bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Design and application of micro-automatic permanganate index online monitor
Authors: Li W , Cheng L , Lv H , Guo K , Luo X K
Published: November 2019

In view of the current large permanganate index detection equipment, such as large volume, low automation, high reagent dosage and long detection time, based on sequential injection technique and spectrophotometry, the method for determining the permanganate index was improved, and designed a miniature automatic permanganate index online monitoring system. The design enables fully automatic detection and reduction of reagent volume through rational design of the detection process and structural layout, while reducing the volume and improving the detection efficiency. The permanganate index is compared with the technical requirements of HJ/T 100-2003. The relative standard deviation of the repeatability error is ≤±2.198%, the zero drift ≤±1.07%, the range drift ≤0.39%, the actual water sample contrast relative error ≤± 2.81%, total reagent volume 3 ml. The system is suitable for the determination of station, laboratory and floating permanganate indices.
A high-flux constructed wetland for tertiary treatment of brackish wastewater treatment plant effluent: Process performance and influence factors
Authors: Lin H , Na Y , Liu X W , Mao J H , Deng F
Published: November 2019

With the scarcity of water resources and environmental degradation of water bodies, tertiary treatment of wastewater and brackish water have become necessary in countries like China. Operational data from a constructed wetland (CW), treating an average flow of 27 thousand m3/d of secondarily-treated brackish wastewater, is analyzed in this study. At a salinity level of 2-8g/L (as Cl−), and an average hydraulic loading rate (HLR) of 1.08 m/d, the high-flux CW system had an average removal rate of 20.43% and 65.16% for NH4+-N and COD respectively, while tertiary treatment of total phosphorus (TP) and total nitrogen (TN) was less successful, indicating a background concentration in the system. Correlation analysis was done to investigate the influences of HLR, rainfall, temperature and chloride concentration on the treatment performance. Kinetic model fitting was done to determine reaction coefficients.
An evaluation model for the deep dewatering potential of municipal sludge based on PLS regression
Authors: Yu P R , Luo Y , Lin F , Li J G , Zhu X L , Zhang Z B , Liu M R
Published: November 2019

For constructing a new convenient and reliable system to evaluate the dewatering performance of sludge, the relationship between the water content of dewatered municipal sludge and its physicochemical properties was comprehensively investigated. Then, an evaluation and prediction model was established based on partial least squares regression (PLS), which could accurately predict the solid content of municipal sludge treated by high-pressure deep dewatering. Furthermore, the main factors affecting the sludge dewaterability were explored by the means of principal component analysis (PCA), and it was concluded that first principal component (PC1), containing most composition of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), accounted for 53.1% of the X variation and 62.9% of information Y variation. Both protein in soluble EPS (PNS) and polysaccharide in a tightly bound EPS (PST), with the variable importance in the projection (VIP) values more than 1, were regarded as the most decisive factors to the deep dewatering performance of municipal sludge. Additionally, the validation results demonstrate the accuracy and practicability of the obtained model, specifically fit for a conditioning system for cationic polyacrylamide (CPAM) and lysozyme either separately or jointly.
Optimization of agricultural planting structure under multi-objective regulation of water resources
Authors: Yang L , Xie J C , Wang N , Zhu J W , Li H E , Ma B
Published: November 2019

Focusing on the problems such as adjustment of planting structure, imbalance of water supply and serious over-extraction of groundwater in Jinghui Canal Irrigation District, a multi-objective water regulation model was established for finding coordinate development among ecological benefits, social benefits and economic benefits to seek the reasonable program of water resource utilization and agricultural planting. When the ecological benefit was optimal, the total area of crop planting was 6.105 × 104 hm2, the area of grain crops, fruit trees and vegetables planting was 3.073 × 104 hm2, 1.444 × 104 hm2 and 1.592 × 104 hm2 respectively. Under this scenario, the irrigation water requirement was 35986.87 × 104 m3/a. The surface water supply was 32268.42 × 104 m3/a and the compensation of groundwater supply was 3718.45 × 104 m3/a. Therefore, when the social benefit was optimal, the total area of crop planting was 6.57 × 104 hm2, the area of grain crops, fruit trees and vegetables planting was 3.684 × 104 hm2, 1.214 × 104 hm2 and 1.673 × 104 hm2 respectively. Under this scenario, the irrigation water requirement was 39571.20 × 104 m3/a. The surface water supply was 33438.65 × 104 m3/a and the compensation of groundwater supply was 6132.54 × 104 m3/a. The agricultural planting structure between the two can serve as a reasonable control interval, and provide a reasonable resource utilization and agricultural planting scheme for the future development of Jinghui Canal Irrigation District.
Research on the attribution identification of source runoff variation in the Yellow River Source Region based on water and energy balance model
Authors: Wang Y Q , Yuan Z , Xu J J , Yan B , Hong X F
Published: November 2019

