ALBERT

Description: Water, Vol. 10, Pages 969: Assessment of Runoff Components Simulated by GLDAS against UNH–GRDC Dataset at Global and Hemispheric Scales Water doi: 10.3390/w10080969 Authors: Meizhao Lv Hui Lu Kun Yang Zhongfeng Xu Meixia Lv Xiaomeng Huang The current evaluations of global land data assimilation system (GLDAS) runoff were generally limited to the observation-rich areas. At the global and hemispheric scales, we assessed different runoff components performance of GLDAS (1.0 and 2.1) using the University of New Hampshire and Global Runoff Data Centre (UNH-GRDC) dataset. The results suggest that GLDAS simulations show considerable uncertainties, particularly in partition of surface and subsurface runoffs, in snowmelt runoff modeling, and in capturing the northern peak time. GLDAS1.0-CLM (common land model) produced more surface runoff almost globally; GLDAS-Noah generated more surface runoff over the northern middle-high latitudes and more subsurface runoff in the remaining areas; while the partition in GLDAS1.0-VIC (variable infiltration capacity) is almost opposite to that in Noah. Comparing to GLDAS1.0-Noah, GLDAS2.1-Noah improved the premature snow-melting tendency, but its snowmelt-runoff peak magnitude was excessively high in June and July. The discrepancies in northern primary peak times among precipitation and runoff is partly caused by the combination of rainfall and melting-snow over high-latitude, as well as the very different temporal–spatial distributions for snowmelt runoff simulated by GLDAS models. This paper can provide valuable guidance for GLDAS users, and contribute to the further improvement of hydrological parameterized schemes.

Description: Materials, Vol. 11, Pages 1287: Polysaccharide-Based Aerogel Bead Production via Jet Cutting Method Materials doi: 10.3390/ma11081287 Authors: Imke Preibisch Philipp Niemeyer Yusuf Yusufoglu Pavel Gurikov Barbara Milow Irina Smirnova The aim of this work is to develop a method to produce spherical biopolymer-based aerogel particles, which is capable for scale-up in the future. Therefore, the jet cutting method is suggested. Amidated pectin, sodium alginate, and chitosan are used as a precursor (a 1–3 wt. % solution) for particle production via jet cutting. Gelation is realized via two methods: the internal setting method (using calcium carbonate particles as cross-linkers and citric and acidic acid for pH adjustment) and the diffusion method (in calcium chloride solutions). Gel particles are subjected to solvent exchange to ethanol and consequent supercritical drying with CO2. Spherical aerogel particles with narrow particle size distributions in the range of 400 to 1500 µm and a specific surface area of around 500 m2/g are produced. Overall, it can be concluded that the jet cutting method is suitable for aerogel particle production, although the shape of the particles is not perfectly spherical in all cases. However, parameter adjustment might lead to even better shaped particles in further work. Moreover, the biopolymer-based aerogel particles synthesized in this study are tested as humidity absorbers in drying units for home appliances, particularly for dishwashers. It has been shown that for several cycles of absorption and desorption of humidity, aerogel particles are stable with an absorption capacity of around 20 wt. %.

Description: Materials, Vol. 11, Pages 1279: Computational Predictions and Microwave Plasma Synthesis of Superhard Boron-Carbon Materials Materials doi: 10.3390/ma11081279 Authors: Paul A. Baker Shane A. Catledge Sumner B. Harris Kathryn J. Ham Wei-Chih Chen Cheng-Chien Chen Yogesh K. Vohra Superhard boron-carbon materials are of prime interest due to their non-oxidizing properties at high temperatures compared to diamond-based materials and their non-reactivity with ferrous metals under extreme conditions. In this work, evolutionary algorithms combined with density functional theory have been utilized to predict stable structures and properties for the boron-carbon system, including the elusive superhard BC5 compound. We report on the microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition on a silicon substrate of a series of composite materials containing amorphous boron-doped graphitic carbon, boron-doped diamond, and a cubic hard-phase with a boron-content as high as 7.7 at%. The nanoindentation hardness of these composite materials can be tailored from 8 GPa to as high as 62 GPa depending on the growth conditions. These materials have been characterized by electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and nanoindentation hardness, and the experimental results are compared with theoretical predictions. Our studies show that a significant amount of boron up to 7.7 at% can be accommodated in the cubic phase of diamond and its phonon modes and mechanical properties can be accurately modeled by theory. This cubic hard-phase can be incorporated into amorphous boron-carbon matrices to yield superhard materials with tunable hardness values.

Description: Materials, Vol. 11, Pages 1290: Compositional Dependence of Phase Selection in CoCrCu0.1FeMoNi-Based High-Entropy Alloys Materials doi: 10.3390/ma11081290 Authors: Ning Liu Chen Chen Isaac Chang Pengjie Zhou Xiaojing Wang To study the effect of alloy composition on phase selection in the CoCrCu0.1FeMoNi high-entropy alloy (HEA), Mo was partially replaced by Co, Cr, Fe, and Ni. The microstructures and phase selection behaviors of the CoCrCu0.1FeMoNi HEA system were investigated. Dendritic, inter-dendritic, and eutectic microstructures were observed in the as-solidified HEAs. A simple face centered cubic (FCC) single-phase solid solution was obtained when the molar ratio of Fe, Co, and Ni was increased to 1.7 at the expense of Mo, indicating that Fe, Co, and Ni stabilized the FCC structure. The FCC structure was favored at the atomic radius ratio δ ≤ 2.8, valence electron concentration (VEC) ≥ 8.27, mixing entropy ΔS ≤ 13.037, local lattice distortion parameter α2 ≤ 0.0051, and ΔS/δ2 > 1.7. Mixed FCC + body centered cubic (BCC) structures occurred for 4.1 ≤ δ ≤ 4.3 and 7.71 ≤ VEC ≤ 7.86; FCC or/and BCC + intermetallic (IM) mixtures were favored at 2.8 ≤ δ ≤ 4.1 or δ > 4.3 and 7.39 < VEC ≤ 8.27. The IM phase is favored at electronegativity differences greater than 0.133. However, ΔS, α2, and ΔS/δ2 were inefficient in identifying the (FCC or/and BCC + IM)/(FCC + BCC) transition. Moreover, the mixing enthalpy cannot predict phase structures in this system.

Description: Materials, Vol. 11, Pages 1286: An Evaluation of Wetting and Adhesion of Three Bioceramic Root Canal Sealers to Intraradicular Human Dentin Materials doi: 10.3390/ma11081286 Authors: Jung-Hong Ha Hyeon-Cheol Kim Young Kyung Kim Tae-Yub Kwon Root canal sealers should have good wetting and adhesion with intraradicular dentin. This study evaluated the wetting and adhesion properties of three bioceramic root canal sealers on dentin using contact angle (CA) measurements and calculations based on the Owens–Wendt–Rabel–Kälble (OWRK) model and compared the properties with those of a resin sealer. Three bioceramic sealers (EndoSequence BC Sealer (BC); Endoseal MTA (EM); and MTA Fillapex (MF)) were tested, together with one epoxy resin-based sealer (AH Plus (AP)). Disc-shaped sealer specimens and human premolar teeth with flat and polished intraradicular dentin surfaces were prepared (n = 12). The CAs of two liquids (water and methylene iodide) were measured on the surfaces using the sessile drop method. The wetting and adhesion properties of the four sealers were calculated using the wetting envelope and isogram diagram, respectively. Group BC showed the best wettability among the four sealer groups. The best adhesion was achieved for group EM, followed by group BC, with a significant difference being present between the two groups (p < 0.05). The OWRK-based calculation indicated that the bioceramic BC and EM sealers showed superior wetting and adhesion properties to the AP sealers.

Description: Materials, Vol. 11, Pages 1281: Investigation of Cutting Temperature during Turning Inconel 718 with (Ti,Al)N PVD Coated Cemented Carbide Tools Materials doi: 10.3390/ma11081281 Authors: Jinfu Zhao Zhanqiang Liu Qi Shen Bing Wang Qingqing Wang Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) Ti1−xAlxN coated cemented carbide tools are commonly used to cut difficult-to-machine super alloy of Inconel 718. The Al concentration x of Ti1−xAlxN coating can affect the coating microstructure, mechanical and thermo-physical properties of Ti1−xAlxN coating, which affects the cutting temperature in the machining process. Cutting temperature has great influence on the tool life and the machined surface quality. In this study, the influences of PVD (Ti,Al)N coated cemented carbide tools on the cutting temperature were analyzed. Firstly, the microstructures of PVD Ti0.41Al0.59N and Ti0.55Al0.45N coatings were inspected. The increase of Al concentration x enhanced the crystallinity of PVD Ti1−xAlxN coatings without epitaxy growth of TiAlN crystals. Secondly, the mechanical and thermo-physical properties of PVD Ti0.41Al0.59N and Ti0.55Al0.45N coated tools were analyzed. The pinning effects of coating increased with the increasing of Al concentration x, which can decrease the friction coefficient between the PVD Ti1−xAlxN coated cemented carbide tools and the Inconel 718 material. The coating hardness and thermal conductivity of Ti1−xAlxN coatings increased with the increase of Al concentration x. Thirdly, the influences of PVD Ti1−xAlxN coated tools on the cutting temperature in turning Inconel 718 were analyzed by mathematical analysis modelling and Lagrange simulation methods. Compared with the uncoated tools, PVD Ti0.41Al0.59N coated tools decreased the heat generation as well as the tool temperature to reduce the thermal stress generated within the tools. Lastly, the influences of Ti1−xAlxN coatings on surface morphologies of the tool rake faces were analyzed. The conclusions can reveal the influences of PVD Ti1−xAlxN coatings on cutting temperature, which can provide guidance in the proper choice of Al concentration x for PVD Ti1−xAlxN coated tools in turning Inconel 718.

Description: Materials, Vol. 11, Pages 1278: Study on Near-Net Forming Technology for Stepped Shaft by Cross-Wedge Rolling Based on Variable Cone Angle Billets Materials doi: 10.3390/ma11081278 Authors: Sutao Han Xuedao Shu Chang Shu Considering problems about concaves at the stepped shaft ends, this paper established the plastic flow kinetic theories about metal deforming during the cross-wedge rolling (CWR) process. By means of the DEFORM-3D finite element software and the point tracing method, the forming process of stepped shafts and the forming mechanism of concaves at shaft ends were studied. Based on the forming features of stepped shafts, rolling pieces were designed using variable cone angle billets. Single-factor tests were conducted to analyze the influence law of the shape parameters of billet with variable cone angle on end concaves, and rolling experiments were performed for verification. According to the results, during the rolling process of stepped shafts, concaves will come into being in stages, and the increasing tendency of its depth is due to the wave mode, the parameters of cone angle α, the first cone section length n. Furthermore, the total cone section length m has an increasingly weaker influence on the end concaves. Specifically, cone angle α has the most significant influence on the quality of shaft ends, which is about twice the influence of the total cone section length m. The concave depth will decrease at the beginning, and then increase with the increasing of the cone angle α and the first cone section length n, and it will decrease with the increasing of the total cone section length m. Finite element numerical analysis results are perfectly consistent with experimental results, with the error ratio being lower than 5%. The results provide a reliable theoretical basis for effectively disposing of end concave problems during CWR, rationally confirming the shape parameters of billets with a variable cone angle, improving the quality of stepped shaft ends, and realizing the near-net forming process of cross-wedge rolling without a stub bar.

Description: Materials, Vol. 11, Pages 1276: Tool Wear Mechanism in Cutting of Stack CFRP/UNS A97075 Materials doi: 10.3390/ma11081276 Authors: Severo Raul Fernandez-Vidal Sergio Fernandez-Vidal Moises Batista Jorge Salguero The aeronautics industry’s competitiveness has led to the need to increase productivity with one shot drilling (OSD) systems capable of drilling stacks of dissimilar materials (fibre/metal laminates, FML) in order to reduce riveting times. Among the materials that constitute the current aeronautical models, composite materials and aluminium (Al) and titanium (Ti) alloys stand out. These one-pass machining techniques produce high-quality holes, especially when all the elements that have to be joined are made of the same material. This work has followed a conventional OSD strategy and the same cutting conditions applied to CFRP (carbo-fibre-reinforced polymer), Al and CFRP/Al stacked sheets to know the wear mechanisms produced. With this purpose, results were obtained by using current specific techniques, such as microstructural analysis, monitoring of the shear forces and analysis of macrogeometric deviations. It has been determined that when these drilling techniques are applied under the same cutting conditions to stacks of materials of a different nature, the results of the wear mechanisms acting on the tool differ from those obtained when machining each material separately. This article presents a comparison between the effects of tool wear during dry drilling of CFRP and UNS A97075 plates separately and when machined as stacks.

Description: Water, Vol. 10, Pages 981: Scenario-Based Economic Impact Analysis for Bridge Closures Due to Flooding: A Case Study of North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea Water doi: 10.3390/w10080981 Authors: Byungil Kim Sha Chul Shin Du Yon Kim Flooding has the ability to severely reduce the capacity of a transportation network. The closure of even a single bridge, which often acts as a critical link in transportation networks, can have a severe impact on the entire network. This impact can lead to significant economic costs resulting from increased travel distances for drivers. Despite the significance of these costs, however, notably few studies have been conducted to determine the societal economic cost that would be incurred due to bridge closures. One possible reason for the lack of studies investigating bridge closures due to flooding could stem from the difficultly in collecting data. To address this issue, the methodology presented in this paper uses modeling and data resources that are available for major cities in most developed countries, including those in South Korea. We evaluate the economic impact of the bridge closures using the new administrative capital of North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea as a case study. Scenarios for the closure of bridges are derived from channel surveys and hydraulic analyses. These methods are used to overcome a lack of adequate data on historical floods in the new city. Traffic is forecasted to estimate the number of road users that would be forced to take detours due to inundated bridges. Contrasting travel distances when bridges are and are not operational, economic costs incurred by bridge closures due to flooding are estimated. The results indicated that bridge closures would result in an economic cost of 1563 USD to 44,180 USD per day, depending on how many bridges are closed and how many people are living in the new city. The estimates from this study will act as guidelines for identifying cost-effective mitigation and preparedness strategies aimed at reducing the frequency and impact of bridge closures due to flooding.

