differentiation, proliferation, apoptosis, and extracellular matrix synthesis, are now understood as integral to multiple reproductive processes in women. Investigations using human biological samples have shown that BMPs are essential for regulating human endometrial remodeling processes, including endometrial proliferation and decidualization. OBJECTIVE AND RATIONALE: This review summarizes our current knowledge on the known pathophysiological roles of BMPs and their underlying molecular mechanisms in regulating human endometrial proliferation and decidualization, with the goal of promoting the development of innovative strategies for diagnosing, treating and preventing infertility and adverse pregnancy complications associated with dysregulated human endometrial remodeling. SEARCH METHODS: A literature search for original articles published up to June 2023 was conducted in the PubMed, MEDLINE, and Google Scholar databases, identifying studies on the roles of BMPs in endometrial remodeling during the human menstrual cycle and pregnancy. Articles identified were restricted to English language full-text papers. OUTCOMES: BMP ligands and receptors and their transduction molecules are expressed in the endometrium and at the maternal-fetal interface. Along with emerging technologies such as tissue microarrays, 3D organoid cultures and advanced single-cell transcriptomics, and given the clinical availability of recombinant human proteins and ongoing pharmaceutical development, it is now clear that BMPs exert multiple roles in regulating human endometrial remodeling and that these biomolecules (and their receptors) can be targeted for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. Moreover, dysregulation of these ligands, their receptors, or signaling determinants can impact endometrial remodeling, contributing to infertility or pregnancy-related complications (e.g. preeclampsia and miscarriage). WIDER IMPLICATIONS: Although further clinical trials are needed, recent advancements in the development of recombinant BMP ligands, synthetic BMP inhibitors, receptor antagonists, BMP ligand sequestration tools, and gene therapies have underscored the BMPs as candidate diagnostic biomarkers and positioned the BMP signaling pathway as a promising therapeutic target for addressing infertility and pregnancy complications related to dysregulated human endometrial remodeling.

Involvement of histone methylation in the regulation of neuronal death

Neuronal death occurs in various physiological and pathological processes, and apoptosis, necrosis, and ferroptosis are three major forms of neuronal death. Neuronal apoptosis, necrosis, and ferroptosis are widely identified to involve the progress of stroke, Parkinson’s disease, and Alzheimer’s disease. A growing body of evidence has pointed out that neuronal death is tightly associated with expression of related genes and alteration of signaling molecules. In addition, recently, epigenetics has been increasingly focused on as a vital regulatory mechanism for neuronal apoptosis, necrosis, and ferroptosis, providing a new direction for treating nervous system diseases. Moreover, growing researches suggest that histone methylation or demethylation is involved in the processes of neuronal apoptosis, necrosis, and ferroptosis. These researches may imply that studying the potential roles of histone methylation is essential for treating the nervous system diseases. Here, we review potential roles of histone methylation and demethylation in neuronal death, which may give us a new direction in treating the nervous system diseases. (AU)

Probing Molecular Diversity and Ultrastructure of Brain Cells with Fluorescent Aptamers.

Detergent-free immunolabeling has been proven feasible for correlated light and electron microscopy, but its application is restricted by the availability of suitable affinity reagents. Here we introduce CAptVE, a method using slow off-rate modified aptamers for cell fluorescence labeling on ultrastructurally reconstructable electron micrographs. CAptVE provides labeling for a wide range of biomarkers, offering a pathway to integrate molecular analysis into recent approaches to delineate neural circuits via connectomics.

Pregnancy and neonatal outcomes in infertile patients with positive tuberculin skin test results.