The Yellow River source region runoff has a huge impact on the Yellow River Basin. Based on the data of meteorological and hydrological elements from 1960 to 2015 and the principle of water and energy coupling equilibrium in the basin, this paper analysis the influence of climate and underlying surface changes on runoff, and derives its differential. Firstly, the variation law of runoff in the Yellow River source is analysed based on the long series of runoff data. Then the influence of climate change and the underlying surface changes on runoff is studied by the principle of watershed and energy coupling equilibrium. And the influence of changes in meteorological elements is further refined into runoff changes caused by precipitation changes and potential evapotranspiration combined with the coefficient of climate elasticity. Finally, analysis results show that a 1% increase in elasticity factor precipitation, potential evaporation, and the perennial average basin surface parameters, will result in an increase in 1.97% runoff, a decrease in runoff of 0.97% or 1.18%. The contribution of runoff reduction was 24.0% for precipitation change and 18.0% for evaporation. And for the Yellow River source region, the contribution of climate change scenarios and human activity factors to runoff changes is close to 4:6. Compared with other stations, we can find that the closer to the source of the river, the greater affected by climate change, and the closer to the middle reaches, the greater the impact of human activities.
Visible/near infrared spectroscopy method applied research in wetland soil nutrients rapid test
Authors: Ren G X , Wei Z Q , Fan P P , Wang X Y
Published: November 2019

Visible/near infrared spectrum method has the advantages of fast and green, there is much better technical superiority in soil nutrients on-site detection. Studying on wetland soil samples from 4 districts of Qingdao with higher heterogeneity, according to its total nitrogen (TN), available nitrogen (AN), total phosphorus (TP), available phosphorus (AP), total potassium (TK), slowly available potassium (SK) and available potassium (FK) content and visible/near infrared reflectance spectroscopy, adopted SPA and PLSR to choose characteristic wavelength and build mode. Modeling results and experimental data indicated that this method to the content of TN, AN, TP, AP and FK in wetland, can be predicted accurately, it also can be predicted the content of TK and SK roughly.
Countermeasures for sludge treatment and disposal of Nanning municipal sewage treatment plant
Authors: Bei D G , Xu Q , Luo Y , Jiang L
Published: November 2019

This paper introduces the actual treatment and disposal of sludge from urban sewage treatment plant in Nanning, analyzes the problems and causes in the process of sludge treatment and disposal, proposes corresponding solutions, and useful thinking and suggestions.
Determination of trace heavy metals in seawater with 8-hydroxyquinoline solid phase extraction by ICP-OES
Authors: Wang G L , Zhou Y G , Bian J , Huang J J , Du G Y , Zhang S J
Published: November 2019

The determination of trace heavy metals in seawater with 8-hydroxyquinoline solid phase extraction by ICP-OES was studied. In ammonium acetate buffer with pH 5.0, 8-hydroxyquinoline chelated with trace heavy metal ions 15 min. The chelate compound can be enriched by C18 solid phase extraction column. The chelate can be eluted quantitatively by methanol, and then determined by ICP-OES method after digestion. The method can be used for quantitative analysis of trace heavy metal ions in high salinity. The data are reliable, which meets the marine monitoring standards.
Alterational correlation analysis between the water level and the influencing factors of Hukou Station at Poyang Lake
Authors: Xu B , Xu J J , Yao L Q , Yuan Z , Lin Y R , Song L
Published: November 2019

Poyang Lake plays a restricts and interacts role with Yangtze River, the key node of water resources connection between them is Hukou Station. The water level of Hukou Station reflects the inflow, precipitation, evaporation of Poyang Lake Basin and the backflow of the main stream of Yangtze River. Influenced by the climate change and human activities, the water level of Hukou Station appears of the inconsistency characeteristics obviously, which induced abnormally low water level, ecological degradation of beach wetlands, and dramatic reduction of water storage capacity in Poyang Lake. In order to analyze the alterational correlation be between the water level and the influencing factors of hukou station, and finding out the highest correlation factor, the Hydrological Alteration Diagnosis System was used to diagnose the alteration of water level of Hukou Station and the influencing factors. The results show that, the water level of Hukou station experienced a moderate alteration in a leap-down manner in 2003, and the mean value of the water level decreased 0.8m after the hydrological alteration; the influencing factors experienced different hydrological alteration with different form, tha main alteration form is jump alteration, and there is no trend alteration happened in all the series; the alterational correlation between the water level of Hukou Station and Jiujiang Station is the highest, which means the mainstream flow of Yangtze River plays the most important role at the hydrological alteration of the water level of Hukou Station. The alterational correlation has a certain indicative role in analyzing the inconsistency evolution characteristics of Poyang Lake.
Optimization model for enhancing water-use efficiency from the perspective of water-energy-food nexus
Authors: Zhang T Y , Dong L Y , Feng X M , Tan Q
Published: November 2019