Description: Water, Vol. 10, Pages 972: Microbial Function and Hydrochemistry within a Stratified Anchialine Sinkhole: A Window into Coastal Aquifer Interactions Water doi: 10.3390/w10080972 Authors: Madison C. Davis James R. Garey Anchialine sinkholes provide insight into coastal aquifer systems and coastal mixing processes. Aquifer microbial community function is usually inferred from hydrochemical information, but there are few direct studies of microbial communities in the Floridan Aquifer. Hospital Hole is a 43 m-deep stratified sinkhole under the Weeki Wachee River, FL, with three distinct brackish layers: a hypoxic layer, a chemocline and a sulfidic anoxic layer. Illumina sequencing and bioinformatic tools were used to reconstruct metabolic functions and interactions of microbial communities in each layer. Each layer appears to originate from different parts of the coastal mixing zone and has a distinct microbial community with unique functions, which are influenced by the respective hydrochemistry. Sulfide oxidation and nitrate reduction are the most abundant functions. Syntrophy between methane oxidizers, methanogens and sulfate reducers is present. Similarities between the hydrochemistry and potential connectivity of Hospital Hole and the Floridan Aquifer coastal mixing zone suggest that microbial communities of Hospital Hole could be a surrogate for the coastal mixing zone of the aquifer in the absence of direct studies. Understanding how groundwater microbial communities react to saltwater intrusion and nutrient flux will be useful in predicting how coastal aquifer regions might react to anthropogenic change.

Description: IJERPH, Vol. 15, Pages 1590: Research Trends and Hotspots Analysis Related to the Effects of Xenobiotics on Glucose Metabolism in Male Testes International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph15081590 Authors: Yongsheng Fan Guangxia Yu Jun Yu Jiantao Sun Yu Wu Xue Zhao Yu Meng Zhangdong He Chunhong Wang This study aimed to integrate and analyze the existing studies and to explore research trends and hotspots related to the effects of xenobiotics on glucose metabolism in male testes. All articles were retrieved from the PubMed database, from an inception date up to 10 June 2017. CiteSpace software (version 5.1.R8 SE) was used for the co-word cluster analysis. A total of 165 eligible publications were included in this study. In 1949–1959, only two articles were published. After 1960, the number of articles increased steadily. These articles were published in 97 journals, in particular, in the Indian Journal of Experimental Biology (11 articles, 6.7%). Most of the authors (87.0%) only published one article. Only a few established research teams, mostly from the USA, worked consistently in this field. The main xenobiotics that had been studied were medicine and common environmental pollutants, e.g., gossypol, cadmium, di-n-butyl phthalate, and alpha-chlorohydrin. The hotspot keywords were Sertoli cell, lactate dehydrogenase, 6-phosphate dehydrogenase, oxidative stress, and glucose metabolism. The focus of research had been changed overtime. This is the first bibliometric study between xenobiotics and glucose metabolism in the male testes. The findings suggest that environmental pollutants have become a huge concern, and related research should be strengthened.

Description: IJERPH, Vol. 15, Pages 1589: Estimation of Dietary Intake of Radionuclides and Effectiveness of Regulation after the Fukushima Accident and in Virtual Nuclear Power Plant Accident Scenarios International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph15081589 Authors: Michio Murakami Takao Nirasawa Takao Yoshikane Keisuke Sueki Kimikazu Sasa Kei Yoshimura Evaluation of radiation exposure from diet is necessary under the assumption of a virtual accident as a part of emergency preparedness. Here, we developed a model with complete consideration of the regional food trade using deposition data simulated by a transport model, and estimated the dietary intake of radionuclides and the effectiveness of regulation (e.g., restrictions on the distribution of foods) after the Fukushima accident and in virtual accident scenarios. We also evaluated the dilution factors (i.e., ratios of contaminated foods to consumed foods) and cost-effectiveness of regulation as basic information for setting regulatory values. The doses estimated under actual emission conditions were generally consistent with those observed in food-duplicate and market-basket surveys within a factor of three. Regulation of restricted food distribution resulted in reductions in the doses of 54–65% in the nearest large city to the nuclear power plant. The dilution factors under actual emission conditions were 4.4% for radioiodine and 2.7% for radiocesium, which are ~20 times lower than those used in the Japanese provisional regulation values after the Fukushima accident. Strict regulation worsened the cost-effectiveness for both radionuclides. This study highlights the significance and utility of the developed model for a risk analysis of emergency preparedness and regulation.

Description: IJERPH, Vol. 15, Pages 1587: Dental Scaling Decreases the Risk of Parkinson’s Disease: A Nationwide Population-Based Nested Case-Control Study International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph15081587 Authors: Chang-Kai Chen Jing-Yang Huang Yung-Tsan Wu Yu-Chao Chang The protective effect of dental scaling in Parkinson’s disease (PD) remains inconclusive. The aim of this study was to analyze the association between dental scaling and the development of PD. A retrospective nested case-control study was performed using the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan. The authors identified 4765 patients with newly diagnosed PD from 2005 to 2013 and 19,060 individuals without PD by matching sex, age, and index year. In subgroup 1, with individuals aged 40–69 years, individuals without periodontal inflammatory disease (PID) showed a protective effect of dental scaling against PD development, especially for dental scaling over five consecutive years (adjusted odds ratio = 0.204, 95% CI = 0.047–0.886, p = 0.0399). In general, the protective effect of dental scaling showed greater benefit for individuals with PID than for those without PID, regardless of whether dental scaling was performed for five consecutive years. In subgroup 2, with patients aged ≥70 years, the discontinued (not five consecutive years) scaling showed increased risk of PD. This was the first study to show that patients without PID who underwent dental scaling over five consecutive years had a significantly lower risk of developing PD. These findings emphasize the value of early and consecutive dental scaling to prevent the development of PD.

Description: IJERPH, Vol. 15, Pages 1586: What Are the Net Benefits of Reducing the Ozone Standard to 65 ppb? An Alternative Analysis International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph15081586 Authors: Sabine S. Lange Sean E. Mulholland Michael E. Honeycutt In October 2015, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lowered the level of the ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) from 0.075 ppm to 0.070 ppm (annual 4th highest daily maximum 8-h concentration, averaged over three years). The EPA estimated a 2025 annual national non-California net benefit of $1.5 to $4.5 billion (2011$, 7% discount rate) for a 0.070 ppm standard, and a −$1.0 to $14 billion net benefit for an alternative 0.065 ppm standard. The purpose of this work is to present a combined toxicological and economic assessment of the EPA’s benefit-cost analysis of the 2015 ozone NAAQS. Assessing the quality of the epidemiology studies based on considerations of bias, confounding, chance, integration of evidence, and application of the studies for future population risk estimates, we derived several alternative benefits estimates. We also considered the strengths and weaknesses of the EPA’s cost estimates (e.g., marginal abatement costs), as well as estimates completed by other authors, and provided our own alternative cost estimate. Based on our alternative benefits and cost calculations, we estimated an alternative net benefit of between −$0.3 and $1.8 billion for a 0.070 ppm standard (2011 $, 7% discount rate) and between −$23 and −$17 billion for a 0.065 ppm standard. This work demonstrates that alternative reasonable assumptions can generate very difference cost and benefits estimates that may impact how policy makers view the outcomes of a major rule.

Description: IJERPH, Vol. 15, Pages 1583: A Systematic Review of Sexual and Reproductive Health Knowledge, Experiences and Access to Services among Refugee, Migrant and Displaced Girls and Young Women in Africa International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph15081583 Authors: Olena Ivanova Masna Rai Elizabeth Kemigisha Adolescent girls and young women are an overlooked group within conflict- or disaster-affected populations, and their sexual and reproductive health (SRH) needs are often neglected. Existing evidence shows that forced migration and human mobility make girls and women more vulnerable to poor SRH outcomes such as high risk sexual behaviors, lack of contraception use, STIs and HIV/AIDS. We performed a systematic literature review to explore knowledge, experiences and access to SRH services in this population group across the African continent. Two databases (PubMed and Web of Science) were searched and from 896 identified publications, 15 peer-reviewed articles published in English met the inclusion criteria for this review. These consisted of eight applied qualitative, five quantitative and two mixed-method study designs. The quality of the studies was evaluated by the mixed-methods appraisal tool (MMAT) using scores in percentages (0–100%). Available evidence indicates that knowledge of young women and girls regarding contraceptive methods, STIs and HIV/AIDS are limited. This population group often experiences gender-based and sexual violence and abuse. The access and availability of SRH services are often limited due to distances, costs and stigma. This review demonstrates that there is still a dearth of peer-reviewed literature on SRH related aspects among refugee, migrant and displaced girls and young women in Africa. The data disaggregation by sex and age should be emphasized for future research in this field.

Description: Materials, Vol. 11, Pages 1294: High Capacity and High Efficiency Maple Tree-Biomass-Derived Hard Carbon as an Anode Material for Sodium-Ion Batteries Materials doi: 10.3390/ma11081294 Authors: Yuesheng Wang Zimin Feng Wen Zhu Vincent Gariépy Catherine Gagnon Manon Provencher Dharminder Laul René Veillette Michel L. Trudeau Abdelbast Guerfi Karim Zaghib Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) are in the spotlight because of their potential use in large-scale energy storage devices due to the abundance and low cost of sodium-based materials. There are many SIB cathode materials under investigation but only a few candidate materials such as carbon, oxides and alloys were proposed as anodes. Among these anode materials, hard carbon shows promising performances with low operating potential and relatively high specific capacity. Unfortunately, its low initial coulombic efficiency and high cost limit its commercial applications. In this study, low-cost maple tree-biomass-derived hard carbon is tested as the anode for sodium-ion batteries. The capacity of hard carbon prepared at 1400 °C (HC-1400) reaches 337 mAh/g at 0.1 C. The initial coulombic efficiency is up to 88.03% in Sodium trifluoromethanesulfonimide (NaTFSI)/Ethylene carbonate (EC): Diethyl carbonate (DEC) electrolyte. The capacity was maintained at 92.3% after 100 cycles at 0.5 C rates. The in situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis showed that no peak shift occurred during charge/discharge, supporting a finding of no sodium ion intercalates in the nano-graphite layer. Its low cost, high capacity and high coulombic efficiency indicate that hard carbon is a promising anode material for sodium-ion batteries.

Description: Materials, Vol. 11, Pages 1291: Synthesis and Plasmonic Chiroptical Studies of Sodium Deoxycholate Modified Silver Nanoparticles Materials doi: 10.3390/ma11081291 Authors: Jing Wang Kai-Xuan Fei Xin Yang Shuai-Shuai Zhang Yin-Xian Peng Sodium deoxycholate modified silver nanoparticles prepared in the presence of sodium deoxycholate as a chiral inducer exhibit plasmonic circular dichroism (CD) signals. The plasmon-induced chirality arises from the presence of chiral molecules (sodium deoxycholate) on the surface of Ag nanoparticles, which transfer their chiral properties to the visible wavelength range due to the Coulomb interactions between the chiral molecules and plasmonic nanoparticles. The prepared Ag nanoparticles (NPs) exhibit distinct line shapes of plasmonic CD, which can be tailored by varying the pH values of the solutions. A mechanism was proposed to explain the generation of the distinct plasmonic CD shapes, which indicated that the arrangements of chiral molecules in the plasmonic hot spots between Ag NPs are crucial for the induced plasmonic CD.

Description: Materials, Vol. 11, Pages 1293: The 3 R’s for Platelet-Rich Fibrin: A “Super” Tri-Dimensional Biomaterial for Contemporary Naturally-Guided Oro-Maxillo-Facial Soft and Hard Tissue Repair, Reconstruction and Regeneration Materials doi: 10.3390/ma11081293 Authors: Consuelo C. Zumarán Marcelo V. Parra Sergio A. Olate Eduardo G. Fernández Francisco T. Muñoz Ziyad S. Haidar Platelet-Rich fibrin (PRF) is a three-dimensional (3-D) autogenous biomaterial obtained via simple and rapid centrifugation from the patient’s whole blood samples, without including anti-coagulants, bovine thrombin, additives, or any gelifying agents. At the moment, it is safe to say that in oral and maxillofacial surgery, PRFs (particularly, the pure platelet-rich fibrin or P-PRF and leukocyte and platelet-rich fibrin or L-PRF sub-families) are receiving the most attention, essentially because of their simplicity, cost-effectiveness, and user-friendliness/malleability; they are a fairly new “revolutionary” step in second-generation therapies based on platelet concentration, indeed. Yet, the clinical effectiveness of such surgical adjuvants or regenerative platelet concentrate-based preparations continues to be highly debatable, primarily as a result of preparation protocol variability, limited evidence-based clinical literature, and/or poor understanding of bio-components and clinico-mechanical properties. To provide a practical update on the application of PRFs during oral surgery procedures, this critical review focuses on evidence obtained from human randomized and controlled clinical trials only. The aim is to serve the reader with current information on the clinical potential, limitations, challenges, and prospects of PRFs. Accordingly, reports often associate autologous PRFs with early bone formation and maturation; accelerated soft-tissue healing; and reduced post-surgical edema, pain, and discomfort. An advanced and original tool in regenerative dentistry, PRFs present a strong alternative and presumably cost-effective biomaterial for oro-maxillo-facial tissue (soft and hard) repair and regeneration. Yet, preparation protocols continue to be a source of confusion, thereby requiring revision and standardization. Moreover, to increase the validity, comprehension, and therapeutic potential of the reported findings or observations, a decent analysis of the mechanico-rheological properties, bio-components, and their bioactive function is eagerly needed and awaited; afterwards, the field can progress toward a brand-new era of “super” oro-dental biomaterials and bioscaffolds for use in oral and maxillofacial tissue repair and regeneration, and beyond.

Description: Water, Vol. 10, Pages 989: Computational Study of a Vertical Plunging Jet into Still Water Water doi: 10.3390/w10080989 Authors: Zegao Yin Qianqian Jia Yuan Li Yanxu Wang Dejun Yang The behavior of a vertical plunging jet was numerically investigated using the coupled Level Set and Volume of Fluid method. The computational results were in good agreement with the experimental results reported in the related literature. Vertical plunging jet characteristics, including the liquid velocity field, air void fraction, and turbulence kinetic energy, were explored by varying the distance between the nozzle exit and the still water level. It was found that the velocity at the nozzle exit plays an unimportant role in the shape and size of ascending bubbles. A modified prediction equation between the centerline velocity ratio and the axial distance ratio was developed using the data of the coupled Level Set and Volume of Fluid method, and it showed a better predicting ability than the Level Set and Mixture methods. The characteristics of turbulence kinetic energy, including its maximum value location and its radial and vertical distribution, were also compared with that of submerged jets.

Description: Water, Vol. 10, Pages 984: Vulnerability Analysis of the Venetian Littoral and Adopted Mitigation Strategy Water doi: 10.3390/w10080984 Authors: Piero Ruol Luca Martinelli Chiara Favaretto This paper discusses the key aspects of the recent Coastal Plan of the Veneto Region (IT). Its aim is to propose a single mitigation strategy for coastal erosion that is valid for the whole Veneto Region, and possibly elsewhere, as well as a method to assign a priority level to any action. The suggested mitigation action against erosion depends on urbanization level, beach width, as well as cross-shore and long-shore sediment transport. The criterion used to give a priority level to mitigation actions is based on a vulnerability index that takes into account erosive tendency, existing coastal flooding hazards, coast value, environmental relevance, tourist pressure, urbanization level, the presence of production activities, and cultural heritage. A sample case featuring the littoral of Rosolina is also provided and includes a site description, the sediment budget, critical issues and possible mitigation measures.