RESEARCH QUESTION: Do infertile women with positive tuberculin skin test (TST) results have a higher risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes after IVF or intracytoplasmic sperm injection and embryo transfer (ICSI-ET) and does preventive anti-tuberculosis treatment applied to infertile women with positive TST results before IVF/ICSI-ET affect pregnancy and neonatal outcomes? DESIGN: This was a retrospective cohort analysis of 6283 infertile women who underwent IVF/ICSI-ET treatment for the first time at the Reproductive Hospital affiliated to Shandong University from November 2016 to September 2022. None of the participants had prior tuberculosis or active tuberculosis. According to their TST results, 5947 patients who had never received preventive anti-tuberculosis treatment were divided into a TST-positive group (1704 cases) and a TST-negative group (4243 cases). A total of 504 patients with TST (+++) results (using the 20 mm sclerosis threshold) were divided into a treated TST (+++) group (336 cases) and an untreated TST (+++) group (168 cases) according to whether they received preventive anti-tuberculosis treatment before IVF/ICSI-ET. The outcome measures were pregnancy outcomes and neonatal outcomes. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in pregnancy or neonatal outcomes between the TST-positive group and the TST-negative group (P > 0.05). In the TST (+++) group, there were no significant differences in pregnancy or neonatal outcomes between the treated TST (+++) group and the untreated TST (+++) group (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: For infertile women undergoing IVF/ICSI-ET without prior tuberculosis or active tuberculosis, positive TST results and preventive anti-tuberculosis treatments prior to IVF/ICSI-ET do not affect pregnancy or neonatal outcomes.

Bimetal catalyst based on Fe and Co supported on Al pillared interlayer clays: Preparation, reactivity and mechanism for SCR-CH4.

Montmorillonite was used as raw clay to prepare the Al-pillared interlayer clay (Al-PILC) as support by impregnation methods. Co and Fe were loaded in series on Al-PILC to prepare the bimetal catalysts (Fe-Co/Al-PILC). The SCR-CH4 was evaluated in a fixed bed reactor and the results indicated that 0.27Fe-Co/Al-PILC exhibited 100% N2 selectivity and above 63% NO conversion in the presence of 10% H2O, and the introduction of Fe significantly improved the Co/Al-PILC catalyst's resistance to H2O and SO2. Characterization showed that Lewis and Brønsted acids co-existed on the catalyst surface, and the Lewis acid was the dominant active acid site and enhanced the activation of methane over the 0.27Fe-Co/Al-PILC. Fe promoted the formation of isolated Co2+ and CoO species, and the isolated Fe3+ particles improved CH4-SCR performance. The reaction route was proposed based on in situ DRIFTS tests and the active intermediates were mainly various nitrates and nitromethane (CH3NO2).

Involvement of histone methylation in the regulation of neuronal death.

Neuronal death occurs in various physiological and pathological processes, and apoptosis, necrosis, and ferroptosis are three major forms of neuronal death. Neuronal apoptosis, necrosis, and ferroptosis are widely identified to involve the progress of stroke, Parkinson's disease, and Alzheimer's disease. A growing body of evidence has pointed out that neuronal death is tightly associated with expression of related genes and alteration of signaling molecules. In addition, recently, epigenetics has been increasingly focused on as a vital regulatory mechanism for neuronal apoptosis, necrosis, and ferroptosis, providing a new direction for treating nervous system diseases. Moreover, growing researches suggest that histone methylation or demethylation is involved in the processes of neuronal apoptosis, necrosis, and ferroptosis. These researches may imply that studying the potential roles of histone methylation is essential for treating the nervous system diseases. Here, we review potential roles of histone methylation and demethylation in neuronal death, which may give us a new direction in treating the nervous system diseases.

Drug resistance analysis of three types of avian-origin carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae in Shandong Province, China.

Animal-derived Enterobacteriaceae bacteria such as Escherichia coli (E. coli), Proteus mirabilis (P. mirabilis), and Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae) are important food-borne zoonotic bacilli that exist widely in the broiler-breeding industry. Although carbapenem antibiotics are considered to be the last line of defense against multidrug-resistant bacteria, carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) break through them. In our study, we therefore, examined the prevalence of CRE and characteristics of antimicrobial resistance in 6 conventional broiler-fattening farms in Shandong Province, China. Our study revealed isolation rates of 3.57% (6/168) for carbapenem-resistant E. coli, 10% (5/50) for carbapenem-resistant P. mirabilis, and 3.03% (1/33) for carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae. All 12 CRE bacterial strains showed varying degrees of resistance to 27 antibiotics in 8 classes and were multidrug-resistant. The rate of the strains containing blaNDM genes, at 91.67% (11/12), was especially high. Among other results, the carrying rate of integrons in CRE bacteria was 91.67% (11/12), and 2 strains carried both class I and class II integrons, which accelerated the lateral transmission of resistant bacteria. Our first-ever finding of the 3 CRE bacteria E. coli, P. mirabilis, and K. pneumoniae on the same broiler farm suggests that poultry-derived CRE strains may pose a risk to humans. Moreover, our findings from surveillance can inform current understandings of the prevalence and characteristics of multidrug-resistant CRE in Shandong Province and, in turn, help to curb threats to food safety and public health and better prevent and control infectious zoonotic diseases.

