Vegetation and carbon sink response to water level changes in a seasonal lake wetland.

Water level fluctuations are among the main factors affecting the development of wetland vegetation communities, carbon sinks, and ecological processes. Hongze Lake is a typical seasonal lake wetland in the Huaihe River Basin. Its water levels have experienced substantial fluctuations because of climate change, as well as gate and dam regulations.

Re-watering solution facilitates seed germination and seedling growth of Carex schmidtii: Implication for species re-introduction in degraded semi-arid wetlands.

Water deficiency threatens the health and function of wetlands in semi-arid areas. Optimum re-watering is an effective method for close-to-natural restoration to mitigate wetland degradation. Although the ecological importance of optimal re-watering as a nature-based solution for promoting wetland plant growth has been widely recognized, the response mechanisms of seed germination and seedling growth to re-watering are still poorly understood despite their decisive impact on plant life history.

Hydrological and biogeochemical processes controlling riparian groundwater quantity and quality during riverbank filtration.

Groundwater exploitation in a riparian zone causes water infiltration from the river into the aquifer. Owing to adsorption and redox reactions along the flow path, the quality of water flowing from the river to groundwater wells is variably altered. The riverbed composition often involves spatiotemporal differences due to frequent changes in hydrological conditions.

Experiments and simulation of co-migration of copper-resistant microorganisms and copper ions in saturated porous media.

Heavy metal (HV) pollutants may migrate to the groundwater environment through leaching, causing groundwater pollution. Compared with surface water pollution, groundwater pollution is complex and hidden. Existing methods for treating HV pollution in the vadose zone have had limited application owing to various problems.

Influence of different preparation methods on the activity of Ce and Mo co-doped ZSM-5 catalysts for the selective catalytic reduction of NO by NH.

The Ce-doped different MoO [conventional molybdenum oxide (con-MoO) or nano molybdenum oxide (nano-MoO) and synthetic molybdenum oxide (syn-MoO)] modification of ZSM-5 catalyst synthesized by different preparation methods (the combination of grinding and ion-exchange method and the combination of impregnation and ion-exchange method) was studied on selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO with NH. The results demonstrated that the SCR performance of the prepared Ce-doped syn-MoO modification of ZSM-5 catalyst [Ce(0.9%)-syn-MoO(6%)/ZSM-5] by the combination of impregnation and ion-exchange method was better than Ce-doped con-MoO modification of ZSM-5 [Ce(0.

Molecular fingerprint of precancerous lesions in breast atypical hyperplasia.

Objective: To identify atypical hyperplasia (AH) of the breast by shell-isolated nanoparticle-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SHINERS), and to explore the molecular fingerprinting characteristics of breast AH.

Methods: Breast hyperplasia was studied in 11 hospitals across China from January 2015 to December 2016. All patients completed questionnaires on women's health.

Synthesis of CuCe co-modified mesoporous ZSM-5 zeolite for the selective catalytic reduction of NO by NH.

Mesoporous ZSM-5 zeolite (MZ) was used as support for Cu and Ce species, and the effects of structure and physical-chemical properties on selective catalytic reduction of NO with NH (NH-SCR) were investigated. The characterization and experimental results show that the high activity of the Cu-Ce/MZ catalyst could be due to its high surface area, more and uniformly distributed active sites, and abundant oxidative species. Compared with the conventional ZSM-5 and SBA-15, the Cu-Ce/MZ possesses large amount of mesopores, and more accessible active sites, which are beneficial to accelerate the diffusion and improve the internal mass transfer in the denitration process.

N-doped graphene/CoFeO catalysts for the selective catalytic reduction of NO by NH.

In this paper, CoFeO/graphene catalysts and N-doped graphene/CoFeO (CoFeO/graphene-) catalysts were prepared using the hydrothermal crystallization method for the selective catalytic reduction of NO by NH. The results of the test showed that CoFeO/graphene catalysts exhibited the best denitrification activity when the loading was at 4% and the conversion rate of NO reached 99% at 250-300 °C. CoFeO/graphene- catalysts presented a better denitrification activity at low temperature than CoFeO/graphene catalysts, and the conversion rate of NO reached more than 95% at 200-300 °C.