Description: Water, Vol. 10, Pages 982: Multivariate Chemometric Analysis of Membrane Fouling Patterns in Biofilm Ceramic Membrane Bioreactor Water doi: 10.3390/w10080982 Authors: Olga Kulesha Zakhar Maletskyi Harsha Ratnaweera Membrane fouling highly limits the development of Membrane bioreactor technology (MBR), which is among the key solutions to water scarcity. The current study deals with the determination of the fouling propensity of filtered biomass in a pilot-scale biofilm membrane bioreactor to enable the prediction of fouling intensity. The system was designed to treat domestic wastewater with the application of ceramic microfiltration membranes. Partial least squares regression analysis of the data obtained during the long-term operation of the biofilm-MBR (BF-MBR) system demonstrated that Mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS), diluted sludge volume index (DSVI), chemical oxygen demand (COD), and their slopes are the most significant for the estimation and prediction of fouling intensity, while normalized permeability and its slope were found to be the most reliable fouling indicators. Three models were derived depending on the applied operating conditions, which enabled an accurate prediction of the fouling intensities in the system. The results will help to prevent severe membrane fouling via the change of operating conditions to prolong the effective lifetime of the membrane modules and to save energy and resources for the maintenance of the system.

Description: Water, Vol. 10, Pages 983: The Mechanical Properties of High Strength Reinforced Cured-in-Place Pipe (CIPP) Liner Composites for Urban Water Infrastructure Rehabilitation Water doi: 10.3390/w10080983 Authors: Hyun Wook Ji Sung Soo Yoo Jonghoon Kim Dan Daehyun Koo Most urban areas in the world have water infrastructure systems, including the buried sewer and water pipelines, which are assessed as in need of extensive rehabilitation. Deterioration by many other factors affects structural integrity. Trenchless technologies such as Cured-in-Place Pipe (CIPP) are now applied in numerous projects while minimizing disturbance in an urban environment. The main purpose of this study is to develop a high strength CIPP material using various composite materials (e.g., glass fiber, carbon fiber, polyester felt, unsaturated polyester resin, and others). Composite samples were made of the materials and tested using three-point bend apparatus to find mechanical properties, which include the flexural modulus, strength, and deflection. A composite combination with glass fibers with thin felt layers shows the best results in mechanical properties. Flexural modulus is a key factor for CIPP liner thickness design. Glass fiber composite yields between four and nine times higher values than the minimum value specified in the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) F1216. This study provides a fundamental baseline for high strength CIPP liners that are capable of using conventional curing technologies.

Description: IJERPH, Vol. 15, Pages 1592: Full-Scale Experimental Study of Groundwater Softening in a Circulating Pellet Fluidized Reactor International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph15081592 Authors: Ruizhu Hu Tinglin Huang Aofan Zhi Zhangcheng Tang The softening effect of a new type of circulating pellet fluidized bed (CPFB) reactor on groundwater was studied through a full-scale experiment. The operation of the CPFB reactor in the second water plant in Chang’an District in Xi’an China was monitored for one year, and the results were compared with those for the Amsterdam reactor in The Netherlands. The removal efficiency of Ca2+ in the CPFB reactor reached 90%; the removal rate of total hardness was higher than 60%; effluent pH was 9.5–9.8; the turbidity of the effluent and the turbidity after boiling were lower than 1.0 NTU; the unit cost was less than €0.064 per m3; and the softened effluent was stable. The pellets in the CPFB reactor were circulated, providing higher crystallization efficiency. The diameter of the discharged pellets reached between 3–5 mm, and the fluidized area height of the CPFB reactor was 4 m. The performance parameters of the CFPB reactor were optimized.

Description: IJERPH, Vol. 15, Pages 1596: Predicting Infectious Disease Using Deep Learning and Big Data International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph15081596 Authors: Sangwon Chae Sungjun Kwon Donghyun Lee Infectious disease occurs when a person is infected by a pathogen from another person or an animal. It is a problem that causes harm at both individual and macro scales. The Korea Center for Disease Control (KCDC) operates a surveillance system to minimize infectious disease contagions. However, in this system, it is difficult to immediately act against infectious disease because of missing and delayed reports. Moreover, infectious disease trends are not known, which means prediction is not easy. This study predicts infectious diseases by optimizing the parameters of deep learning algorithms while considering big data including social media data. The performance of the deep neural network (DNN) and long-short term memory (LSTM) learning models were compared with the autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) when predicting three infectious diseases one week into the future. The results show that the DNN and LSTM models perform better than ARIMA. When predicting chickenpox, the top-10 DNN and LSTM models improved average performance by 24% and 19%, respectively. The DNN model performed stably and the LSTM model was more accurate when infectious disease was spreading. We believe that this study’s models can help eliminate reporting delays in existing surveillance systems and, therefore, minimize costs to society.

Description: Materials, Vol. 11, Pages 1301: Spiral Bevel Gears Face Roughness Prediction Produced by CNC End Milling Centers Materials doi: 10.3390/ma11081301 Authors: Álvaro Álvarez Amaia Calleja Mikel Arizmendi Haizea González Luis Norberto Lopez de Lacalle The emergence of multitasking machines in the machine tool sector presents new opportunities for the machining of large size gears and short production series in these machines. However, the possibility of using standard tools in conventional machines for gears machining represents a technological challenge from the point of view of workpiece quality. Machining conditions in order to achieve both dimensional and surface quality requirements need to be determined. With these considerations in mind, computer numerical control (CNC) methods to provide useful tools for gear processing are studied. Thus, a model for the prediction of surface roughness obtained on the teeth surface of a machined spiral bevel gear in a multiprocess machine is presented. Machining strategies and optimal machining parameters were studied, and the roughness model is validated for 3 + 2 axes and 5 continuous axes machining strategies.

Description: Materials, Vol. 11, Pages 1302: Enhanced Cycling Stability of LiCuxMn1.95−xSi0.05O4 Cathode Material Obtained by Solid-State Method Materials doi: 10.3390/ma11081302 Authors: Hongyuan Zhao Fang Li Xiuzhi Bai Tingting Wu Zhankui Wang Yongfeng Li Jianxiu Su The LiCuxMn1.95−xSi0.05O4 (x = 0, 0.02, 0.05, 0.08) samples have been obtained by a simple solid-state method. XRD and SEM characterization results indicate that the Cu-Si co-doped spinels retain the inherent structure of LiMn2O4 and possess uniform particle size distribution. Electrochemical tests show that the optimal Cu-doping amount produces an obvious improvement effect on the cycling stability of LiMn1.95Si0.05O4. When cycled at 0.5 C, the optimal LiCu0.05Mn1.90Si0.05O4 sample exhibits an initial capacity of 127.3 mAh g−1 with excellent retention of 95.7% after 200 cycles. Moreover, when the cycling rate climbs to 10 C, the LiCu0.05Mn1.90Si0.05O4 sample exhibits 82.3 mAh g−1 with satisfactory cycling performance. In particular, when cycled at 55 °C, this co-doped sample can show an outstanding retention of 94.0% after 100 cycles, whiles the LiMn1.95Si0.05O4 only exhibits low retention of 79.1%. Such impressive performance shows that the addition of copper ions in the Si-doped spinel effectively remedy the shortcomings of the single Si-doping strategy and the Cu-Si co-doped spinel can show excellent cycling stability.

Description: Materials, Vol. 11, Pages 1297: A Straightforward Substitution Strategy to Tune BODIPY Dyes Spanning the Near-Infrared Region via Suzuki–Miyaura Cross-Coupling Materials doi: 10.3390/ma11081297 Authors: Guanglei Li Yu Otsuka Takuya Matsumiya Toshiyuki Suzuki Jianye Li Masashi Takahashi Koji Yamada In this study, a series of new red and near-infrared (NIR) dyes derived from 4,4-difluoro-4-bora-3a,4a-diaza-s-indacene (BODIPY) were developed by introducing thiophene and its derivatives to the 3- and 5- positions of the dichloroBODIPY core. For the first time, cyclictriol boronates and N-methyliminodiacetic acid (MIDA) boronate were used as organoboron species to couple with 3,5-dichloroBODIPY via the one-step Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling. Six kinds of thieno-expended BODIPY dyes were synthesized in acceptable yields ranging from 31% to 79%. All six dyes showed different absorption and emission wavelengths spanning a wide range (c.a. 600–850 nm) in the red and NIR regions with relatively high quantum yields (19–85%). Cellular imaging of 8-(2,6-dimethylphenyl)-re3,5-di(2-thienyl)-BODIPY (dye 1) was conducted using bovine cumulus cells, and the fluorescence microscopy images indicated that the chromophore efficiently accumulated and was exclusively localized in the cytoplasm, suggesting it could be utilized as a subcellular probe. All six dyes were characterized using 1H-NMR and mass spectrometry.

Description: IJERPH, Vol. 15, Pages 1597: Assessing Heat-Related Mortality Risks among Rural Populations: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Epidemiological Evidence International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph15081597 Authors: Emmanuel A. Odame Ying Li Shimin Zheng Ambarish Vaidyanathan Ken Silver Most epidemiological studies of high temperature effects on mortality have focused on urban settings, while heat-related health risks in rural areas remain underexplored. To date there has been no meta-analysis of epidemiologic literature concerning heat-related mortality in rural settings. This study aims to systematically review the current literature for assessing heat-related mortality risk among rural populations. We conducted a comprehensive literature search using PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar to identify articles published up to April 2018. Key selection criteria included study location, health endpoints, and study design. Fourteen studies conducted in rural areas in seven countries on four continents met the selection criteria, and eleven were included in the meta-analysis. Using the random effects model, the pooled estimates of relative risks (RRs) for all-cause and cardiovascular mortality were 1.030 (95% CI: 1.013, 1.048) and 1.111 (95% CI: 1.045, 1.181) per 1 °C increase in daily mean temperature, respectively. We found excess risks in rural settings not to be smaller than risks in urban settings. Our results suggest that rural populations, like urban populations, are also vulnerable to heat-related mortality. Further evaluation of heat-related mortality among rural populations is warranted to develop public health interventions in rural communities.

Description: IJERPH, Vol. 15, Pages 1595: Does SuperPark Make Children Less Sedentary? How Visiting a Commercial Indoor Activity Park Affects 7 to 12 Years Old Children’s Daily Sitting and Physical Activity Time International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph15081595 Authors: Arto J. Pesola Martti Melin Anssi Vanhala Ying Gao Taija Finni Commercial indoor activity parks provide children with a variety of entertaining physical activities. This study examined whether visiting SuperPark affects total daily sitting and physical activity time. The participants (8 girls and 7 boys, aged 10.3 ± 1.9 years, height 144.5 ± 11.8 cm, body mass index (BMI) 19.3 ± 3.0 kg/m2) wore a thigh-worn accelerometer during a normal week and were provided free tickets to visit SuperPark on at least one day. On average, the children spent 3.3 ± 1.2 h in SuperPark. During the visits the children had 0.9 h less sitting (0.7 ± 0.3 h, p = 0.000) and 0.9 h more moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA; 1.4 ± 0.6 h, p = 0.002) as compared to the reference periods on days without a SuperPark visit (1.6 ± 0.3 h sitting and 0.5 ± 0.4 h MVPA). During the days when visiting SuperPark, sitting time decreased 1.0 h (5.8 ± 0.9 h, p = 0.008) and MVPA increased 0.8 h (3.0 ± 1.0 h, p = 0.017) as compared to the reference days (6.8 ± 1.1 h sitting and 2.2 ± 0.8 h MVPA). The effects were more pronounced during weekdays than weekends. The children spent more than three hours in SuperPark on one visit, of which almost a half was MVPA. During the whole day, one hour of sitting was replaced with MVPA, suggesting that visiting SuperPark has the potential to improve health. Whether children continue visiting SuperPark and gain health benefits merits investigation.

Description: IJERPH, Vol. 15, Pages 1593: Modeling Land Use Changes and their Impacts on Non-Point Source Pollution in a Southeast China Coastal Watershed International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph15081593 Authors: Xin Zhang Lin Zhou Yuqi Liu Changes in landscape patterns in a river basin play a crucial role in the change on load of non-point source pollution. The spatial distribution of various land use types affects the transmission of non-point source pollutants on the basis of source-sink theory in landscape ecology. Jiulong River basin in southeast of China was selected as the study area in this paper. Aiming to analyze the correlation between changing landscape patterns and load of non-point source pollution in this area, traditional landscape metrics and the improved location-weighted landscape contrast index based on the minimum hydrological response unit (HRULCI) were applied in this study, in combination with remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS) technique. The results of the landscape metrics showed the enhanced fragmentation extent and the decreasing polymerization degree of the overall landscape in the watershed. High values of HRULCI were concentrated in cultivated land, while low HRULCI values mostly appeared in forestland, indicating that cultivated land substantially enhanced non-point source pollution, while forestland inhibited the pollution process.

Description: Water, Vol. 10, Pages 993: Understanding Fundamental Phenomena Affecting the Water Conservation Technology Adoption of Residential Consumers Using Agent-Based Modeling Water doi: 10.3390/w10080993 Authors: Kambiz Rasoulkhani Brianne Logasa Maria Presa Reyes Ali Mostafavi More than one billion people will face water scarcity within the next ten years due to climate change and unsustainable water usage, and this number is only expected to grow exponentially in the future. At current water use rates, supply-side demand management is no longer an effective way to combat water scarcity. Instead, many municipalities and water agencies are looking to demand-side solutions to prevent major water loss. While changing conservation behavior is one demand-based strategy, there is a growing movement toward the adoption of water conservation technology as a way to solve water resource depletion. Installing technology into one’s household requires additional costs and motivation, creating a gap between the overall potential households that could adopt this technology, and how many actually do. This study identified and modeled a variety of demographic and household characteristics, social network influence, and external factors such as water price and rebate policy to see their effect on residential water conservation technology adoption. Using Agent-based Modeling and data obtained from the City of Miami Beach, the coupled effects of these factors were evaluated to examine the effectiveness of different pathways towards the adoption of more water conservation technologies. The results showed that income growth and water pricing structure, more so than any of the demographic or building characteristics, impacted household adoption of water conservation technologies. The results also revealed that the effectiveness of rebate programs depends on conservation technology cost and the affluence of the community. Rebate allocation did influence expensive technology adoption, with the potential to increase the adoption rate by 50%. Additionally, social network connections were shown to have an impact on the rate of adoption independent of price strategy or rebate status. These findings will lead the way for municipalities and other water agencies to more strategically implement interventions to encourage household technology adoption based on the characteristics of their communities.