The water-energy-food (WEF) nexus, which is essential for supporting regional sustainable development, has become a popular research topic. This study proposed an optimization programming framework for improving water-use efficiency from a WEF nexus perspective. Through the incorporation of water rights transfer mechanism, water resources can be flexibly allocated between food and energy sectors. The proposed model could help decision makers to identify the optimal production scales of food and energy production, the potential of water conservation of food production, as well as the investment portfolio of water-saving engineering. The capability of proposed model was illustrated through a case study in Yellow River Basin, north China. Based on the proposed optimization model, the optimal allocation scheme of water resources between food and energy sectors were obtained. A total of 2.34 × 107 m3 of water would be transferred from food production to energy sector. Compared with state quo, production scales of energy sector, as well as profits of both food and energy sectors would increase rapidly. Optimization results reveal that designed energy production scales proposed by local government and enterprises are attainable as long as there are sufficient water resources available for energy sector.
A review on the calculation of non-point source pollution loads
Authors: Li H Z , Zhang M X
Published: November 2019

The non-point source pollution account for a large amount of the total pollution into water after most of the point source pollution is controlled. Therefore, an accurate calculation of non-point source pollution is regarded as the first step for water ecological restoration. This paper reviews traditional and current trends in watershed modelling on the calculation of non-point source pollution loads, including export coefficient models, empirically based models and physically based models. The utilisation of artificial intelligence (AI) as part of a data-driven approach assists the empirically based models to yield better watershed modelling. The processes of modelling, required data and suited situation are introduced which may be helpful to policymakers in the business of pollution reduction and management.
Study on development mode and regulation of water-land-ecology-economy in Sanjiang Plain, China
Authors: Guo L Z , Liu F Q , Wu Z Z
Published: November 2019

Sanjiang Plain is an important grain yield base and ecological demonstration zone of China. Its ecological security, food production, and GDP development can support the sustainable development of SJP. China government focuses on the supply and utilization of resources and grain yield, local government pays attention to the gross domestic product of all sorts of industry, local residents concern the area of paddy and dry lands. This paper takes GDP, grain yield, and ecological service value as our targets under Normal water year and dry year. 8 kinds of land use (dry land, rice (irrigation), rice (rainfed), forest, grassland, wetland, water area, residents), 3 types of industrial development (primary industry, secondary industry, tertiary industry), 3 sorts of water sources (surface water, groundwater, transit water) and 7 ways of water utilization (urban domestic water, rural domestic water, primary industry water, secondary industry water demand, tertiary industry water demand, urban ecological water demand, wetland Ecological water demand) are considered. A comprehensive configuration model of the Sanjiang Plain in the near future (2020) and mid-term future (2025) is presented, which is solved by an optimize software of lingo. The results derived show that the GDP will increase by 50%, the grain output will double, and there is also a slight increase of the ecological service value at 2025.
Investigation on heavy metals pollution of municipal refuse leachate from Tromsø landfill, Northern Norway
Authors: Fu S , Lu J M , Yuan F Q
Published: November 2019

To investigate the heavy metal pollution in leachate from sanitary landfill site of municipal solid waste, a survey was conducted in Tromsø, Northern Norway. Results shows that contents of heavy metals in landfill leachate follow the order Mn>Zn>Ni>Cu>Cr>As>Pb>Cd>Hg, and the order of the risk of different heavy metals is: Mn>Ni>As>Zn>Cr>Pb>Cd>Hg>Cu. The concentrations of Mn and Ni in landfill leachate exceeded the standard. Mn had the highest single standard index. it took the highest risk to surround water and environment. According to comprehensive evaluation of water quality, the landfill leachate is moderately polluted. It is helpful for the control and management of leachate in garbage plants to know the degree and types of heavy metal pollution in leachate.
Converting traditional landscape into resilient landscape in Zhenjiang City to manage stormwater runoff: A case study
Authors: Zhong X L , Zhang L J , Chen H , Bao Z D , Yang Q Q , She N
Published: November 2019

Since the beginning of low impact development (LID) introduced into China, the aesthetic perspective has been a big issue in LID practices. Many landscape architects viewed LIDs as a contradiction to the traditional landscape design. Therefore, a significant challenge in Sponge City construction in China is to communicate with landscape architects understanding the importance of managing stormwater runoff and pollutant removal close to the source. In this paper, we presented a framework developed for civil engineers and landscape architects working together to guide the LID or green infrastructure design. We presented a case study in China using this guideline to build a resilient landscape with aesthetics. It illustrated that the beautiful landscape could be integrated into local LID and regional green stormwater infrastructures for flood mitigation and high pollution load removal.
Selection and application of spatial variability distribution function of soil moisture in farmland
Authors: Yao L , Wang Y R , Wang L , Gao W , Zhang Z
Published: November 2019