Biomass-based adsorbents for post-combustion CO2 capture: Preparation, performances, modeling, and assessment.

The adsorbents are critical carriers in the process of adsorption-based post-combustion CO2 capture. Biomass-based adsorbents (BAs) are considered to have great potential because of their high efficiency, low cost, and good sustainability. To understand the methods, theories, and technologies of BAs-based CO2 capture, this work analyzes their preparation and activation/modification, influencing factors, mechanisms, thermodynamics/kinetics, regeneration and cycle performances, and the pathway to application. It is found that BAs prepared by pyrolysis, chemical activation, and modification with dual heteroatoms are more conducive to improving adsorption sites. CO2 adsorption capacity positively correlates with elemental C and fixed carbon of feedstocks, but negatively with moisture. The BAs prepared at 550-600 °C have high performance. The specific surface area (SSA) increases as the preparation time increases by 9.4%-93.4%. The adsorption capacity is positively correlated to the SSA (R = 0.880) and microporous volume (R = 0.773). Moreover, it decreases linearly with increasing operating temperature with the slope of -0.6 mmol/(g·°C) but increases exponentially with increasing operating pressure and CO2 concentration with the power of 0.824. The adsorption process includes physical and/or physicochemical adsorption. Freundlich isotherm equation and pseudo-second-order model characterize the adsorption thermodynamics and kinetics more effectively with R2 = 0.985-1.000 and R2 = 0.894-1.000. The quantum chemistry indicates that most BAs modified with non-metallic belong to physisorption. The regeneration of BAs has low energy consumption (<3.44 MJ/kg CO2) and loss rate (<8%). Furthermore, the technical pathway is proposed for application. Finally, the challenges are also presented to facilitate the development of BAs-CO2 capture.

The progress of research on histone methylation in ischemic stroke pathogenesis

Stroke, also known as cerebral stroke or cerebrovascular accident, refers to acute ischemic or hemorrhagic encephalopathy caused by a disturbance to cerebral blood flow. Ischemic stroke is the most common type of cerebral stroke, accounting for approximately 80% of the total incidence of clinical stroke. High morbidity, disability, and mortality rates place heavy burdens on the families of patients and society. An increasing number of studies have shown that histone modification plays an important role in the pathogenesis of ischemic stroke, but most studies on histone modification focus on acetylation, and studies on the role of histone methylation in the pathogenesis of ischemic stroke are limited. Here, we review the role of histone methylation and related histone methyltransferase (HMT) inhibitors in the pathogenesis of ischemic stroke and related HMT inhibitors in the treatment of ischemic stroke, which may open up a new avenue to the study of ischemic stroke. (AU)

GSK-126 Protects CA1 Neurons from H3K27me3-Mediated Apoptosis in Cerebral Ischemia.

Epigenetics, including histone modifications, play a significant role in central nervous system diseases, but the underlying mechanism remains to be elucidated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of H3K27me3 in regulating transcriptomic and pathogenic mechanisms following global ischemic stroke. Here, we found that in vivo ischemic/reperfusion (I/R) injury induced marked upregulation of H3K27me3 in the hippocampus. The administration of GSK-126 to rat brains decreased the levels of H3K27me3 in the hippocampus and reduced neuronal apoptosis after experimental stroke. Furthermore, ChIP-seq data demonstrated that the primary role of GSK-126 in the ischemic brain is to reduce H3K27me3 enrichment, mediating negative regulation of the execution phase of apoptosis and the MAPK signaling pathway. Further study suggested that the protective role of GSK-126 in ischemic rats was antagonized by U0126, an inhibitor of ERK1/2. Collectively, we demonstrated the potential of H3K27me3 as a novel stroke therapeutic target, and GSK-126 exerted a neuroprotective function in ischemic brain injury, which might be associated with activation of the MAPK/ERK pathway.