Description: Water, Vol. 10, Pages 994: Predicting Lake Eutrophication Responses to Multiple Scenarios of Lake Restoration: A Three-Dimensional Modeling Approach Water doi: 10.3390/w10080994 Authors: Yanping Wang Weiping Hu Zhaoliang Peng Ye Zeng Karsten Rinke To improve the water quality and alleviate the eutrophication of Lake Yangchenghu, the third largest freshwater body within the Lake Taihu basin in China and an important source of drinking water, nutrient reduction strategies should be urgently addressed by decision makers, since virtually no improvement of water quality has taken place since the mid-1990s. Due to the lack of sufficient observation data and simulation results, a vertically compressed three-dimensional numerical model, the EcoTaihu model, was used to study the impact of three restoration measures on the water quality—namely, total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP) and biomass of phytoplankton (BP)—of Lake Yangchenghu: (i) total nutrient reduction, (ii) intensification of flushing by water transfer, and (iii) spatial adjustment of inflow channels. In particular, the spatial effects of the three restoration measures on the water quality were investigated. The results showed that the EcoTaihu model is applicable to other shallow lakes in China. The water quality responses to the different restoration scenarios showed significant spatio-temporal differences. The reduction of nutrient loads from inflows appeared to be the most effective measure for controlling the eutrophication and algal blooms in Lake Yangchenghu. The effectiveness of water transfer on the improvement of water quality for TN and TP was more influenced by the differences of nutrient concentrations between the transferred water and lake water, rather than flow rate, since no proportionate increase of improvement was observable in the case of larger transferred rates (60 m3 s−1). The spatial narrowing of inflowing rivers in the southwestern lake could preferentially improve the water quality in the southern bay of the western lake, but would also result in a deterioration trend of water quality in the total lake and drinking water abstraction areas.

Description: IJERPH, Vol. 15, Pages 1605: An Analysis of Reported Dangerous Incidents, Exposures, and Near Misses amongst Army Soldiers International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph15081605 Authors: Ben Schram Robin Orr Timothy Rigby Rodney Pope Occupational health and safety incidents occurring in the military context are of great concern to personnel and commanders. Incidents such as “dangerous incidents”, “exposures”, and “near misses” (as distinct from injuries, illnesses, and fatalities) indicate serious health and safety risks faced by military personnel, even if they do not cause immediate harm. These risks may give rise to harm in the future, if not adequately addressed, and in some cases the incidents may cause latent harm. The purpose of this study was to ascertain the rates and patterns of incidents of these types reported by full time (ARA) and part time (ARES) Australian Army personnel. A retrospective cohort study was performed using self-reported incident data from the Workplace Health, Safety, Compensation and Reporting (WHSCAR) database over a two-year period. Data were analysed descriptively. Of 3791 such incidents, 3636 (96 percent) occurred in ARA and 155 (4 percent) in ARES personnel, somewhat consistent with the proportions of total army person-years served in each (ARA 93 percent; ARES 7 percent). In ARA, 84 percent of these incident types were exposures, 14 percent near misses, and 2 percent dangerous incidents. In ARES, 55 percent of incidents were exposures, 38 percent near misses, and 7 percent dangerous incidents. Soldiers at the rank of ‘private’ experienced the highest rates of these incident types, in both ARA and ARES. Driving gave rise to more near misses than any other activity, in both populations. Exposures to chemicals and sounds were more common in the ARA than ARES. The ARES reported higher proportions of vehicle near misses and multiple mechanism dangerous incidents than the ARA. The findings of this study can usefully inform development of risk mitigation strategies for dangerous incidents, exposures, and near misses in army personnel.

Description: IJERPH, Vol. 15, Pages 1604: Chronic Disease, Disability, Psychological Distress and Suicide Ideation among Rural Elderly: Results from a Population Survey in Shandong International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph15081604 Authors: Jing Zhu Lingzhong Xu Long Sun Jiajia Li Wenzhe Qin Gan Ding Qian Wang Jiao Zhang Su Xie Zihang Yu Objective: Suicide is a major public health and social problem in contemporary societies. Previous studies showed that the older the seniors were, the more likely it was that they would experience disability, chronic disease, or both. The objective of this study was to examine the joint effects of chronic disease and physical disability on suicide ideation while controlling for psychological distress among the rural elderly living in Shandong Province, China. Method: A total of 5514 rural elderly individuals (60+) living in Shandong Province, China were included in this study. Suicidal ideation was assessed by using questions from the National Comorbidity Survey (NCS). Multiple logistic analyses were performed to examine the factors associated with suicide ideation. A path analysis was conducted to test the direct and indirect effects of chronic disease and of activity of daily living (ADL) limitation on suicide ideation while controlling for psychological distress. Results: The prevalence of suicide ideation among the rural elderly in Shandong, China was 11.0%. Psychological distress had the strongest direct (β = 0.392) and total effect (β = 0.392), chronic disease (β = −0.034; β = −0.063) had both direct and indirect impacts, and ADL (β = 0.091) had indirect impacts on suicide ideation. Psychological distress was a mediator between chronic disease, ADL limitation, and suicide ideation. Conclusions: Psychological distress was the greatest influencing factor of suicide ideation among the rural elderly, followed by chronic disease and disability. Effective intervention measures should be taken to facilitate the early detection of psychological distress in clinical practice among the rural elderly.

Description: IJERPH, Vol. 15, Pages 1601: Risk of Appendicitis among Children with Different Piped Water Supply: A Nationwide Population-Based Study International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph15081601 Authors: Hao-Ming Li Shi-Zuo Liu Ying-Kai Huang Yuan-Chih Su Chia-Hung Kao Appendicitis is a common surgical condition for children. However, environmental effects, such as piped water supply, on pediatric appendicitis risk remain unclear. This longitudinal, nationwide, cohort study aimed to compare the risk of appendicitis among children with different levels of piped water supply. Using data from Taiwan Water Resource Agency and National Health Insurance Research Database, we identified 119,128 children born in 1996–2010 from areas of the lowest piped water supply (prevalence 51.21% to 63.06%) as the study cohort; additional 119,128 children of the same period in areas of the highest piped water supply (prevalence 98.97% to 99.63%) were selected as the controls. Both cohorts were propensity-score matched by baseline variables. We calculated the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of appendicitis in the study cohort compared to the controls by Cox proportional hazards regression. The study cohort had a raised overall incidence rates of appendicitis compared to the control cohort (12.8 vs. 8.7 per 10,000 person-years). After covariate adjustment, the risk of appendicitis was significantly increased in the study cohort (adjusted HR = 1.46, 95% CI: 1.35, 1.58, p < 0.001). Subgroup and sensitivity analyses showed consistent results that children with low piped water supply had a higher risk of appendicitis than those with high piped water supply. This study demonstrated that children with low piped water supply were at an increased risk of appendicitis. Enhancement of piped water availability in areas lacking adequate, secure, and sanitized water supply may protect children against appendicitis.

Description: IJERPH, Vol. 15, Pages 1600: Alternative Risk Assessment for Dangerous Chemicals in South Korea Regulation: Comparing Three Modeling Programs International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph15081600 Authors: Hyo Eun Lee Jong-Ryeul Sohn Sang-Hoon Byeon Seok J. Yoon Kyong Whan Moon Unlike other countries, the Korean chemical industry does not clearly distinguish between industrial sites and residential areas. The 2012 Gumi Hydrogen Fluoride Accident revealed that chemical accidents could cause damage to nearby residents. Accordingly, the Chemicals Control Act was enacted in 2015, which requested industrial sites using chemicals to perform a risk assessment for all chemical facilities and to distribute the results to the local residents and governments. Industrial businesses had the responsibility of warning the local residents. In this study, two programs (Areal Location of Hazardous Atmospheres (ALOHA), Process Hazard Analysis Software Tool (PHAST)) were compared with Korea Off-site Risk Assessment Supporting Tool (KORA), which is the current representative risk assessment program used in Korea Chemicals Control Act. The five chemical substances (nitric acid, hydrogen chloride, ammonia, sulfuric acid, and formaldehyde) most commonly involved in chemical accidents were selected. The range of influence of ERPG-2 (Emergency Response Planning Guideline) on chemical accidents was modeled and the results compared. ALOHA was found to be the most suitable program for the determination of toxicity for nitrate acid and ammonia, KORA for hydrogen chloride and sulfuric acid, and PHAST for formaldehyde. To maximize the safety of many local residents and to prepare for chemical accidents, risk assessments should be conducted using a variety of risk assessment programs, and the worst-case damage radius should be determined.

Description: Materials, Vol. 11, Pages 1308: Observation of Morphology Changes of Fine Eutectic Si Phase in Al-10%Si Cast Alloy during Heat Treatment by Synchrotron Radiation Nanotomography Materials doi: 10.3390/ma11081308 Authors: Shougo Furuta Masakazu Kobayashi Kentaro Uesugi Akihisa Takeuchi Tomoya Aoba Hiromi Miura A series of three-dimensional morphology changes of fine eutectic Si-particles during heat treatment have been investigated in Self-modified and Sr-modified Al-10%Si cast alloys by means of synchrotron radiation nanotomography utilizing a Fresnel zone plate and a Zernike phase plate in this study. The coral-like shape particles observed in Sr-modified cast alloy fragmented at branch and neck during heat treatment at 773 K. The fragmentation occurred up to 900 s. After that, the fragmented particles grew and spheroidized by Ostwald ripening. On the other hand, rod-like shaped eutectic Si-particles observed in self-modified cast alloy were larger in size compared with the particle size in Sr-modified cast alloy. Separation of eutectic Si-particles in Self-modified cast alloy occurred up to approximately 900 s, which was similar tendency to that in Sr-modified cast alloy. However, it was found that the morphology change behavior was very complex in rod-like shape Si-particles. The three-dimensional morphology changes of fine eutectic Si-particles in both cast alloys, specifically fragmentation and spheroidizing, can be connected to changes in mechanical properties.

Description: Materials, Vol. 11, Pages 1306: Pattern-Dependent Mammalian Cell (Vero) Morphology on Tantalum/Silicon Oxide 3D Nanocomposites Materials doi: 10.3390/ma11081306 Authors: Hassan I. Moussa Megan Logan Wing Y. Chan Kingsley Wong Zheng Rao Marc G. Aucoin Ting Y. Tsui The primary goal of this work was to investigate the resulting morphology of a mammalian cell deposited on three-dimensional nanocomposites constructed of tantalum and silicon oxide. Vero cells were used as a model. The nanocomposite materials contained comb structures with equal-width trenches and lines. High-resolution scanning electron microscopy and fluorescence microscopy were used to image the alignment and elongation of cells. Cells were sensitive to the trench widths, and their observed behavior could be separated into three different regimes corresponding to different spreading mechanism. Cells on fine structures (trench widths of 0.21 to 0.5 μm) formed bridges across trench openings. On larger trenches (from 1 to 10 μm), cells formed a conformal layer matching the surface topographical features. When the trenches were larger than 10 μm, the majority of cells spread like those on blanket tantalum films; however, a significant proportion adhered to the trench sidewalls or bottom corner junctions. Pseudopodia extending from the bulk of the cell were readily observed in this work and a minimum effective diameter of ~50 nm was determined for stable adhesion to a tantalum surface. This sized structure is consistent with the ability of pseudopodia to accommodate ~4–6 integrin molecules.

Description: Materials, Vol. 11, Pages 1307: In Situ DRIFTS Studies of NH3-SCR Mechanism over V2O5-CeO2/TiO2-ZrO2 Catalysts for Selective Catalytic Reduction of NOx Materials doi: 10.3390/ma11081307 Authors: Yaping Zhang Xiupeng Yue Tianjiao Huang Kai Shen Bin Lu TiO2-ZrO2 (Ti-Zr) carrier was prepared by a co-precipitation method and 1 wt. % V2O5 and 0.2 CeO2 (the Mole ratio of Ce to Ti-Zr) was impregnated to obtain the V2O5-CeO2/TiO2-ZrO2 catalyst for the selective catalytic reduction of NOx by NH3. The transient activity tests and the in situ DRIFTS (diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy) analyses were employed to explore the NH3-SCR (selective catalytic reduction) mechanism systematically, and by designing various conditions of single or mixing feeding gas and pre-treatment ways, a possible pathway of NOx reduction was proposed. It was found that NH3 exhibited a competitive advantage over NO in its adsorption on the catalyst surface, and could form an active intermediate substance of -NH2. More acid sites and intermediate reaction species (-NH2), at lower temperatures, significantly promoted the SCR activity of the V2O5-0.2CeO2/TiO2-ZrO2 catalyst. The presence of O2 could promote the conversion of NO to NO2, while NO2 was easier to reduce. The co-existence of NH3 and O2 resulted in the NH3 adsorption strength being lower, as compared to tests without O2, since O2 could occupy a part of the active site. Due to CeO2’s excellent oxygen storage-release capacity, NH3 adsorption was weakened, in comparison to the 1 wt. % V2O5-0.2CeO2/TiO2-ZrO2 catalyst. If NOx were to be pre-adsorbed in the catalyst, the formation of nitrate and nitro species would be difficult to desorb, which would greatly hinder the SCR reaction. All the findings concluded that NH3-SCR worked mainly through the Eley-Rideal (E-R) mechanism.

Description: IJERPH, Vol. 15, Pages 1611: Immunohistochemical Evaluation of Peri-Implant Soft Tissues around Machined and Direct Metal Laser Sintered (DMLS) Healing Abutments in Humans International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph15081611 Authors: Carlo Mangano Francesco Guido Mangano Jamil Awad Shibli Leandro Amadeu Roth Gianmaria d’ Addazio Adriano Piattelli Giovanna Iezzi Background: Direct metal laser Sintering (DMLS) is an additive manufacturing technique that allows fabrication of dental implants and related components with a highly porous surface. To date, no human studies have investigated the soft tissue adhesion and presence of inflammatory infiltrate with porous DMLS healing abutments (HAs), nor have they compared these with the classic machined ones. Purpose: To evaluate the degree of cell adhesion (integrin expression) and the quantity/quality of inflammatory infiltrate, on HAs with different surfaces; full DMLS, full machined, and hybrid (half DMLS and half machined). Methods: Fifty implant patients were randomly assigned to receive one of these different Has: T1, full DMLS (11 subjects); T2, machined in the upper portion and DMLS in the lower one (10 subjects); T3, DMLS in the upper portion and machined in the lower one (19 subjects); T4, full machined (10 patients). Thirty days after placement, circular sections of soft tissues around HAs were retrieved for immunohistochemical evaluation. Results: With regard to the adhesion molecules, the samples showed different intensity of integrin expression, with a statistically significant difference (p < 0.001) between T1 and the other groups. All the samples were positive for the different clusters related to the inflammatory infiltrate (T lymphocytes, CD3; B lymphocytes, CD20; and macrophages, CD68), but a lower infiltrate was found in T1, with statistically significant differences (p < 0.001) among the groups. Conclusions: The HA surface seems to influence the degree of cell adhesion and the inflammatory infiltrate of the surrounding soft tissues.