A novel 3D printed cage with microporous structure and in vivo fusion function.

In this study, a novel 3D printed porous titanium cage (3D printed cage) with interconnected pores inside was designed and manufactured. Observations by scanning electron microscopy showed that the inside of the 3D printed cage had an octahedral porous structure, with the pores uniform in size and connected to each other. The mechanical properties analysis found that the Young's modulus and compressive strength of the porous structure were close to those of the bone structure, and the overall stiffness was slightly higher than that of the polyether ether ketone (PEEK) material, but was significantly lower than that of the titanium alloy solid module.

An adaptive Kriging surrogate method for efficient joint estimation of hydraulic and biochemical parameters in reactive transport modeling.

Groundwater reactive transport models that consider the coupling of hydraulic and biochemical processes are vital tools for predicting the fate of groundwater contaminants and effective groundwater management. The models involve a large number of parameters whose specification greatly affects the model performance. Thus model parameters calibration is crucial to its successful application.

Biogeochemical zonation of sulfur during the discharge of groundwater to lake in desert plateau (Dakebo Lake, NW China).

As one of the important elements of controlling the redox system within the hyporheic and hypolentic zone, sulfur is involved in a series of complex biogeochemical processes such as carbon cycle, water acidification, formation of iron and manganese minerals, redox processes of trace metal elements and a series of important ecological processes. Previous studies on biogeochemistry of the hyporheic and hypolentic zones mostly concentrated on nutrients of nitrogen and phosphorus, heavy metals and other pollutants. Systematic study of biogeochemical behavior of sulfur and its main controlling factors within the lake hypolentic zone is very urgent and important.

How to Calculate the Exact Angle for Two-level Osteotomy in Ankylosing Spondylitis?

Study Design: A prospective case series study.

Objective: To describe and assess a two-level osteotomy method for the management of severe thoracolumbar kyphosis (TLK) in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS).

Summary Of Background Data: To achieve better postoperative outcomes in these patients, a sophisticated preoperative surgical plan is required.

Effects of Hindlimb Unweighting on MBP and GDNF Expression and Morphology in Rat Dorsal Root Ganglia Neurons.

With the development of technology and space exploration, studies on long-duration space flights have shown that microgravity induces damage to multiple organs, including the dorsal root ganglia (DRG). However, very little is known about the effects of long-term microgravity on DRG neurons. This study investigated the effects of microgravity on lumbar 5 (L5) DRG neurons in rats using the hindlimb unweighting (HU) model.

Optimal chin-brow vertical angle for sagittal visual fields in ankylosing spondylitis kyphosis.

Purpose: Chin-brow vertical angle (CBVA) is very important in correction of thoracolumbar kyphotic deformity in ankylosing spondylitis (AS), especially for the patients with cervical ankylosis. In previous study, Suk et al. stated that the patients with CBVA between -10° and 10° had better horizontal gaze.

Selection of Lowest Instrumented Vertebra for Thoracolumbar Kyphosis in Ankylosing Spondylitis.

Study Design: Retrospective study.

Objective: To determine the optimal osteotomized vertebra (OV) and lowest instrumented vertebra (LIV) in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) kyphosis.

Summary Of Background Data: Although most of AS kyphosis cases are treated by pedicle subtraction osteotomy (PSO), few studies have focused on the selection of the LIV relative to distal OV.

Changes in Sexual Activity in Male Patients Surgically Treated for Kyphosis due to Ankylosing Spondylitis.

Study Design: A retrospective study.

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the changes in sexual activities in male patients surgically treated for ankylosing spondylitis (AS)-induced kyphosis and the correlation between these changes and spinal sagittal realignment.

Summary Of Background Data: Sexual function may be affected by AS.

The radiologic, clinical results and digestive function improvement in patients with ankylosing spondylitis kyphosis after pedicle subtraction osteotomy.