Silencing GhIAA43, a member of cotton AUX/IAA genes, enhances wilt resistance via activation of salicylic acid-mediated defenses.

Auxin-mediated degradation of Aux/IAA proteins is a crucial step in auxin signaling. Recent researches indicate that Aux/IAA members also play a role in biotic and abiotic stresses. For example, Pseudomonas syringae infection causes Arabidopsis Aux/IAA protein (AXR2, AXR3) turnover. Here, by analyzing RNA-seq data we found that several cotton Aux/IAA genes are responsive to Verticillium dahliae infection, one of these named GhIAA43, was investigated for its role in cotton defense against V. dahliae infection. We demonstrate that the transcript levels of GhIAA43 were responsive to both V. dahliae infection and exogenous IAA application. By producing transgenic Arabidopsis plants overexpressing GhIAA43-GUS fusion, we show that IAA treatment and V. dahliae infection promoted GhIAA43 protein turnover. Silencing GhIAA43 in cotton enhanced wilt resistance, suggesting that GhIAA43 is a negative regulator in cotton defense against V. dahliae attack. By monitoring SA marker gene expression and measurement of SA content in GhIAA43-silenced cotton plants, we found that the enhanced resistance in GhIAA43-silenced cotton plants is due to the activation of SA-related defenses, and the activated defenses specifically occurred in the presence of V. dahliae. Furthermore, exogenous IAA application improve wilt resistance in cotton plants tested. Our results provide novel connection between auxin signaling and SA-related defenses in cotton upon V. dahliae attack.

The progress of research on histone methylation in ischemic stroke pathogenesis.

Stroke, also known as cerebral stroke or cerebrovascular accident, refers to acute ischemic or hemorrhagic encephalopathy caused by a disturbance to cerebral blood flow. Ischemic stroke is the most common type of cerebral stroke, accounting for approximately 80% of the total incidence of clinical stroke. High morbidity, disability, and mortality rates place heavy burdens on the families of patients and society. An increasing number of studies have shown that histone modification plays an important role in the pathogenesis of ischemic stroke, but most studies on histone modification focus on acetylation, and studies on the role of histone methylation in the pathogenesis of ischemic stroke are limited. Here, we review the role of histone methylation and related histone methyltransferase (HMT) inhibitors in the pathogenesis of ischemic stroke and related HMT inhibitors in the treatment of ischemic stroke, which may open up a new avenue to the study of ischemic stroke.

Preparation of binder-less activated char briquettes from pyrolysis of sewage sludge for liquid-phase adsorption of methylene blue.

Binder-less activated char briquettes from sewage sludge were prepared and used for the liquid-phase adsorption of methylene blue. The properties of sludge char briquettes prepared under the different initial sludge moisture content, compression pressure, and heating rate were systematically investigated through the tests of thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), surface and mechanical properties, burn-off rates, methylene blue adsorption kinetics and isotherms. All of the prepared briquettes presented hierarchical structures and microporous/mesoporous characteristics, and the increase of initial sludge moisture content from 10 to 30 wt% resulted in a great increase of surface area (SBET), total pore volume (VT), apparent density, and a slight decrease of mechanical performance. The decrease of compression pressure markedly enhanced the equilibrium adsorption capacity (qe, exp), owing to the decreased diffusion resistance and blockage of diffusion pathways inside briquettes. In consideration of the mechanical performance and adsorption capacity, the optimum preparation condition was obtained at the initial moisture content of 30 wt%, compression pressure of 25 MPa, and heating rate of 10 °C/min, in which the axial compressive strength (ACS) and qe, exp of the prepared briquettes were as high as 22.2 ± 3.1 kg/m2 and 316.9 mg/g. The results also showed that the equilibrium adsorption data fit well into the pseudo-first order model system, and the adsorption isotherms followed the Langmuir isotherm model, suggesting that the adsorption process was attributed to physical adsorption, and was inclined to happen on the adsorption sites with the same energy level. Finally, the thermal regeneration tests demonstrated that the binder-less briquette had a good regeneration performance and was worthy of reusing for industrial applications.