Description: IJERPH, Vol. 15, Pages 1614: Effects of Bisphenol A and 4-tert-Octylphenol on Embryo Implantation Failure in Mouse International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph15081614 Authors: Dinh Nam Tran Eui-Man Jung Changhwan Ahn Jae-Hwan Lee Yeong-Min Yoo Eui-Bae Jeung Miscarriage due to blastocyst implantation failure occurs in up to two-thirds of all human miscarriage cases. Calcium ion has been shown to be involved in many cellular signal transduction pathways as well as in the regulation of cell adhesion, which is necessary for the embryo implantation process. Exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDs) during early gestation results in disruption of intrauterine implantation and uterine reception, leading to implantation failure. In this study, ovarian estrogen (E2), bisphenol A (BPA), or 4-tert-octylphenol (OP), with or without ICI 182,780 (ICI) were injected subcutaneously from gestation day 1 to gestation day 3 post-coitus. The expression levels of the calcium transport genes were assessed in maternal uteri and implantation sites. The number of implantation sites was significantly low in the OP group, and implantation sites were absent in the E2, ICI and EDs + ICI groups. There were different calcium transient transport channel expression levels in uterus and implantation site samples. The levels of TRPV5 and TRPV6 gene expression were significantly increased by EDs with/without ICI treatment in utero. Meanwhile, TRPV5 and TRPV6 gene expression were significantly lower in implantation sites samples. NCX1 and PMCA1 mRNA levels were significantly decreased by OP and BPA in the implantation site samples. Compared to vehicle treatment in the uterus, both the MUC1 mRNA and protein levels were markedly high in all but the BPA group. Taken together, these results suggest that both BPA and OP can impair embryo implantation through alteration of calcium transport gene expressions and by affecting uterine receptivity.

Description: IJERPH, Vol. 15, Pages 1609: A Comparison of Dependence across Different Types of Nicotine Containing Products and Coffee International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph15081609 Authors: Karl Fagerstrom Introduction: Few studies have compared the dependence to different tobacco and nicotine products. Even less is known about how it relates to dependence on other common drugs, e.g., caffeine. In this study degree of dependence was compared between snus, cigarettes, nicotine replacement (NR), electronic cigarettes and coffee. Methods: A random sample of Swedish citizens belonging to an internet panel were contacted from September to October 2017. The responders were asked among other related things about their use of snus, NR, traditional cigarette or e-cigarette use and coffee consumption. The indicators of dependence used were: (A) the Heavy Smoking Index, (B) The proportions that used within 30 min after raising in the morning, (C) rating the first use in the morning as the most important and (D) Stating that it would be very hard to give up entirely. Results: Significantly fewer coffee drinkers started use within 30 min of awakening compared with all other products. The first use of the day was found to be more important for snus users compared with other products. On HSI there was no difference between snus and cigarettes. Snus and cigarettes were rated as being more difficult to give up than NR and coffee. Conclusion: Dependence to traditional cigarettes and snus seem to be relatively similar while NR was rated lower and coffee lowest. Since the prevalence of caffeine use in all forms is so much more prevalent than nicotine there might be more persons in the society heavily dependent on caffeine. Implication: Tobacco products are likely more dependence forming than NR products and coffee although there might be more people dependent on caffeine. The addiction to coffee or caffeine is seldom discussed in the society probably because of the little or no harm it causes. Funding: The Snus Commission in Sweden (snuskommissionen) funded the data collection. No funding used for the analysis and writing of manuscript.

Description: IJERPH, Vol. 15, Pages 1613: Sexual Violence against Women in Germany: Prevalence and Risk Markers International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph15081613 Authors: Deborah F. Hellmann Max W. Kinninger Sören Kliem Previous research has repeatedly shown that gender-based violence affects a considerable proportion of women in any given population. Apart from providing current estimates of the prevalence of sexual violence against women in Germany, we identified specific risk markers applying an advanced statistical method. We analyzed data from a survey of N = 4450 women representative of the German population, conducted by the Criminological Research Institute of Lower Saxony in 2011. Lifetime prevalence for experiencing sexual violence was 5.4% for women aged 21−40 years (five-year prevalence: 2.5%). Non-parametric conditional inference tree (C-Tree) analyses revealed that physical and sexual abuse during childhood as well as being divorced, separated, or widowed was the most informative constellation of risk markers, increasing the five-year prevalence rate of experienced sexual violence victimizations up to 17.0%. Furthermore, knowing about the official penalization of marital rape was related to a lower victimization risk for women without a history of parental violence. Possible explanations for these findings as well as implications for future research are critically discussed.

Description: IJERPH, Vol. 15, Pages 1612: Legionellosis Associated with Recreational Waters: A Systematic Review of Cases and Outbreaks in Swimming Pools, Spa Pools, and Similar Environments International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph15081612 Authors: Erica Leoni Federica Catalani Sofia Marini Laura Dallolio Legionella spp. is widespread in many natural and artificial water systems, such as hot water distribution networks, cooling towers, and spas. A particular risk factor has been identified in the use of whirlpools and hot tubs in spa facilities and public baths. However, there has been no systematic synthesis of the published literature reporting legionellosis cases or outbreaks related to swimming/spa pools or similar environments used for recreational purposes (hot springs, hot tubs, whirlpools, natural spas). This study presents the results of a systematic review of the literature on cases and outbreaks associated with these environments. Data were extracted from 47 articles, including 42 events (17 sporadic cases and 25 outbreaks) and 1079 cases, 57.5% of which were diagnosed as Pontiac fever, without any deaths, and 42.5% were of Legionnaires’ disease, with a fatality rate of 6.3%. The results are presented in relation to the distribution of Legionella species involved in the events, clinical manifestations and diagnosis, predisposing conditions in the patients, favourable environmental factors, and quality of the epidemiological investigation, as well as in relation to the different types of recreational water sources involved. Based on the epidemiological and microbiological criteria, the strength of evidence linking a case/outbreak of legionellosis with a recreational water system was classified as strong, probable, and possible; in more than half of the events the resulting association was strong.

Description: Water, Vol. 10, Pages 1008: Inherent Relationship between Flow Duration Curves at Different Time Scales: A Perspective on Monthly Flow Data Utilization in Daily Flow Duration Curve Estimation Water doi: 10.3390/w10081008 Authors: Lei Ye Wei Ding Xiaofan Zeng Zhuohang Xin Jian Wu Chi Zhang Modelling flow duration curves (FDCs) has long been a topic of interest since it is widely used in various hydrological applications. Most studies related to the estimation of FDCs in ungauged or partial gauged basins focus primarily on using climate and catchment characteristics to regionalize FDC at some single time scale. However, the relationship of FDCs at various time scales are rarely analyzed or studied. Here, we propose two methods, which are Modelled FDC Parameter comparison (M-FDC-P) and Empirical FDC Ratio comparison (E-FDC-R), to study the quantitative relationship between daily and monthly FDCs. One method M-FDC-P, selects a Kappa (KAP) distribution to represent the characteristics of the FDCs and then analyzes the relationship between KAP parameters of modelled FDCs at different time scales. Results indicate that three out of four parameters have strong correlations between FDCs at daily and monthly time scales. The other method, E-FDC-R, compares the quantitative relationship between daily and monthly empirical FDCs with given exceedance probabilities. The Power function is used for fitting the ratio-exceedance probability curves. In addition, the simulated daily FDC derived from monthly FDC can be very consistent with the observed daily flow records when the two parameters of power function are quantified precisely. These results clearly indicate that there are strong connections between daily and monthly FDCs, and monthly FDC can provide valuable information for daily FDC estimation. Since flow records at a large time scale are easier to obtain, daily FDC could be derived from monthly FDC by considering the inherent relationships between FDCs at different time scales, which is not sufficiently realized in previous studies.

Description: Water, Vol. 10, Pages 1006: Validation of TRMM 3B42V7 Rainfall Product under Complex Topographic and Climatic Conditions over Hexi Region in the Northwest Arid Region of China Water doi: 10.3390/w10081006 Authors: Xiuna Wang Yongjian Ding Chuancheng Zhao Jian Wang Continuous and accurate spatiotemporal precipitation data plays an important role in regional climate and hydrology research, particularly in the arid inland regions where rain gauges are sparse and unevenly distributed. The main objective of this study is to evaluate and bias-correct the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) 3B42V7 rainfall product under complex topographic and climatic conditions over the Hexi region in the northwest arid region of China with the reference of rain gauge observation data during 2009–2015. A series of statistical indicators were adopted to quantitatively evaluate the error of 3B42V7 and its ability in detecting precipitation events. Overall, the 3B42V7 overestimates the precipitation with Bias of 11.16%, and its performance generally becomes better with the increasing of time scale. The agreements between the rain gauge data and 3B42V7 are very low in cold season, and moderate in warm season. The 3B42V7 shows better correlation with rain gauges located in the southern mountainous and central oasis areas than in the northern extreme arid regions, and is more likely to underestimate the precipitation in high-altitude mountainous areas and overestimate the precipitation in low-elevation regions. The distribution of the error on the daily scale is more related to the elevation and rainfall than in monthly and annual scale. The 3B42V7 significantly overestimates the precipitation events, and the overestimation mainly focuses on tiny amounts of rainfall (0–1 mm/d), which is also the range of false alarm concentration. Bias correction for 3B42V7 was carried out based on the deviation of the average monthly precipitation data during 2009–2015. The bias-corrected 3B42V7 was significantly improved compared with the original product. Results suggest that regional assessment and bias correction of 3B42V7 rainfall product are of vital importance and will provide substantive reference for regional hydrological studies.

Description: Materials, Vol. 11, Pages 1284: Microstructures and Compressive Properties of Al Matrix Composites Reinforced with Bimodal Hybrid In-Situ Nano-/Micro-Sized TiC Particles Materials doi: 10.3390/ma11081284 Authors: Feng Qiu Hao-Tian Tong Yu-Yang Gao Qian Zou Bai-Xin Dong Qiang Li Jian-Ge Chu Fang Chang Shi-Li Shu Qi-Chuan Jiang Bimodal hybrid in-situ nano-/micro-size TiC/Al composites were prepared with combustion synthesis of Al-Ti-C system and hot press consolidation. Attempt was made to obtain in-situ bimodal-size TiC particle reinforced dense Al matrix composites by using different carbon sources in the reaction process of hot pressing forming. Microstructure showed that the obtained composites exhibited reasonable bimodal-sized TiC distribution in the matrix and low porosity. With the increasing of the carbon nano tube (CNT) content from 0 to 100 wt. %, the average size of the TiC particles decreases and the compressive strength of the composite increase; while the fracture strain increases first and then decreases. The compressive properties of the bimodal-sized TiC/Al composites, especially the bimodal-sized composite synthesized by Al-Ti-C with 50 wt. % CNTs as carbon source, were improved compared with the composites reinforced with single sized TiC. The strengthening mechanism of the in-situ bimodal-sized particle reinforced aluminum matrix composites was revealed.

Description: Materials, Vol. 11, Pages 1283: Biocompatible and Implantable Optical Fibers and Waveguides for Biomedicine Materials doi: 10.3390/ma11081283 Authors: Roya Nazempour Qianyi Zhang Ruxing Fu Xing Sheng Optical fibers and waveguides in general effectively control and modulate light propagation, and these tools have been extensively used in communication, lighting and sensing. Recently, they have received increasing attention in biomedical applications. By delivering light into deep tissue via these devices, novel applications including biological sensing, stimulation and therapy can be realized. Therefore, implantable fibers and waveguides in biocompatible formats with versatile functionalities are highly desirable. In this review, we provide an overview of recent progress in the exploration of advanced optical fibers and waveguides for biomedical applications. Specifically, we highlight novel materials design and fabrication strategies to form implantable fibers and waveguides. Furthermore, their applications in various biomedical fields such as light therapy, optogenetics, fluorescence sensing and imaging are discussed. We believe that these newly developed fiber and waveguide based devices play a crucial role in advanced optical biointerfaces.

Description: Materials, Vol. 11, Pages 1282: Development of a Novel in Silico Model to Investigate the Influence of Radial Clearance on the Acetabular Cup Contact Pressure in Hip Implants Materials doi: 10.3390/ma11081282 Authors: Saverio Affatato Massimiliano Merola Alessandro Ruggiero A hip joint replacement is considered one of the most successful orthopedic surgical procedures although it involves challenges that must be overcome. The patient group undergoing total hip arthroplasty now includes younger and more active patients who require a broad range of motion and a longer service lifetime of the implant. The current replacement joint results are not fully satisfactory for these patients’ demands. As particle release is one of the main issues, pre-clinical experimental wear testing of total hip replacement components is an invaluable tool for evaluating new implant designs and materials. The aim of the study was to investigate the cup tensional state by varying the clearance between head and cup. For doing this we use a novel hard-on-soft finite element model with kinematic and dynamic conditions calculated from a musculoskeletal multibody model during the gait. Four different usual radial clearances were considered, ranging from 0 to 0.5 mm. The results showed that radial clearance plays a key role in acetabular cup stress-strain during the gait, showing from the 0 value to the highest, 0.5, a difference of 44% and 35% in terms of maximum pressure and deformation, respectively. Moreover, the presented model could be usefully exploited for complete elastohydrodynamic synovial lubrication modelling of the joint, with the aim of moving towards an increasingly realistic total hip arthroplasty in silico wear assessment accounting for differences in radial clearances.

Description: Materials, Vol. 11, Pages 1277: Filtration of Sub-3.3 nm Tungsten Oxide Particles Using Nanofibrous Filters Materials doi: 10.3390/ma11081277 Authors: Raheleh Givehchi Qinghai Li Zhongchao Tan This work aims to understand the effects of particle concentration on the filtration of nanoparticles using nanofibrous filters. The filtration efficiencies of triple modal tungsten oxide (WOx) nanoparticles were experimentally determined at three different concentrations for the size range of 0.82–3.3 nm in diameter. All tests were conducted using polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) nano-fibrous filters at an air relative humidity of 2.9%. Results showed that the filtration efficiencies of sub-3.3 nm nanoparticles depended on the upstream particle concentration. The lower the particle concentration was, the higher the filtration efficiency was.