In order to find a method for reasonably determining the number of soil moisture monitoring points (depth 0-20, 20-40, 40-60 cm at per points) in the farmland scale, in Beijinzhuang village and Xilv village of Cui Huangkou town, Wuqing district, Tianjin city. The monitoring area (286.67ha). Monitoring stations is divided into three layers from southeast to northwest. The soil moisture content of 61 points was measured in turn. The parameters were fit analysis based on the obtained data by using P-III type distribution function and normal distribution function. The minimum sample size of the measured sequence was analyzed. The analysis results show that the P-III type distribution function (correlation coefficient R2=0.9954, average relative error is 6.3%) is better than the normal distribution function (correlation coefficient R2=0.9918, average relative error is 6.6%), but the two are very close. Therefore, the number of reasonable soil moisture monitoring points were determined by the normal distribution function . the number of samples of the measured sequence, by which determining the reasonable soil moisture monitoring points in the farmland scale, should not be less than 30 points.
Cumulative effect of the perennial reclamation projects on water exchange in Sanmen Bay
Authors: Huang P Y , Hu H , Zhang M M
Published: November 2019

Sanmen Bay is located in the middle of Zhejiang coastal area. It is a semi-enclosed bay with many silty tongue-like shoals. There are also harbors with good water depth. This form of shoals and branches constitutes a unique muddy coastal landform on the Zhejiang-Fujian coast. Large areas of tidal flats provide conditions for reclamation. Since the beginning of the new millennium, the speed of reclamation in Sanmen Bay has accelerated, and its cumulative impact on the environment has gradually increased. Based on the high-resolution water depth and coastline data of 2003 and 2013, this paper establishes a numerical model based on Delft3D to study the cumulative response of hydrodynamics, tidal prism, and water exchange capacity to the reclamation project in a decade. The calculation results show that within ten years, the reclamation of the sea has reduced the area of the shoal in Sanmen Bay. The trend of the ebb current in the bay has been weakened, and the tidal prism has been reduced by nearly 7%. Also, the reclamation projects have weakened the overall water exchange capacity of Sanmen Bay with the outside world. Due to the topographical features of Sanmen Bay, the degree of influence varies from region to region.
Study on evaluation index system for ecological effect of water conservancy projects
Authors: Wei N , Lu K M , Xie J C , Lin M K
Published: November 2019

With the transformation from traditional water conservancy to ecological water conservancy, functions of water conservancy projects have been changed. In addition to meeting the demand of social economy development, the protection and improvement of eco-environment should be taken into account. As the link between water use for human activities and natural water cycle, it is necessary to research on the ecological effect of water conservancy projects. From the perspective of whether to be affected by human activities, ecological effect is divided into natural ecological effect and social ecological effect, a framework of comprehensive evaluation index system for ecological effect is preliminarily constructed. The concept of ecological effect of water conservancy projects is analysed, and three-level ecological effects of water conservancy projects are presented. The three-level evaluation index system for ecological effect of water conservancy projects is built based on the hydrological regime analysis. The quantitative evaluation can be achieved. The method is applied to evaluate the ecological effect of large-scale water conservancy projects in the Weihe River Basin. The results show that the index system is of high applicability, which provides scientific basis for the quantitative evaluation for ecological effect of water conservancy projects and offers a better support to healthy development of river ecosystems.
Total quality management practice of urban water environment rehabilitation project
Authors: Zhao H X , Liu J , Wang X X , Chen K J , Wang G , Wang J , Dong M
Published: November 2019

The urban water environment rehabilitation project is a comprehensive strategic social project with large investment, wide scope and complicated construction conditions, which determines the uncertainty and particularity of the quality management of urban water environment rehabilitation projects. In order to improve the quality management level of urban water environment rehabilitation projects and promote urban water environment rehabilitation, this paper analyzes the characteristics of quality management of urban water environment rehabilitation projects from the viewpoint of the total quality management. Taking the Maozhou River urban water environment rehabilitation project in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China as an example, using the total quality management theory and causal analysis, the authors summed up the new quality management model, dual-collaborative quality management, for the water environment rehabilitation project, and some new technologies such as resident supervision system, closed circuit television inspection and data analysis technology were applied.
Application of causal analysis to the safety management of urban water environment treatment project
Authors: Huang W D , Liu J , Qin X L , Yu Z Q , Wang T L , Luo K J , Miao Y
Published: November 2019

There are a large number of hazard sources in the construction site, and each hazard source may cause a safety accident. Therefore, timely and accurate identification of hazard sources becomes a necessary for safety management at the construction site. Along with the characteristics of the construction site of the Maozhou River Rehabilitation Project, from the four aspects of management, people, environment and objects, the causal analysis method is used to analyze the hazard sources of safety accident at the construction site. According to the analyzed hazard sources, the total safety management of the project was realized through the PDCA cycle.
Evaluation of groundwater remediation strategies at petroleum contaminated sites based on groundwater modelling approach
Authors: Yang L H , Jing L X , Zheng C M
Published: November 2019