Application of boundary electro-osmotic pulse to reduce sludge-to-wall adhesion.

Adhesion is one of the main features of sewage sludge. This paper aims at reducing sludge-to-wall adhesion through formation of a water layer induced by boundary electro-osmotic pulse (BEOP) which is characterized by distributing anodes and cathodes on one surface and exerting a pulsating current. The effects of the related parameters, including current intensity, exerting time, frequency, duty cycle (DTC), and the ratio of cathodic surface area to anodic surface area (C/A), on the adhesive stress of sewage sludge with different moisture content were thoroughly studied. The results indicated that, under the optimal conditions of BEOP, the adhesive stress of sludge with moisture content of 35%, 45%, 60% and 70% was reduced by 40.4%, 54.5%, 31%, and 24.4%, respectively. The migrations of water, ions and organic matters were also investigated to explore the functional mechanism of BEOP. The results showed that the water migrated from the anode side to the cathode side, whereas the organic matters migrated in the opposite direction. The increment of the sludge moisture content on the cathode surface was reduced with the increase of distance away from the anode. Based on theoretical modeling, the distributions of current density and temperature in sludge cake were obtained. The current flowed from anode to cathode and decayed quickly with the increase of the flowing distance, which well explained the moisture content distribution in sludge cake.

Experimental study on single-mode microwave-induced tungsten wire discharge for NO conversion in NO/N2 atmosphere.

Single-mode microwave-induced tungsten wire discharge was conducted to investigate discharge phenomena in Ar, N2, NO, and their mixtures, as well as the effects of parameters, including diameter and number of tungsten wire, initial NO concentration, total gas flow rate, and microwave power, on NO conversion. The discharge phenomena verified that intense discharge could be observed in pure Ar or N2, but the discharge was considerably weakened in gas mixtures. The results of NO conversion showed that the increases of the tungsten wire diameter (0.1-0.12 mm), the tungsten wire number (1-3 wires), and microwave power (400-700 W), or the decreases of the total gas flow rate (2-0.5 L/min), and the initial NO concentration (800-200 ppm) could effectively lead to the increase of NO conversion. A maximum NO conversion of 91.5% can be achieved under the optimal conditions in the examined range. Besides, spectral analysis showed that W, O, and N ions were found in the discharge zone. After reactions, depositions were found on the inner surface of reaction tube, and the results of EDS (energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer) tests show that the depositions were composed of W, O, and N. Therefore, a portion of NO was inferred to be consumed by tungsten ions through the formation of tungsten oxides and tungsten nitrides.

The Role of EZH2 Inhibitor, GSK-126, in Seizure Susceptibility.

GSK-126 is recognized as an inhibitor of enhancer of zeste homolog-2 (EZH2) activity. Because of its inhibition of EZH2 activation, GSK-126 is considered a potential anti-tumor drug. EZH2 is a histone methyltransferase that catalyzes histone 3 tri-methylation at lysine 27 (H3K27me3), resulting in gene silencing. A previous report showed that decreased H3K27me3 levels in the hippocampus may promote seizure susceptibility, possibly restricting the clinical application of GSK-126. The role of GSK-126 in seizure susceptibility was investigated in this study. We first determined a critical concentration of pentamethazol (PTZ) under which mice exhibit no seizures. We then found that mice pretreated with GSK-126 and injected with the same concentration of PTZ experienced marked convulsions. Peripheral injections of GSK-126 decreased H3K27me3 levels in the hippocampus of mice, while some seizure-related genes (Oasl1, Sox7, armcx5, Ncx3, etc.) were found to be differentially expressed in the hippocampus of those mice . These differences in the expression levels might reflect the crucial role of these genes and related pathways in the promotion of seizure susceptibility. Our results suggest that GSK-126 promotes seizure susceptibility due to its role as an EZH2 inhibitor. These findings may provide evidence to support the development of GSK-126 as a clinical drug.

Catalytic oxidation of NO at ambient temperature over the chars from pyrolysis of sewage sludge.