Description: Materials, Vol. 11, Pages 1280: Porous Silk Fibroin Microspheres Sustainably Releasing Bioactive Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor Materials doi: 10.3390/ma11081280 Authors: Jing Qu Lu Wang Longxing Niu Jiaming Lin Qian Huang Xuefeng Jiang Mingzhong Li Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) plays a significant role in stimulating cell proliferation. It remains a challenge in the field of biomaterials to develop a carrier with the capacity of continuously releasing bioactive bFGF. In this study, porous bFGF-loaded silk fibroin (SF) microspheres, with inside-out channels, were fabricated by high-voltage electrostatic differentiation, and followed by lyophilization. The embedded bFGF exhibited a slow release mode for over 13 days without suffering burst release. SEM observations showed that incubated L929 cells could fully spread and produce collagen-like fibrous matrix on the surface of SF microspheres. CLSM observations and the results of cell viability assay indicated that bFGF-loaded microspheres could significantly promote cell proliferation during five to nine days of culture, compared to bFGF-unloaded microspheres. This reveals that the bFGF released from SF microspheres retained obvious bioactivity to stimulate cell growth. Such microspheres sustainably releasing bioactive bFGF might be applied to massive cell culture and tissue engineering as a matrix directly, or after being combined with three-dimensional scaffolds.

Description: Materials, Vol. 11, Pages 1332: Biocompatible/Biodegradable Electrowetting on Dielectric Microfluidic Chips with Fluorinated CTA/PLGA Materials doi: 10.3390/ma11081332 Authors: Kaidi Zhang Lei Chao Jia Zhou One of the major hurdles in the development of biocompatible/biodegradable EWOD (Electrowetting-on-dielectric) devices is the biocompatibility of the dielectric and hydrophobic layers. In this study, we address this problem by using reactive ion etching (RIE) to prepare a super-hydrophobic film combining fluorinated cellulose triacetate (CTA) and poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA). The contact angle (CA) of water droplets on the proposed material is about 160°. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) characterizations indicate that a slight increase in the surface roughness and the formation of CFx (C-F or CF2) bonds are responsible for the super-hydrophobic nature of the film. Alternating Current (AC) static electrowetting and droplet transportation experiments evidence that contact angle hysteresis and contact line pinning are greatly reduced by impregnating the CTA/PLGA film with silicon oil. Therefore, this improved film could provide a biocompatible alternative to the typical Teflon® or Cytop® films as a dielectric and hydrophobic layer.

Description: IJERPH, Vol. 15, Pages 1639: Sexual Function of Postmenopausal Women Addicted to Alcohol International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph15081639 Authors: Anna Jenczura Mariola Czajkowska Agnieszka Skrzypulec-Frankel Violetta Skrzypulec-Plinta Agnieszka Drosdzol-Cop Introduction: Alcoholism impairs female sexual functions (decreased sex drive, reduced vaginal fluid, difficulty to experience orgasm). Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the course of perimenopausal period and sexual life of female alcoholics. Methods: 97 women at the age of 40–60 years were qualified with a diagnosed history of alcoholism (studied group). For the control group, 92 women at the age of 40–60 without a history of alcoholism were qualified. Questionnaires assessing female sexual function (Female Sexual Function Index—FSFI), the severity of perimenopausal symptoms (Menopause Rating Scale—MRS) and the degree of alcohol addiction (Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test—MAST) were obtained from each participant. Main outcome measures: To assess the sexual function of perimenopausal women addicted to alcohol. Results: The studied and control groups were significantly different (p = 0.00) in terms of severity of menopausal symptoms (MRS). The research showed lower quality of sexual life (FSFI) of women from the studied group. Conclusions: Population of women with diagnosed alcohol dependence enter the menopausal stage at the similar age as the population of female non-drinkers. The time of alcohol abuse is an important factor having an impact on both the course of menopause and the dynamics of the perimenopause period, leading to symptom escalation. The population of female alcoholics shows a decrease in sexual activity and the prevalence of sexual disorders.

Description: IJERPH, Vol. 15, Pages 1634: Changing the Approach to Anticoagulant Therapy in Older Patients with Multimorbidity Using a Precision Medicine Approach International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph15081634 Authors: Angela Koverech Valeriano Soldati Vittoria Polidori Leda Marina Pomes Luana Lionetto Matilde Capi Andrea Negro Maurizio Simmaco Paolo Martelletti The ageing of the world population has resulted in an increase in the number of older patients with multimorbid conditions receiving multiple therapies. This emerging clinical scenario poses new challenges, which are mostly related to the increased incidence of adverse effects. This translates into poor clinical care, reduced cost-effectiveness of drug therapies, and social isolation of multimorbid patients due to reduced autonomy. A strategy to address these emerging challenges could involve the personalization of therapies based on the clinical, molecular, and genetic characterization of multimorbid patients. Anticoagulation therapy is a feasible model to implement personalized medicine since it generally involves older multimorbid patients receiving multiple drugs. In this study, in patients with atrial fibrillation, the use of the new generation of anticoagulation therapy, i.e., direct oral anti-coagulants (DOACs), is based on a preliminary assessment of the molecular targets of DOACS and any possible drug–drug interactions. Then, the genetic polymorphism of enzymes metabolizing DOACs is studied. After DOAC prescription, its circulating levels are measured. Clinical data are being collected to assess whether this personalized approach improves the safety and efficacy profiles of anticoagulation therapy using DOACs, thereby reducing the costs of healthcare for ageing multimorbid patients.

Description: Materials, Vol. 11, Pages 1336: Fatigue Crack Growth Behavior of the MIG Welded Joint of 06Cr19Ni10 Stainless Steel Materials doi: 10.3390/ma11081336 Authors: Lanqing Tang Caifu Qian Ayhan Ince Jing Zheng Huifang Li Zhichao Han In this paper, the fatigue crack growth behavior of the base metal (BM), the weld metal (WM) and the heat-affected zone (HAZ) in the metal-inert gas (MIG) welded joints of the 06Cr19Ni10 stainless steel are analyzed and studied. Results of the fatigue crack propagation tests show that a new fatigue crack initiates at the crack tip of a pre-existing crack, then propagates perpendicular to the direction of cyclic fatigue loads. This observation indicates that the original mixed-mode crack transforms into the mode I crack. The WM specimen has the largest fatigue crack growth rate, followed by the HAZ specimen and the BM specimen. To illustrate the differences in fatigue crack growth behavior of the three different types of specimens, metallographic structure, fracture morphology and residual stresses of the BM, HAZ and WM are investigated and discussed. The metallographic observations indicate that the mean grain size of the HAZ is relatively larger than that of the BM. The fractographic analysis shows that the WM has the largest fatigue striation width, followed by the HAZ and the BM. It is also found that the depth of dimple in the WM is relatively shallower than the one in the HAZ and BM, implying the poor plasticity behavior of the material. Analysis results of the residual stress analysis demonstrate a high level of tensile residual stress appearance in the WM and HAZ.

Description: Materials, Vol. 11, Pages 1337: Variations of the Elastic Properties of the CoCrFeMnNi High Entropy Alloy Deformed by Groove Cold Rolling Materials doi: 10.3390/ma11081337 Authors: Paul Lohmuller Laurent Peltier Alain Hazotte Julien Zollinger Pascal Laheurte Eric Fleury The variations of the mechanical properties of the CoCrFeMnNi high entropy alloy (HEA) during groove cold rolling process were investigated with the aim of understanding their correlation relationships with the crystallographic texture. Our study revealed divergences in the variations of the microhardness and yield strength measured from samples deformed by groove cold rolling and conventional cold rolling processes. The crystallographic texture analyzed by electron back scattered diffraction (EBSD) revealed a hybrid texture between those obtained by conventional rolling and drawing processes. Though the groove cold rolling process induced a marked strengthening effect in the CoCrFeMnNi HEA, the mechanical properties were also characterized by an unusual decrease of the Young’s modulus as the applied groove cold rolled deformation increased up to about 0.5 before reaching a stabilized value. This decrease of the Young’s modulus was attributed to the increased density of mobile dislocations induced by work hardening during groove cold rolling processing.

Description: Water, Vol. 10, Pages 1025: Monitoring the Chloride Concentration in International Scheldt River Basin District Water Using a Low-Cost Multifunction Data Acquisition Board Water doi: 10.3390/w10081025 Authors: Wanda J. Guedens Monique Reynders Koen Van Vinckenroye Jan Yperman Robert Carleer In analytical chemistry laboratories, to gather in the shortest time as many data as possible with the utmost accuracy and precision, high throughput automated setups are indispensable. In the present study, to determine the chloride concentration in the international Scheldt river basin district, experiments are carried out utilizing a thermostatically controlled semi-automated setup. A novel ICT-based method is developed using a low-cost multifunction Data Acquisition Board (DAQ) controlled by a homebuilt LabVIEW™ program. Specifically, this approach enables a correlation between different parameters i.e., droplet volume, temperature, A/D voltage conversions. Here, processing experimental data of a potentiometric precipitation titration utilizing a silver nitrate standard solution as titrant in a manual burette equipped with a controllable electronic valve allows for a preliminary indication of the titration end point via the Virtual Instrument (VI) numerical first derivative tool in the LabVIEW software. The LabVIEW tool is compared with the well-known Gran method implemented in the LabVIEW program, emphasizing an accurate performance of the setup to determine the chloride concentration in fresh river water. We are confident that our findings are evidence of the versatile and powerful features of the LabVIEW controlled DAQ in the analytical chemistry laboratory.

Description: IJERPH, Vol. 15, Pages 1648: Transcriptomic Profiles in Zebrafish Liver Permit the Discrimination of Surface Water with Pollution Gradient and Different Discharges International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph15081648 Authors: Zhou Zhang Wei Liu Yuanyuan Qu Xie Quan Ping Zeng Mengchang He Yanmei Zhou Ruixia Liu The present study aims to evaluate the potential of transcriptomic profiles in evaluating the impacts of complex mixtures of pollutants at environmentally relevant concentrations on aquatic vertebrates. The changes in gene expression were determined using microarray in the liver of male zebrafish (Danio rerio) exposed to surface water collected from selected locations on the Hun River, China. The numbers of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in each treatment ranged from 728 to 3292, which were positively correlated with chemical oxygen demand (COD). Predominant transcriptomic responses included peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPAR) signaling and steroid biosynthesis. Key pathways in immune system were also affected. Notably, two human diseases related pathways, insulin resistance and Salmonella infection were enriched. Clustering analysis and principle component analysis with DEGs differentiated the upstream and downstream site of Shenyang City, and the mainstream and the tributary sites near the junction. Comparison the gene expression profiles of zebrafish exposed to river surface water with those to individual chemicals found higher similarity of the river water with estradiol than several other organic pollutants and metals. Results suggested that the transcriptomic profiles of zebrafish is promising in differentiating surface water with pollution gradient and different discharges and in providing valuable information to support discharge management.

Description: IJERPH, Vol. 15, Pages 1650: Pesticides Are an Occupational and Public Health Issue International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph15081650 Authors: Hans-Peter Hutter Hanns Moshammer n/a

Description: IJERPH, Vol. 15, Pages 1641: Cytotoxic and Genotoxic Effects of Pesticide Exposure in Male Coffee Farmworkers of the Jarabacoa Region, Dominican Republic International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph15081641 Authors: Hans-Peter Hutter Abdul Wali Khan Kathrin Lemmerer Peter Wallner Michael Kundi Hanns Moshammer Intensive agrochemical use in coffee production in the Global South has been documented. The aim of this study was to investigate cytotoxic and genotoxic effects of pesticide exposure in male farmworkers in the Dominican Republic comparing conventional farming using pesticides to organic farming. Furthermore, feasibility of the buccal micronucleus cytome assay (BMCA) for field studies under difficult local conditions was tested. In a cross-sectional field study, pesticide exposed (sprayers) and non-exposed male workers on coffee plantations were interviewed about exposure history, and pesticide application practices. Buccal cells were sampled, and BMCA was applied to assess potential effects on cell integrity. In total, 38 pesticide-exposed and 33 non-exposed workers participated. Eighty-four and 87%, respectively, of the pesticide-exposed respondents did not use masks or gloves at all. All biomarkers from the BMCA were significantly more frequent among exposed workers—odds ratio for micronucleated cells: 3.1 (95% confidence interval: 1.3–7.4) or karyolysis: 1.3 (1.1–1.5). Buccal cells as sensitive markers of toxic oral or respiratory exposures proved feasible for challenging field studies. Our findings indicate that the impact of pesticide use is not restricted to acute effects on health and wellbeing, but also points to long-term health risks. Therefore, occupational safety measures including training and protective clothing are needed, as well as encouragement towards minimal application of pesticides and more widespread use of organic farming.

Description: IJERPH, Vol. 15, Pages 1644: Recommendations for Improving the Quality of Rare Disease Registries International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph15081644 Authors: Yllka Kodra Jérôme Weinbach Manuel Posada-de-la-Paz Alessio Coi S. Lydie Lemonnier David van Enckevort Marco Roos Annika Jacobsen Ronald Cornet S. Faisal Ahmed Virginie Bros-Facer Veronica Popa Marieke Van Meel Daniel Renault Rainald von Gizycki Michele Santoro Paul Landais Paola Torreri Claudio Carta Deborah Mascalzoni Sabina Gainotti Estrella Lopez Anna Ambrosini Heimo Müller Robert Reis Fabrizio Bianchi Yaffa R. Rubinstein Hanns Lochmüller Domenica Taruscio Rare diseases (RD) patient registries are powerful instruments that help develop clinical research, facilitate the planning of appropriate clinical trials, improve patient care, and support healthcare management. They constitute a key information system that supports the activities of European Reference Networks (ERNs) on rare diseases. A rapid proliferation of RD registries has occurred during the last years and there is a need to develop guidance for the minimum requirements, recommendations and standards necessary to maintain a high-quality registry. In response to these heterogeneities, in the framework of RD-Connect, a European platform connecting databases, registries, biobanks and clinical bioinformatics for rare disease research, we report on a list of recommendations, developed by a group of experts, including members of patient organizations, to be used as a framework for improving the quality of RD registries. This list includes aspects of governance, Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable (FAIR) data and information, infrastructure, documentation, training, and quality audit. The list is intended to be used by established as well as new RD registries. Further work includes the development of a toolkit to enable continuous assessment and improvement of their organizational and data quality.

Description: Materials, Vol. 11, Pages 1350: Removal of Zinc Ions Using Hydroxyapatite and Study of Ultrasound Behavior of Aqueous Media Materials doi: 10.3390/ma11081350 Authors: Simona Liliana Iconaru Mikael Motelica-Heino Régis Guegan Mihai Valentin Predoi Alina Mihaela Prodan Daniela Predoi The present study demonstrates the effectiveness of hydroxyapatite nanopowders in the adsorption of zinc in aqueous solutions. The synthesized hydroxyapatites before (HAp) and after the adsorption of zinc (at a concentration of 50 mg/L) in solution (HApD) were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM and TEM, respectively). The effectiveness of hydroxyapatite nanopowders in the adsorption of zinc in aqueous solutions was stressed out through ultrasonic measurements. Both Langmuir and Freundlich models properly fitted on a wide range of concentration the equilibrium adsorption isotherms, allowing us to precisely quantify the affinity of zinc to hydroxyapatite nanopowders and to probe the efficacy of hydroxyapatite in removal of zinc ions from aqueous solutions in ultrasonic conditions.