Background Context: Although there have been several reports describing the radiologic and clinical outcomes of pedicle subtraction osteotomy (PSO) in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) with spinal kyphotic deformity, little is known about the digestive function improvement in AS kyphosis after PSO.

Purpose: The aim was to assess radiologic and clinical results and digestive function improvement in patients with AS kyphosis after PSO.

Study Design/setting: This was a retrospective clinical study.

Different angiogenic abilities of self-setting calcium phosphate cement scaffolds consisting of different proportions of fibrin glue.

To investigate the different angiogenic abilities of the self-setting calcium phosphate cement (CPC) consisting of different proportions of fibrin glue (FG), the CPC powder and the FG solution were mixed at the powder/liquid (P/L) ratios of 1 : 0.5, 1 : 1, and 1 : 2 (g/mL), respectively, and pure CPC was used as a control. After being implanted into the lumbar dorsal fascia of the rabbit, the angiogenic process was evaluated by histological examination and CD31 immunohistochemistry to detect the new blood vessels.

Mitochondrial regulation of NADPH oxidase in hindlimb unweighting rat cerebral arteries.

Exposure to microgravity results in post-flight cardiovascular deconditioning and orthostatic intolerance in astronauts. Vascular oxidative stress injury and mitochondrial dysfunction have been indicated in this process. To elucidate the mechanism for this condition, we investigated whether mitochondria regulated NADPH oxidase in hindlimb unweighting (HU) rat cerebral and mesenteric arteries.

Two-level spinal osteotomy for severe thoracolumbar kyphosis in ankylosing spondylitis. Experience with 48 patients.

Study Design: A retrospective study.

Objective: To report surgical results for severe thoracolumbar kyphosis secondary to ankylosing spondylitis (AS) corrected with 2-level spinal osteotomy.

Summary Of Background Data: Transpedicular osteotomy in the lumbar spine is the major approach to correct kyphosis in AS.

Simulated microgravity-induced mitochondrial dysfunction in rat cerebral arteries.

Exposure to microgravity results in cardiovascular deconditioning, and cerebrovascular oxidative stress injury has been suggested to occur. To elucidate the mechanism for this condition, we investigated whether simulated microgravity induces mitochondrial dysfunction in rat arteries. Four-week hindlimb unweighting (HU) was used to simulate microgravity in rats.

ARHI overexpression induces epithelial ovarian cancer cell apoptosis and excessive autophagy.

Objective: ARHI is a maternally imprinted tumor suppressor gene that is responsible for initiating programmed cell death and inhibiting cancer cell growth. However, the influence of ARHI on epithelial ovarian cancer cell death and the underlying mechanisms behind how ARHI regulates cancer cells still require further studies.

Methods: Epithelial ovarian cancer cells TOV112D and ES-2 were used in this in vitro study.

Hilus pulmonis as the center of gravity for AS thoracolumbar kyphosis.

Introduction: The sagittal vertical axis (SVA) is a meaningful measurement and widely used for evaluating sagittal balance, and is considered a design standard for surgery, including most ankylosing spondylitis (AS) kyphotic deformity planning. However, recent research indicates that the C7 plumb line is actually not the center of gravity (CG) line. Therefore, whether there is a better radiological marker as the CG of the trunk for AS thoracolumbar kyphosis remains unknown.

[A feasibility research of minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MIS-TLIF) using hybrid internal fixation for recurrent lumbar disc herniation].

Objective: To investigate the feasibility of minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MIS-TLIF) using hybrid internal fixation of pedicle screws and a translaminar facet screw for recurrent lumbar disc herniation.

Methods: From January 2010 to December 2011, 16 recurrent lumbar disc herniation patients, 10 male and 6 female patients with an average age of 45 years (35-68 years) were treated with unilateral incision MIS-TLIF through working channel. After decompression, interbody fusion and fixation using unilateral pedicle screws, a translaminar facet screw was inserted from the same incision through spinous process and laminar to the other side facet joint.