Based on the hydrogeological survey and groundwater environmental investigation at an abandoned oil refinement factory, a site-specific groundwater flow and solute transport model was constructed to support the development of groundwater remediation strategy. The contamination plume of Benzene is simulated and predicted in 30-year scale for designed scenarios. The results indicate that the groundwater quality takes long time to recover even though the contamination source above the water table is cleaned up. This is due to the large quantity of solved contaminants in local aquifer, and additionally the contribution from groundwater circulation is limited. The groundwater remediation actions, such as Pump & Treat (P&T) and In-Situ Chemical Oxidation (ISCO) could greatly improve the groundwater quality. However, under the site-specific circumstance, the ISCO technique is efficient but costly; the P&T takes longer time but more flexible and effective in protecting target drinking wells. Therefore, a combined remediation approach including both P&T and ISCO would be recommended. In summary, by the quantitative analysis regarding the feasibility, time scale, and effectiveness for the potential applicable remediation approaches, the groundwater modelling framework provided a insight on the system behavior and reliable support for the decision making in groundwater protection.
Study on sustainable development of water resources in Gansu Province
Authors: Zhang D D , Chang L , Wu S C , Cui Y Q , Wang Y S , Zeng J J
Published: November 2019

Water resources play an irreplaceable role in the survival, life and production of human being. It is the foundation of social stability and economic development. The sustainable utilization of water resources is one of the important factors affecting social and economic development. The water resources of various administrative regions in Gansu Province in 2006-2015 were evaluated by using evaluation indexes such as water resources development and utilization rate, water resources ecological capacity and sustainable development index and other evaluation indicators, the results show that: Gansu Province has a higher level of water resources development and utilization, but the amount of water resources cannot meet the current water load, and the water shortage in some areas is serious; The ecological footprint of water resources in Gansu Province is less than its carrying capacity. However, the water resources are in a sustainable use state. Considering the increasing demand for water resources for economic and social development activities, it needs to further consider the cost of water in the future development process; the water resources in Gansu Province can continue to develop, its development conditions are optimistic, and water resources can effectively guarantee the rapid development of the economy and society.
Review in recent researches and applications of technology of environmental microbiology metagenomics in water treatment engineering
Authors: Li Q , You H , Xie W , Chen Q F , Liu W , Zhao L X , Zhang J , Guo Q , Qiu X H
Published: November 2019

Metagenomics is an emerging research area that combines environmental biology and genomics. It is featured by unique biomolecule detection technique and high-throughput gene screening methods, not only has achieved a series of breakthroughs in the environmental microbial community dynamics and resource exploitation but also is gradually applied in multiple fields of environmental science and engineering. This paper provides a brief introduction to metagenomics technology, summarizes its latest applications and progresses in the field of water treatment engineering, and also provides more theoretical basis and methodological ideas for the improvement of biological treatment technology in this field. Finally, the application and development of metagenomics in water treatment engineering are prospected.
The driving factors of renewable energy industry development - Based on spatial panel model
Authors: Zhang W , Wang X , Zhai T Y , Peng Z Y
Published: November 2019

Enter the new era, renewable energy is constrained by regional heterogeneity, such as resource distribution, market structure and industrial environment, and its spatial heterogeneity is becoming increasingly prominent. To explore the spatial agglomeration effect of renewable energy development, this paper builds a spatial panel econometric model to explore the driving factors of renewable energy industry development on the basis of analysing the spatial correlation of renewable energy. The results show that the development of the renewable energy industry has path dependence and spatial stability, and there is an industrial agglomeration effect in spatial development. In addition, the emission of exhaust gas is negatively correlated with the development of the renewable energy industry, and the power consumption of renewable energy and the reserve of non-renewable resources will significantly promote the development of renewable energy industry. Meanwhile, government investment in environmental protection is not significantly correlated with the development of renewable energy industry. This study can provide theoretical guidance and practical support for promoting the development of China’s renewable energy industry.
Utilization of Exhaust Gas Diesel Power Generation for Micro Turbine Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC)
Authors: Indrawan Harry , Aprilana Almas
Published: November 2019

This study aims to study the reuse of heat from exhaust gas diesel by using micro turbine ORC to improve thermal efficiency of diesel. The methodology undertaken is as follows: conducting studies on heat exhaust potential, conduct a study of environmental conditions (dry and wet air temperature, availability of water source enhancer), design of working fluid thermodynamically appropriate to use and heating fluid type.

The results of the discussion and analysis obtained the following conclusions: the study of the utilization of exhaust gas Diesel Power Generation micro turbine takes place in Lombok. From field survey results and optimization results of available space in unit 2 & 3 engine configuration and or engine configuration of units 5 & 6 which will be utilized exhaust gas for generator micro turbine ORC; in this study it has been determined that the design of ORC to generate 100 kW electrical energy and will be used for its own use; system design has 2 alternative system design which are simple ORC and ORC with recuperator; 4 alternative working fluids are n-butane, n-pentane, R-134a and R-245fa; 4 thermal fluid alternatives are hot water, saturated steam, Dowtherm A and Thermo XT 32; based on simulation results to generate 100 kW electrical energy with the above design alternatives obtained optimal conditions on ORC system with recuperator, n-pentane working fluid, thermal fluid Thermo XT 32, with heat and mass balance model as follows; thermal efficiency 11,81%, mass flowrate n-pentane 1,92 kg / s and thermo XT mass flowrate 3,67 kg / s and turbine inlet temperature 160°C.
Resilience and Function in Adults With Chronic Physical Disabilities: A Cross-Lagged Panel Design
Authors: Battalio Samuel L , Tang Connie L , Jensen Mark P
Published: November 2019

Background

Resilience is a psychological construct referring to one’s positive adaptation in response to adversity. Evidence suggests that resilience may contribute to various function domains in adults with chronic physical disabilities.