Description: Materials, Vol. 11, Pages 1344: Reducing Porosity and Refining Grains for Arc Additive Manufacturing Aluminum Alloy by Adjusting Arc Pulse Frequency and Current Materials doi: 10.3390/ma11081344 Authors: Donghai Wang Jiping Lu Shuiyuan Tang Lu Yu Hongli Fan Lei Ji Changmeng Liu Coarse grains and gas pores are two main problems that limit the application of additive manufacturing aluminum alloys. To reduce porosity and refine grains, this paper presents a quantitative investigation into the effect of pulse frequency and arc current on the porosity and grains of arc additive manufacturing Al–5Si alloy. The experiment results show that pulse frequency and arc current have a significant impact on the macrostructure, microstructure, porosity, and tensile properties of the samples. Fine grains and a uniform microstructure can be obtained with low pulse frequency and low arc current as a result of the rapid cooling of the molten pool. With the increase of pulse frequency, density shows a trend that firstly escalates and attains the maximum value at 50 Hz, but later declines as a result of the relation between pores formation and gas escape. Moreover, better tensile properties can be obtained at low pulse frequency and low arc current because of the finer grains.

Description: Materials, Vol. 11, Pages 1345: Development of a Photo-Crosslinking, Biodegradable GelMA/PEGDA Hydrogel for Guided Bone Regeneration Materials Materials doi: 10.3390/ma11081345 Authors: Yihu Wang Ming Ma Jianing Wang Weijie Zhang Weipeng Lu Yunhua Gao Bing Zhang Yanchuan Guo Gelatin-based hydrogel, which mimics the natural dermal extracellular matrix, is a promising tissue engineering material. However, insufficient and uncontrollable mechanical and degradation properties remain the major obstacles for its application in medical bone regeneration material. Herein, we develop a facile but efficient strategy for a novel hydrogel as guided bone regeneration (GBR) material. In this study, methacrylic anhydride (MA) has been used to modify gelatin to obtain photo-crosslinkable methacrylated gelatin (GelMA). Moreover, the GelMA/PEGDA hydrogel was prepared by photo-crosslinking GelMA and PEGDA with photoinitiator I2959 under UV treatment. Compared with the GelMA hydrogel, the GelMA/PEGDA hydrogel exhibits several times stronger mechanical properties than pure GelMA hydrogel. The GelMA/PEGDA hydrogel shows a suitable degradation rate of more than 4 weeks, which is beneficial to implant in body. In vitro cell culture showed that osteoblast can adhere and proliferate on the surface of the hydrogel, indicating that the GelMA/PEGDA hydrogel had good cell viability and biocompatibility. Furthermore, by changing the quantities of GelMA, I2959, and PEGDA, the gelation time can be controlled easily to meet the requirement of its applications. In short, this study demonstrated that PEGDA enhanced the performance and extended the applications of GelMA hydrogels, turning the GelMA/PEGDA hydrogel into an excellent GBR material.

Description: Materials, Vol. 11, Pages 1352: Study on Upconversion and Thermal Properties of Tm3+/Yb3+ Co-Doped La2O3-Nb2O5-Ta2O5 Glasses Materials doi: 10.3390/ma11081352 Authors: Minghui Zhang Haiqin Wen Xiuhong Pan Jianding Yu Hui Shao Fei Ai Huimei Yu Meibo Tang Lijun Gai The effect of Yb3+ ions on upconversion luminescence and thermal properties of Tm3+/Yb3+ co-doped La2O3-Nb2O5-Ta2O5 glasses has been studied. Glass transition temperature is around 740 °C, indicating high thermal stability. The effect of Yb3+ ions on the thermal stability is not obvious. Both the glass forming ability and the upconversion luminescence first increase and then decrease with the increase of Yb3+ ions. The glasses perform low glass forming ability with ΔT around 55 °C. Blue and red emissions centered around 477, 651, and 706 nm are obtained at the excitation of 976 nm laser. The upconversion luminescence mechanism is energy transfer from Yb3+ to Tm3+ mixed with two- and three- photon processes. The thermal kinetic Differential Thermal Analysis (DTA)-analysis indicates that the average activation energy first increases and then decreases with the increase of Yb3+ ions. This result can be introduced in order to improve upconversion luminescence of glasses by crystallization in the future. Tm3+/Yb3+ co-doped La2O3-Nb2O5-Ta2O5 glasses with good upconversion and thermal properties show promising applications in solid-state laser, optical temperature sensing.

Description: Water, Vol. 10, Pages 1040: Storm Water Management and Flood Control in Sponge City Construction of Beijing Water doi: 10.3390/w10081040 Authors: Shuhan Zhang Yongkun Li Meihong Ma Ting Song Ruining Song To solve the problems of increasing local flooding, water shortage, and water pollution caused by the traditional model of urban development, the Chinese government proposed a new model of urban development—the Sponge City. In Beijing, the capital of China, research on storm water management in urban areas has been carried out since 1989 and has put forward the concept of urban storm water harvesting and flood control. The further research and demonstration application started in 2000. So far, a series of policies and technology standards on storm water management have been formulated, which promote the application of technologies on comprehensive urban storm water harvesting and flood control. A significant number of storm water harvesting and flood control projects have been built in Beijing, which are now playing important roles in runoff reduction, local flood control, non-point source pollution reduction, and storm water utilization. However, it does not solve the above problem completely. Storm water management and flood control needs to be further strengthened. The “Sponge City” is based on natural and ecological laws, which allows storm water to be managed with natural infiltration, natural retention and detention, and natural cleaning facilities. Through in-depth analysis of the connotation, characteristics, and construction path of “Sponge City”, this paper summarizes the status quo of urban rainwater flooding, flood control technology development and application, and Beijing policy and engineering to introduce the overall ideas and methods of Sponge City construction. All the above will provide a reference for cities with similar problems in the construction of sponge cities.

Description: Water, Vol. 10, Pages 1037: Multivariate and Spatial Analysis of Physicochemical Parameters in an Irrigation District, Chihuahua, Mexico Water doi: 10.3390/w10081037 Authors: Jesús Alejandro Prieto-Amparán Beatriz Adriana Rocha-Gutiérrez María de Lourdes Ballinas-Casarrubias María Cecilia Valles-Aragón María del Rosario Peralta-Pérez Alfredo Pinedo-Alvarez Water quality is relevant due to the complexity of the interaction of physicochemical and biological parameters. The Irrigation District 005 (ID005) is one of the most important agricultural region in Chihuahua, México; for that reason, it was proposed to investigate the water quality of the site. Water samples were collected in two periods: Summer (S1) and Fall (S2). The samples were taken from 65 wells in S1, and 54 wells in S2. Physicochemical parameters (PhP) such as Arsenic (As), Temperature, Electrical Conductivity (EC), Oxide Reduction Potential (ORP), Hardness, pH, Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), and Turbidity were analyzed. The data were subjected to statistical principal component analysis (PCA), cluster analysis (CA) and spatial variability tests. In both seasons, the TDS exceeded the Mexican maximum permissible level (MPL) (35% S1, 39% S2). Turbidity exceeded the MPL in S1 (29%) and in S2 (12%). Arsenic was above the MPL for water of agricultural use in 9% (S1) and 13% (S2) of the wells. The PCA results suggested that most variations in water quality in S1 were due to As, pH and Temperature, followed by EC, TDS and Hardness; while in S2 to EC, TDS and Hardness, followed by As and pH.

Description: Water, Vol. 10, Pages 1036: Hydraulic Conductivity Characteristics of Desert Plant Organs: Coping with Drought Tolerance Strategy Water doi: 10.3390/w10081036 Authors: Shanjia Li Peixi Su Haina Zhang Zijuan Zhou Rui Shi Wei Gou Plant hydraulic conductivity (K) refers to the rate of water flow (kg s−1) per unit pressure drop (MPa), which drives flow through the plant organ system. It is an important eco-physiology index for measuring plant water absorption and transport capacity. A field study was conducted in the arid region of the Heihe River Basin in northwestern China, plant hydraulic conductivity was measured by high-pressure flowmeter (HPFM) to investigate the characteristics of hydraulic conductivity of typical dominant desert plants (Reaumuria soongarica M., Nitraria sphaerocarpa M., and Sympegma regelii B.) and their relationship with functional traits of leaves, stems, and roots, and explaining their adaptation strategies to desert environment from the perspective of plant organs hydraulic conductivity. The results showed that the hydraulic conductivity of the leaves and stems of R. soongarica and N. sphaerocarpa (KLA, leaf hydraulic conductivity per unit leaf area; KLW, leaf hydraulic conductivity per unit leaf weight; KSLA, stem hydraulic conductivity per unit leaf area; KSLW, stem hydraulic conductivity per unit leaf weight) were significantly lower than those of S. regelii, while their fine root (KRL, root hydraulic conductivity per unit leaf length; KRSA, root hydraulic conductivity per unit root surface area) and whole root (KTRW, whole root hydraulic conductivity per unit root weight) of hydraulic conductivity were significantly higher than those of S. regelii. In addition, KLA and KLW, KSLA and KSLW, and KRL and KRSA in three desert plants all exhibited consistent trends. Correlation analysis illustrated that the hydraulic conductivity of leaves and stems had a significantly positive correlation, but they had no significant negative correlation with the specific leaf weight (SLW, specific leaf weight). The hydraulic conductivity of fine root weight (KRW, root hydraulic conductivity per unit root weight) and specific root surface area (SRSA, specific root surface area) showed significantly positive correlation (r = 0.727, P < 0.05). The results demonstrated that the R. soongarica and N. sphaerocarpa preserved their water content through the strong leaf absorption capacity of soil water and the low water dispersion rates of leaves to adapt to the harsher arid habitat, which is more drought tolerant than S. regelii.

Description: Water, Vol. 10, Pages 1038: Simple and Low-Cost Procedure for Monthly and Yearly Streamflow Forecasts during the Current Hydrological Year Water doi: 10.3390/w10081038 Authors: Fernando Delgado-Ramos Carmen Hervás-Gámez Accurately forecasting streamflow values is essential to achieve an efficient, integrated water resources management strategy and to provide consistent support to water decision-makers. We present a simple, low-cost, and robust approach for forecasting monthly and yearly streamflows during the current hydrological year, which is applicable to headwater catchments. The procedure innovatively combines the use of well-known regression analysis techniques, the two-parameter Gamma continuous cumulative probability distribution function and the Monte Carlo method. Several model performance statistics metrics (including the Coefficient of Determination R2; the Root-Mean-Square Error RMSE; the Mean Absolute Error MAE; the Index of Agreement IOA; the Mean Absolute Percent Error MAPE; the Coefficient of Nash-Sutcliffe Efficiency NSE; and the Inclusion Coefficient IC) were used and the results showed good levels of accuracy (improving as the number of observed months increases). The model forecast outputs are the mean monthly and yearly streamflows along with the 10th and 90th percentiles. The methodology has been successfully applied to two headwater reservoirs within the Guadalquivir River Basin in southern Spain, achieving an accuracy of 92% and 80% in March 2017. These risk-based predictions are of great value, especially before the intensive irrigation campaign starts in the middle of the hydrological year, when Water Authorities have to ensure that the right decision is made on how to best allocate the available water volume between the different water users and environmental needs.

Description: Materials, Vol. 11, Pages 1372: The Effect of the Morphology of Coarse Aggregate on the Properties of Self-Compacting High-Performance Fibre-Reinforced Concrete Materials doi: 10.3390/ma11081372 Authors: Krzysztof Ostrowski Łukasz Sadowski Damian Stefaniuk Daniel Wałach Tomasz Gawenda Konrad Oleksik Ireneusz Usydus When understanding the effect of the morphology of coarse aggregate on the properties of a fresh concrete mixture, the strength and deformability of self-compacting high-performance fibre-reinforced concrete (SCHPFRC) can be seen to be critical for its performance. In this research, regular and irregular grains were separated from granite coarse aggregate. The morphology of these grains was described while using digital image analysis. As a result, the aspect ratio, roundness and area ratio were determined in order to better understand this phenomenon. Then, the principal rheological, physical, and mechanical properties of SCHPFRC were determined. The obtained results indicated that the morphology of the grains of coarse aggregate has an impact on the strength and stiffness properties of SCHPFRC. Moreover, significant differences in the transverse strain of concretes were observed. The morphology of the coarse aggregate also has an impact on the rheological parameters of a fresh concrete mixture. To better understand this phenomenon, the hypothesized mechanism of the formation of SCHPFRC caused by different morphology of coarse aggregate was proposed at the end of the article.

Description: IJERPH, Vol. 15, Pages 1662: Cost and Threshold Analysis of the FinishIt Campaign to Prevent Youth Smoking in the United States International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph15081662 Authors: Brian W. Weir Jennifer Cantrell David R. Holtgrave Marisa S. Greenberg Ryan D. Kennedy Jessica M. Rath Elizabeth C. Hair Donna Vallone In 2014, Truth Initiative launched the national FinishIt campaign to prevent smoking initiation among youth and young adults. The significant changes in the communications landscape requires further analysis to determine resource requirements for public education campaigns relative to their impact. This analysis estimates the cost of the FinishIt campaign based on data from expenditure records and uses published estimates of the lifetime treatment costs and quality-adjusted life years associated with smoking. The total cost of the FinishIt campaign for 2014–2016 was $162 million. Under assumptions associated with the pessimistic base-case (no medical care costs saved through prevention), 917 smoking careers would need to be averted for the campaign to be cost-effective. Assuming smoking leads to increased medical care costs, 7186 smoking careers would need to be averted for the campaign to be cost-saving. Given these thresholds (917 and 7186) and the estimate of the impact of the previous truth campaign, the investments in the Truth Initiative’s FinishIt campaign are likely warranted for preventing smoking careers among youth and young adults.