Sludge char (SC) was prepared by pyrolysis of sewage sludge, then nitric acid washing, potassium hydroxide activation, and hydrogen reduction methods were used to seek for the optimum treatment for improving the catalytic oxidation of NO at 30 °C. The optimum NO conversion of 65.6% was achieved when SC was activated and hydrogen-reduced, indicating the promising prospect of NO oxidation catalyst preparation from sewage sludge. The prepared SCs showed an intensive specific pore volume peak at the micropore size of 0.89 nm which is beneficial for NO oxidation. SC characterization like temperature programmed desorption of CO2/NO/NO2, in-situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy, etc. were conducted to reveal the catalytic oxidation mechanisms of NO. The results indicated that the oxygen-containing functional groups, such as carboxylic acid, carboxylic anhydrites and lactones, were largely removed by hydrogen reduction, leading to marked increases of surface basicity, specific surface area, and catalytic activity of SCs. The NO oxidation over the SCs can be explained quite well by the Eley-Rideal reaction model.

Effects of frequency and duty cycle of pulsating direct current on the electro-dewatering performance of sewage sludge.

Electro-dewatering of sewage sludge with pulsating direct current (PDC-dewatering) was conducted to investigate the effects of pulsating frequency (0.01-60 Hz) and duty cycle (DTC) (20-100%) on sludge dewatering. The results indicated that both the frequency and DTC showed marked influences on electro-dewatering. Compared with the condition under the stable direct current (SDC-dewatering) of 30 V, the filtrate discharged from PDC-dewatering (at DTC of 40-60% and frequency of 30 Hz) was about 8% higher than that from SDC-dewatering. At DTC of 40%, the sludge electro-dewatering performance was promoted when the frequency increased from 0.01 Hz to 30 Hz. Compared with SDC-dewatering, PDC-dewatering can effectively mitigate ohmic heating. Layered tests were also conducted to investigate the differences of SDC- and PDC-dewatering in the distributions of water, pH, organic matters, zeta potential and conductivity in the upper, middle and lower layer of sludge cake. The results indicated that the variation tendencies of these parameters were similar between SDC- and PDC-dewatering, but the water, organic matters and charged ions in sludge cake were more homogeneously distributed during PDC-dewatering than SDC-dewatering. In addition, the anodic pH of PDC-dewatering was higher than that of SDC-dewatering, suggesting the potential of mitigating anodic corrosion during PDC-dewatering. Finally, energy consumptions of PDC- and SDC-dewatering were calculated and compared. The effects of frequency and DTC on energy consumption were investigated. PDC-dewatering was found to be more energy efficient than that of SDC-dewatering, making PDC-dewatering a promising electro-dewatering technology in future.

Emission and conversion of NO from algal biomass combustion in O2/CO2 atmosphere.

Environmental impacts of NO emissions from biomass combustion have become an important concern. To address NO emission and conversion from algal biomass combustion in O2/CO2 atmosphere, three typical algal biomass, Chlorella (Ch), Enteromorpha (En), and Sargassum (Sa), were used to investigate NO emission characteristics in a one-dimensional tube furnace. The effects of the combustion temperature and O2 concentration (21%, 25%, and 30%) on the NO emission were examined. It was found that the main peaks of NO positively are correlated to the O2 concentration and combustion temperature. The NO emission trends of each algal biomass are slightly affected by the O2 concentration at a given temperature. Roughly, the NO yield and conversion rate for each algal biomass increase with increasing O2 concentration at a given temperature. They first increase with the increasing temperature and then decrease beyond 800 °C with exception for Sa in 30% O2/CO2 atmosphere. However, 21% O2/CO2 atmosphere is at least effective to reduce NO emission from most algal biomass combustion compared to air-based atmosphere (21% O2/N2), by 8.2-62.0%, 4.9-45.6%, and 22.5-59.6% for Ch, En, and Sa, respectively. The possible conversion pathway of fuel-N implies that the NO emission from algal biomass combustion in O2/CO2 atmosphere is the result of the combined effect of the NO formation oxidized from N-precursors and NO reduction by CO (converted from CO2) and other reductive components. These results may provide a positive reference for the control of NOx emissions from direct combustion or co-firing of algal biomass for energy utilization.