Purpose

To test hypothesized temporal associations between resilience and four function domains (anxiety, depression, social role satisfaction, and physical function) in individuals with chronic physical disabilities.

Methods

Participants were 1,574 adults with one of four chronic physical disabilities (spinal cord injury, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, or postpolio myelitis syndrome) who were participating in a large, ongoing USA-based longitudinal survey study. Three surveys were mailed on an approximately yearly basis. Resilience was assessed using the Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale 10-item (CDRSC-10) and each function domain was assessed using the respective Patient Reported Outcome Measurement System (PROMIS) short-form.

Results

Cross-lagged path models evidenced statistically significant reciprocal relationships between resilience and each function domain except physical function. The standardized lagged coefficients corresponding to resilience predicting social role satisfaction (T1–T2 = 0.09, T2–T3 = 0.09) had similar effect sizes as those corresponding to social role satisfaction predicting resilience (T1–T2 = 0.11, T2–T3 = 0.04), although resilience was a slightly stronger predictor in the second lag. In models assessing psychological function, resilience was a stronger predictor of later psychological function (resilience-to-anxiety, T1–T2 = −0.15, T2–T3 = −0.11; resilience-to-depression, T1–T2 = −0.21, T2–T3 = −0.13) than the inverse (anxiety-to-resilience, T1–T2 = −0.11, T2–T3 = −0.06; depression-to-resilience, T1–T2 = −0.12, T2–T3 = −0.05).

Conclusions

The study findings suggest that resilience is a significant prospective predictor of psychological and social function over time in individuals with chronic physical disabilities.
Roles of Two Major Alcohol Dehydrogenases, ADH1 (Class I) and ADH3 (Class III), in the Adaptive Enhancement of Alcohol Metabolism Induced by Chronic Alcohol Consumption in Mice
Authors: Haseba Takeshi , Okuda Takahisa , Maruyama Motoyo , Akimoto Toshio , Duester Gregg , Ohno Youkichi
Published: November 2019

Aims

It is still unclear which enzymes contribute to the adaptive enhancement of alcohol metabolism by chronic alcohol consumption (CAC). ADH1 (Class I) has the lowest Km for ethanol and the highest sensitivity for 4-methylpyrazole (4MP) among ADH isozymes, while ADH3 (Class III) has the highest Km and the lowest sensitivity. We investigated how these two major ADHs relate to the adaptive enhancement of alcohol metabolism.

Methods

Male mice with different ADH genotypes (WT, Adh1−/− and Adh3−/−) were subjected to CAC experiment using a 10% ethanol solution for 1 month. Alcohol elimination rate (AER) was measured after ethanol injection at a 4.0 g/kg dose. 4MP-sensitive and -insensitive AERs were measured by the simultaneous administration of 4MP at a dose of 0.5 mmol/kg in order to estimate ADH1 and non-ADH1 pathways.

Results

AER was enhanced by CAC in all ADH genotypes, especially more than twofold in Adh1−/− mice, with increasing ADH1 and/or ADH3 liver contents, but not CYP2E1 content. 4MP-sensitive AER was also increased by CAC in WT and Adh3−/− strains, which was greater in Adh3−/− than in WT mice. The sensitive AER was increased even in Adh1−/− mice probably due to the increase in ADH3, which is semi-sensitive for 4MP. 4MP-insensitive AER was also increased in WT and Adh1−/− by CAC, but not in Adh3−/− mice.

Conclusion

ADH1 contributes to the enhancement of alcohol metabolism by CAC, particularly in the absence of ADH3. ADH3 also contributes to the enhancement as a non-ADH1 pathway, especially in the absence of ADH1.
Environmental differences are correlated with the distribution pattern of cytotypes in Veronica subsection Pentasepalae at a broad scale
Authors: Rojas-Andrés Blanca M , Padilla-García Nélida , Pedro Manuel de , López-González Noemí , Delgado Luis , Albach Dirk C , Castro Mariana , Castro Sílvia , Loureiro João , Martínez-Ortega M Montserrat
Published: November 2019

Background and Aims

The distribution of cytotypes and its potential correlation with environmental variables represent a cornerstone to understanding the origin and maintenance of polyploid lineages. Although many studies have addressed this question in single species at a regional scale, only a few have attempted to decipher this enigma in groups of closely related species at a broad intercontinental geographical scale. Here, we consider ca. 20 species of a diploid-polyploid complex (Veronica subsect. Pentasepalae) of recent and rapid diversification represented in Europe and North Africa to study the frequency and distribution of cytotypes and its relationship with environmental variables.

Methods

A total of 680 individuals (207 populations) were sampled. Ploidy levels were determined using flow cytometry. Ecological differentiation among cytotypes was tested using climatic and environmental variables related to temperature, precipitation, vegetation and biogeographical region, among others, and by performing univariate and multivariate (constrained PCoA) analyses.

