Experimental and numerical study on the shear performance of stainless steel-GFRP connectors for use in precast concrete sandwich panels.

Precast Concrete Sandwich Panel (PCSP) is composed of concrete load-bearing panels, thermal insulation panels, and decorative panels, which are assembled through connectors, integrating load-bearing, thermal insulation, and decorative functions. The connector bears the main shear force between the wall panels, and the shear resistance and insulation performance of the connector largely determine the mechanical stability and insulation effect of the wall panels, which is a key component in PCSPs. The current common practice is to cross assemble stainless steel insulation (SSI) connectors and Glass-Fiber-Reinforced Plastic (GFRP) connectors into PCSPs, which can reduce building energy consumption and save resources while meeting strength and insulation requirements.

[Changes of the area of and mangroves in Guangxi Shankou Mangrove National Nature Reserve from 1995 to 2019].

Given its high root regeneration ability and adaptation capacity, would predominate the resource competition with other plant species. As an invasive alien species, it has caused serious damages to the coastal ecosystem of China. We explored the impacts of invasion on the growth and expansion of mangroves around the coastal zones around Guangxi Shankou Mangrove National Nature Reserve (GSMNNR).

Efficacy and safety of warm acupuncture in the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Ankylosing spondylitis refers to a type of autoimmune disease, which is commonly characterized by joint pain and stiffness, since the disease progression can exhibit joint deformity and other activities limited symptoms. Has significantly impacts on people's work and life. Warm acupuncture as a traditional Chinese therapy, showing several advantages (eg, safety, economy, and less side effects), has been extensively used to treat ankylosing spondylitis.

Seasonal response of the synergism of maternal comorbidities and long-term air pollution exposure on birth outcomes.

Air pollution has been considered as one of the most important factors associating with various birth outcomes. However, the seasonal response of maternal comorbidities effects associated with air pollution has not been investigated, especially in the city with distinguish seasonal pattern and long heating seasons. In this work, 69,945 live births were investigated from 2013 to 2016, and the seasonal relationship between air pollution and preterm birth and low birth weight were assessed, as well as the synergism of maternal comorbidities.

Increasing risk of congenital anomalies associated with seasonal pattern of air pollution: Differences by maternal comorbidities.

To interpret the relationship of the seasonal pattern of air pollution exposure associated with increased risk of congenital anomalies (CA) and the trimester-specific effects. In this work, 55,428 hospital records with 847 doctor-diagnosed CA from July 2013 to December 2016 were collected in Hohhot, China. Maternal exposure to critical air pollutants (SO, CO, PM, O, NO and PM) were estimated using an inverse distance weighted (IDW) method on the basis of the ambient air quality monitoring stations.

The role of major functional groups: Multi-evidence from the binding experiments of heavy metals on natural fulvic acids extracted from lake sediments.

Fulvic acid (FA) plays a key role in governing the environmental geochemistry behavior of heavy metals. In this work, the roles of major functional groups were investigated based on binding experiments of heavy metals on natural FA extracted from lake sediments. The results showed that the adsorption capacities were ranked as Cu > Pb >Cd.

Nature differences of humic acids fractions induced by extracted sequence as explanatory factors for binding characteristics of heavy metals.

The composition and structure of Humic acid (HA) is so heterogeneous that it brings significant barriers to investigate the interaction between HA and heavy metal ions. The isolation of HA with relatively homogeneity is a key to reveal the binding mechanisms between HA and heavy metals. In this work, ten HA fractions (HAs) were obtained by sequential alkali extraction procedure and nature differences of the extracted HAs were considered as explanatory factors for binding characteristics of Cu, Pb and Cd.

Nature differences of fulvic acid fractions induced by extracted sequence as explanatory factors for binding characteristics of Cu.

The isolation of fulvic acid (FA) fractions with relatively homogeneity is a key to reveal the binding mechanisms between FA and heavy metals. In this work, nine FA fractions were obtained using sequential alkali extraction procedure and nature differences of the extracted FA fractions were considered as explanatory factors for binding characteristics of Cu. The results indicate that the contents of carboxyl and phenolic groups decrease with increasing extractions along with an opposite trend for the content of nitrogen-containing groups.

Adsorption characteristics of Pb on natural black carbon extracted from different grain-size lake sediments.

As a major organic component in aquatic sediments, black carbon (BC) could act as super surface sorbent for contaminants in soils or sediments due to its relatively structured carbon matrix with high degree of porosity and extensive surface area. In this work, the adsorption characteristics of Pb were studied using BCs as adsorbents, which were extracted from four particle sizes of sediment from Lake Wuliangsuhai (WLSH), under conditions of different pH, BC content, and ionic strength. The results showed BC content near to 1 % of sediments from WLSH, in which BC1, BC2, BC3, and BC4 composited about 1.

Binding characteristics of Cu to natural humic acid fractions sequentially extracted from the lake sediments.

Humic acids (HAs) determine the distribution, toxicity, bioavailability, and ultimate fate of heavy metals in the environment. In this work, ten HA fractions (F1-F10) were used as adsorbent, which were sequentially extracted from natural sediments of Lake Wuliangsuhai, to investigate the binding characteristics of Cu to HA. On the basis of the characterization results, differences were found between the ten extracted HA fractions responding to their elemental compositions and acidic functional groups.