Key Results

Four ploidy levels (2x, 4x, 6x, 8x) were found and genome downsizing was observed to occur within the group. Plants of different ploidy level are ecologically differentiated, with hexaploids and octoploids occurring in wetter and colder habitats with a higher seasonality than diploids. A south-to-north distribution pattern was found, with diploids occupying southern refugial areas and octoploids being more frequent in northern regions of Europe above the permafrost boundary.

Conclusions

The distribution of cytotypes can be explained by ecological differentiation, the geographical position of refuge areas during the Quaternary climatic oscillations, as well as by ice and permafrost retreat patterns. The Balkan Peninsula constitutes the most important contact zone between cytotypes. This work provides the first comprehensive ploidy screening within V. subsect. Pentasepalae at a broad scale and indicates that polyploidy and genome downsizing might have contributed to the colonization of new habitats in a recently diverged polyploid complex.
Taxonomic weighting improves the accuracy of a gap-filling algorithm for metabolic models
Authors: Ong Wai Kit , Midford Peter E , Karp Peter D
Published: November 2019

Motivation

The increasing availability of annotated genome sequences enables construction of genome-scale metabolic networks, which are useful tools for studying organisms of interest. However, due to incomplete genome annotations, draft metabolic models contain gaps that must be filled in a time-consuming process before they are usable. Optimization-based algorithms that fill these gaps have been developed, however, gap-filling algorithms show significant error rates and often introduce incorrect reactions.

Results

Here, we present a new gap-filling method that computes the costs of candidate gap-filling reactions from a universal reaction database (MetaCyc) based on taxonomic information. When gap-filling a metabolic model for an organism M (such as Escherichia coli), the cost for reaction R is based on the frequency with which R occurs in other organisms within the phylum of M (in this case, Proteobacteria). The assumption behind this method is that different taxonomic groups are biased toward using different metabolic reactions. Evaluation of the new gap-filler on randomly degraded variants of the EcoCyc metabolic model for E.coli showed an increase in the average F1-score to 99.0 (when using the variable weights by frequency method at the phylum level), compared to 91.0 using the previous MetaFlux gap-filler and 80.3 using a basic gap-filler. Evaluation on two other microbial metabolic models showed similar improvements.

Availability and implementation

The Pathway Tools software (including MetaFlux) is free for academic use and is available at http://pathwaytools.com. Additional code for reproducing the results presented here is available at www.ai.sri.com/pkarp/pubs/taxgap/supplementary.zip.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
The Community Ecology of Herbivore Regulation in an Agroecosystem: Lessons from Complex Systems
Authors: Vandermeer John , Armbrecht Inge , de la Mora Aldo , Ennis Katherine K , Fitch Gordon , Gonthier David J , Hajian-Forooshani Zachary , Hsieh Hsun-Yi , Iverson Aaron , Jackson Douglas , Jha Shalene , Jiménez-Soto Estelí , Lopez-Bautista Gustavo , Larsen Ashley , Li Kevin , Liere Heidi , MacDonald Andrew , Marin Linda , Mathis Kaitlyn A , Monagan Ivan , Morris Jonathan R , Ong Theresa , Pardee Gabriella L , Rivera-Salinas Iris Saraeny , Vaiyda Chatura , Williams-Guillen Kimberly , Yitbarek Senay , Uno Shinsuke , Zemenick Ash , Philpott Stacy M , Perfecto Ivette
Published: November 2019

Whether an ecological community is controlled from above or below remains a popular framework that continues generating interesting research questions and takes on especially important meaning in agroecosystems. We describe the regulation from above of three coffee herbivores, a leaf herbivore (the green coffee scale, Coccus viridis), a seed predator (the coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei), and a plant pathogen (the coffee rust disease, caused by Hemelia vastatrix) by various natural enemies, emphasizing the remarkable complexity involved. We emphasize the intersection of this classical question of ecology with the burgeoning field of complex systems, including references to chaos, critical transitions, hysteresis, basin or boundary collision, and spatial self-organization, all aimed at the applied question of pest control in the coffee agroecosystem.
Defining spring foraging habitat and prioritization of conservation sites for Tricolored Blackbirds in California, USA
Authors: Wilsey Chad B , Michel Nicole L , Krieger Katie , Taylor Lotem , Lee Liling , Arthur Samantha , Clipperton Neil
Published: November 2019

The Tricolored Blackbird (Agelaius tricolor) is a range-restricted, colonial-nesting species in decline. Colonies include tens of thousands of individuals that forage in the surrounding landscape, at times commuting miles between nesting and foraging grounds. We explored the role of landscape composition on colony occupancy and mapped core and potential spring foraging habitat in California, USA. We used observations of spring Tricolored Blackbird nesting colonies from 2008, 2011, and 2014 and characterized changes in the surrounding landscape during an extended drought. Then, we constructed occurrence and abundance models in order to map core foraging habitat across 4 ecoregions in California. Finally, we used simulated land cover changes to identify potential habitat under restoration scenarios. Across the 3 survey years, surface water declined over time at unoccupied colony locations but remained stable at occupied colony locations, confirming that permanent surface water was a critical feature of persistent Tricolored Blackbird colonies. Average percent cover of nearly all land cover types suitable for foraging, as well as frequency of dairies and median NDVI, were all higher in current or historical colony sites than elsewhere. The proportion of surrounding alfalfa, grasslands, and surface water were the elements of foraging habitat best able to predict Tricolored Blackbird early breeding season colony presence and colony size. Core foraging habitat covered over 6 million acres in the study region, but only 18% was occupied in 2014. This result suggests a need to study additional factors determining colony occurrence and persistence, such as landscape connectivity, distributions of nesting substrates, and risk from predators. The vast majority (93.1%) of Tricolored Blackbird core habitat occurred on private land; therefore, saving the species will require engagement and partnership with private landowners.
Prediction of Adverse Outcomes in Nursing Home Residents According to Intrinsic Capacity Proposed by the World Health Organization
Authors: Charles Alexia , Buckinx Fanny , Locquet Médéa , Reginster Jean-Yves , Petermans Jean , Gruslin Bastien , Bruyère Olivier
Published: November 2019

Background

This study aimed to evaluate the predictive value of the domains of intrinsic capacity (ie, cognition, locomotion, sensory, vitality, and psychosocial) proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO) on the 3-year adverse health outcomes of nursing home residents.

Methods

A 3-year incidence of mortality, falls, repeated falls, and autonomy decline (ie, a one-unit increase in the Katz score) was assessed in a cohort of Belgian nursing home residents. Cognition was assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). For locomotion, balance, gait speed and chair stand performance were evaluated by the Short Physical Performance Battery test. The sensory domain was measured using the Strawbridge questionnaire for audition and vision. For vitality, abdominal circumference, body mass index, nutritional status (by Mini Nutritional Assessment [MNA]) and handgrip strength were assessed. Psychosocial status was evaluated by the EQ-5D and the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale. Missing data were handled by multiple imputations. Cox proportional hazard models, logistic regressions, and analysis of variance were used for the analyses.

Results

In the multivariable model, a one-unit increase in balance performance and in the nutrition score decreased the probability of death by 12% (Hazard ratio [HR] = 0.88; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.78–0.99) and 4% (HR = 0.96; 95% CI 0.93–0.99), respectively. The risk of falling decreased when there was a one-unit increase in balance performance (HR = 0.87, 95% CI 0.79–0.96) and in the nutrition score (HR = 0.96, 95% CI 0.93–0.98). No association was found for intrinsic capacity and repeated falls. Low scores in nutrition (odds ratio = 0.86, 95% CI 0.77–0.96) were associated with a higher probability of autonomy decline.

Conclusion

Some domains of intrinsic capacity predicted health outcomes among nursing home residents. Nutrition and balance should be regularly checked among this population.
Platelet-rich plasma another add-on treatment getting out of hand? How can clinicians preserve the best interest of their patients?
Authors: Urman Bulent , Boza Aysen , Balaban Basak
Published: November 2019

Add-on treatments in IVF are utilized to a great extent but without sufficient evidence showing their effectiveness. Since the offered treatments are usually costly and may be associated with yet unknown risks, this practice is not in the best interest of couples that may go to great lengths to conceive and have an offspring carrying their own genetic make-up. A recent addition to this armamentarium is the administration of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) in women with diminished ovarian reserve, implantation failures, and a thin endometrium. The only evidence for PRP comes from small scale and mostly before and after studies with clinically irrelevant end points. PRP has not been subjected to a rigorous clinical trial. It is a typical example of an add-on gaining widespread popularity based on biological plausibility and mind-bending theoretical presumptions. We should be extremely cautious prior to implementing PRP on a widescale and await the results of well-designed studies.
Technology Frontiers of Building-integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV): A Patent Co-citation Analysis
Authors: Zhong Botao , Hei Yongjian , Jiao Li , Luo Hanbin , Tang Junqing
Published: November 2019

Recently, greater research attention has focused on the application of solar power generation technology in building construction to reduce building energy consumption and encourage increased sustainable development. An emerging solar power generation technology is in the use of Building-integrated Photovoltaics (BIPVs), where photovoltaic materials are used to replace conventional building materials. In order to map the development of BIPV technology over time and explore technology paths, this study retrieved a total of 4914 patents dated from 1972 to 2016 from the Derwent Innovations Index patent database. This study applies patent co-citation analysis to map the patent co-citation network in three periods based on Ucinet tool. Evolutional path and three key technology frontiers were identified using Social Network Analysis (SNA) and text clustering. The results of this study provide an informed reference for future researchers in understanding the historical development of BIPV, as an emerging and important solar power generation technology in the built environment. At the same time, big data of patents are analyzed using SNA and text clustering, which overcomes the limitation of previous methods of frontiers study that have depended on expert opinion or peer review.