Description: IJERPH, Vol. 15, Pages 1664: Predicting the Time Spent Playing Computer and Mobile Games among Medical Undergraduate Students Using Interpersonal Relations and Social Cognitive Theory: A Cross-Sectional Survey in Chongqing, China International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph15081664 Authors: Li Chen Ruiyi Liu Huan Zeng Xianglong Xu Rui Zhu Manoj Sharma Yong Zhao Background: Computer and mobile games are widely used among undergraduate students worldwide, especially in China. Our objective was to predict the time spent playing computer and mobile games based on interpersonal relations and social cognitive theory constructs (i.e., expectation, self-efficacy, and self-control). Methods: The cross-sectional survey was conducted in two medical universities using a sample of 1557 undergraduate students recruited by cluster sampling. The five-point Likert questionnaire was jointly developed by researchers from Chongqing Medical University and Jackson State University. Results: Approximately 30% and 70% of the students played computer and mobile games, respectively. The daily times spent by participants on computer games were 25.61 ± 73.60 min (weekdays) and 49.96 ± 128.60 min (weekends), and 66.07 ± 154.65 min (weekdays) and 91.82 ± 172.94 min (weekends) on mobile games. Students with high scores of interpersonal relations but low scores of self-efficacy spent prolonged time playing computer games on weekdays and weekends (p < 0.05 for all). Students with low scores of expectation spent prolonged time playing computer games on weekdays (p < 0.05). Students with high scores of interpersonal relations but low scores of self-efficacy and self-control spent prolonged time playing mobile games on weekdays and weekends (p < 0.05 for all). Conclusions: The prevalence and duration of playing mobile games were higher than those of playing computer games among medical undergraduate students in Chongqing, China. This study determined the interpersonal relations, self-efficacy, self-control, and expectation of the students at the time of playing computer and mobile games. Future studies may consider studying the interaction among game-related behaviours, environments, and personality characteristics.

Description: Materials, Vol. 11, Pages 1364: Recent Developments in Spectroscopic Techniques for the Detection of Explosives Materials doi: 10.3390/ma11081364 Authors: Wei Zhang Yue Tang Anran Shi Lirong Bao Yun Shen Ruiqi Shen Yinghua Ye Trace detection of explosives has been an ongoing challenge for decades and has become one of several critical problems in defense science; public safety; and global counter-terrorism. As a result, there is a growing interest in employing a wide variety of approaches to detect trace explosive residues. Spectroscopy-based techniques play an irreplaceable role for the detection of energetic substances due to the advantages of rapid, automatic, and non-contact. The present work provides a comprehensive review of the advances made over the past few years in the fields of the applications of terahertz (THz) spectroscopy; laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), Raman spectroscopy; and ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) for trace explosives detection. Furthermore, the advantages and limitations of various spectroscopy-based detection techniques are summarized. Finally, the future development for the detection of explosives is discussed.

Description: Materials, Vol. 11, Pages 1362: Numerical Modelling of the Effect of Filler/Matrix Interfacial Strength on the Fracture of Cementitious Composites Materials doi: 10.3390/ma11081362 Authors: Xiaowei Ouyang Zichao Pan Zhiwei Qian Yuwei Ma Guang Ye Klaas van Breugel The interface between filler and hydration products can have a significant effect on the mechanical properties of the cement paste system. With different adhesion properties between filler and hydration products, the effect of microstructural features (size, shape, surface roughness), particle distribution and area fraction of filler on the fracture behavior of a blended cement paste system is supposed to be different, as well. In order to understand the effect of the microstructural features, particle distribution and area fraction of filler on the fracture behavior of a blended cement paste system with either strong or weak filler-matrix interface, microscale simulations with a lattice model are carried out. The results show that the strength of the filler-matrix interface plays a more important role than the microstructural features, particle distribution and area fraction of filler in the crack propagation and the strength of blended cement paste. The knowledge acquired here provides a clue, or direction, for improving the performance of existing fillers. To improve the performance of fillers in cement paste in terms of strength, priority should be given to improving the bond strength between filler particles and matrix, not to modifying the microstructural features (i.e., shape and surface roughness) of the filler.

Description: Materials, Vol. 11, Pages 1361: Phase Stability and Properties of Ti-Nb-Zr Thin Films and Their Dependence on Zr Addition Materials doi: 10.3390/ma11081361 Authors: Jeonghyeon Yang Munkhbayar Baatarsukh Joohyeon Bae Sunchul Huh Hyomin Jeong Byeongkeun Choi Taehyun Nam Jungpil Noh Ternary Ti-Nb-Zr alloys were prepared by a magnetron sputtering method with porous structures observed in some of them. In bulk, in order to control the porous structure, a space holder (NH4HCO3) is used in the sintering method. However, in the present work, we show that the porous structure is also dependent on alloy composition. The results from Young’s modulus tests confirm that these alloys obey d-electrons alloy theory. However, the Young’s modulus of ternary thin films (≈80–95 GPa) is lower than that for binary alloys (≈108–123 GPa). The depth recovery ratio of ternary Ti-Nb-Zr thin films is also higher than that for binary β-Ti-(25.9–34.2)Nb thin film alloys.

Description: Materials, Vol. 11, Pages 1358: POSS Nanofiller-Induced Enhancement of the Thermomechanical Properties in a Fluoroelastomer Terpolymer Materials doi: 10.3390/ma11081358 Authors: Daphné Berthier Marie-Pierre Deffarges Nicolas Berton Mathieu Venin Florian Lacroix Bruno Schmaltz Yohan Tendron Eric Pestel François Tran-Van Stéphane Méo The present study reports on the use of three types of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS) nanoparticles with various organic substituents as fillers in a fluoroelastomer (FKM). A series of/POSS elastomer composite thin films is prepared. Microstructural SEM/TEM (scanning electron microscopy/transmission electron microscopy) imaging reveals a dispersion state allowing the presence of micron-sized domains. The influence of POSS content is studied in order to optimize thermal stability and mechanical properties of the composite thin films. Both POSS-A (with an acryloyl functional group and seven isobutyl substituents) and POSS-P (with eight phenyl substituents) lead to higher thermal stability and modulus of the composites, with respect to the unfilled FKM terpolymer matrix. covalent grafting of POSS-A onto the FKM network is found to play a critical role. Enhanced storage modulus in the rubbery plateau region (+210% at 200 °C for 20 phr) suggests that POSS-A is particularly suitable for high temperature applications.

Description: Materials, Vol. 11, Pages 1363: Synthesis of Gold Functionalised Nanoparticles with the Eranthis hyemalis Lectin and Preliminary Toxicological Studies on Caenorhabditis elegans Materials doi: 10.3390/ma11081363 Authors: Jamila Djafari Marie T. McConnell Hugo M. Santos José Luis Capelo Emilia Bertolo Simon C. Harvey Carlos Lodeiro Javier Fernández-Lodeiro The lectin found in the tubers of the Winter Aconite (Eranthis hyemalis) plant (EHL) is a Type II Ribosome Inactivating Protein (RIP). Type II RIPs have shown anti-cancer properties and have great potential as therapeutic agents. Similarly, colloidal gold nanoparticles are successfully used in biomedical applications as they can be functionalised with ligands with high affinity and specificity for target cells to create therapeutic and imaging agents. Here we present the synthesis and characterization of gold nanoparticles conjugated with EHL and the results of a set of initial assays to establish whether the biological effect of EHL is altered by the conjugation. Gold nanoparticles functionalised with EHL (AuNPs@EHL) were successfully synthesised by bioconjugation with citrate gold nanoparticles (AuNPs@Citrate). The conjugates were analysed by UV-Vis spectroscopy, Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS), Zeta Potential analysis, and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). Results indicate that an optimal functionalisation was achieved with the addition of 100 µL of EHL (concentration 1090 ± 40 µg/mL) over 5 mL of AuNPs (concentration [Au0] = 0.8 mM). Biological assays on the effect of AuNPs@EHL were undertaken on Caenorhabditis elegans, a free-living nematode commonly used for toxicological studies, that has previously been shown to be strongly affected by EHL. Citrate gold nanoparticles did not have any obvious effect on the nematodes. For first larval stage (L1) nematodes, AuNPs@EHL showed a lower biological effect than EHL. For L4 stage, pre-adult nematodes, both EHL alone and AuNPs@EHL delayed the onset of reproduction and reduced fecundity. These assays indicate that EHL can be conjugated to gold nanoparticles and retain elements of biocidal activity.

Description: Materials, Vol. 11, Pages 1359: Facile Fabrication of Dumbbell-Like β-Bi2O3/Graphene Nanocomposites and Their Highly Efficient Photocatalytic Activity Materials doi: 10.3390/ma11081359 Authors: Jun Yang Taiping Xie Chenglun Liu Longjun Xu β-Bi2O3 decorated graphene nanosheets (β-Bi2O3/GN) were prepared by a facile solution mixing method. The crystal structure, surface morphology, and photo absorbance properties of the products were characterized by XRD, SEM, and UV-VIS diffuse reflection, respectively. Moreover, the effect of graphene content on photocatalytic activity was systematically investigated, and the results indicated that these composites possessed a high degradation rate of Rhodamine B (RhB), which was three times higher than that of bare β-Bi2O3 when graphene content was 1 wt %. This high photocatalytic activity was attributed predominantly to the presence of graphene, which served as an electron collector and transporter to efficiently lengthen the lifetime of the photogenerated charge carriers from β-Bi2O3.

Description: Materials, Vol. 11, Pages 1357: Radial Compressive Property and the Proof-of-Concept Study for Realizing Self-expansion of 3D Printing Polylactic Acid Vascular Stents with Negative Poisson’s Ratio Structure Materials doi: 10.3390/ma11081357 Authors: Zichao Wu Ji Zhao Wenzheng Wu Peipei Wang Bofan Wang Guiwei Li Shuo Zhang Biodegradable stents offer the potential to reduce the in-stent restenosis by providing support long enough for the vessel to heal. The polylactic acid (PLA) vascular stents with negative Poisson’s ratio (NPR) structure were manufactured by fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printing in this study. The effects of stent diameter, wall thickness and geometric parameters of arrowhead NPR structure on radial compressive property of 3D-printed PLA vascular stent were studied. The results showed that the decrease of stent diameter, the increase of wall thickness and the increase of the surface coverage could enhance the radial force (per unit length) of PLA stent. The radial and longitudinal size of PLA stent with NPR structure decreased simultaneously when the stent was crimped under deformation temperature. The PLA stent could expand in both radial and longitudinal direction under recovery temperature. When the deformation temperature and recovery temperature were both 65 °C, the diameter recovery ratio of stent was more than 95% and the maximum could reach 98%. The length recovery ratio was above 97%. This indicated the feasibility of utilizing the shape memory effect (SME) of PLA to realize the expansion of 3D-printed PLA vascular stent under temperature excitation.

Description: Materials, Vol. 11, Pages 1360: Effect of Annealing Temperature on ECD Grown Hexagonal-Plane Zinc Oxide Materials doi: 10.3390/ma11081360 Authors: Sukrit Sucharitakul Rangsan Panyathip Supab Choopun Zinc oxide (ZnO) offers a great potential in several applications from sensors to Photovoltaic cells thanks to the material’s dependency, to its optical and electrical properties and crystalline structure architypes. Typically, ZnO powder tends to be grown in the form of a wurtzite structure allowing versatility in the phase of material growths; albeit, whereas in this work we introduce an alternative in scalable yet relatively simple 2D hexagonal planed ZnO nanoflakes via the electrochemical deposition of commercially purchased Zn(NO3)2 and KCl salts in an electrochemical process. The resulting grown materials were analyzed and characterized via a series of techniques prior to thermal annealing to increase the grain size and improve the crystal quality. Through observation via scanning electron microscope (SEM) images, we have analyzed the statistics of the grown flakes’ hexagonal plane’s size showing a non-monotonal strong dependency of the average flake’s hexagonal flakes’ on the annealing temperature, whereas at 300 °C annealing temperature, average flake size was found to be in the order of 300 μm2. The flakes were further analyzed via transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to confirm its hexagonal planes and spectroscopy techniques, such as Raman Spectroscopy and photo luminescence were applied to analyze and confirm the ZnO crystal signatures. The grown materials also underwent further characterization to gain insights on the material, electrical, and optical properties and, hence, verify the quality of the material for Photovoltaic cells’ electron collection layer application. The role of KCl in aiding the growth of the less preferable (0001) ZnO is also investigated via various prospects discussed in our work. Our method offers a relatively simple and mass-producible method for synthesizing a high quality 2D form of ZnO that is, otherwise, technically difficult to grow or control.

Description: Materials, Vol. 11, Pages 1365: Composites of Laponite and Cu–Mn Hopcalite-Related Mixed Oxides Prepared from Inverse Microemulsions as Catalysts for Total Oxidation of Toluene Materials doi: 10.3390/ma11081365 Authors: Bogna D. Napruszewska Alicja Michalik Anna Walczyk Dorota Duraczyńska Roman Dula Wojciech Rojek Lidia Lityńska-Dobrzyńska Krzysztof Bahranowski Ewa M. Serwicka Composites of Laponite and Cu–Mn hopcalite-related mixed oxides, prepared from hydrotalcite-like (Htlc) precursors obtained in inverse microemulsions, were synthesized and characterized with XRF, XRD, SEM, TEM, H2 temperature-programmed reduction (TPR), and N2 adsorption/desorption at −196 °C. The Htlc precursors were precipitated either with NaOH or tetrabutylammonium hydroxide (TBAOH). Al was used as an element facilitating Htlc structure formation, and Ce and/or Zr were added as promoters. The composites calcined at 600 °C are mesoporous structures with similar textural characteristics. The copper–manganite spinel phases formed from the TBAOH-precipitated precursors are less crystalline and more susceptible to reduction than the counterparts obtained from the precursors synthesized with NaOH. The Cu–Mn-based composites are active in the combustion of toluene, and their performance improves further upon the addition of promoters in the following order: Ce < Zr < Zr + Ce. The composites whose active phases are prepared with TBAOH are more active than their counterparts obtained with the use of the precursors precipitated with NaOH, due to the better reducibility of the less crystalline mixed oxide active phase.

Description: Water, Vol. 10, Pages 1046: Comparing Bias Correction Methods Used in Downscaling Precipitation and Temperature from Regional Climate Models: A Case Study from the Kaidu River Basin in Western China Water doi: 10.3390/w10081046 Authors: Min Luo Tie Liu Fanhao Meng Yongchao Duan Amaury Frankl Anming Bao Philippe De Maeyer The systemic biases of Regional Climate Models (RCMs) impede their application in regional hydrological climate-change effects analysis and lead to errors. As a consequence, bias correction has become a necessary prerequisite for the study of climate change. This paper compares the performance of available bias correction methods that focus on the performance of precipitation and temperature projections. The hydrological effects of these correction methods are evaluated by the modelled discharges of the Kaidu River Basin. The results show that all used methods improve the performance of the original RCM precipitation and temperature simulations across a number of levels. The corrected results obtained by precipitation correction methods demonstrate larger diversities than those produced by the temperature correction methods. The performance of hydrological modelling is highly influenced by the choice of precipitation correction methods. Furthermore, no substantial differences can be identified from the results of the temperature-corrected methods. The biases from input data are often greater from the works of hydrological modelling. The suitability of these approaches depends upon the regional context and the RCM model, while their application procedure and a number of results can be adapted from region to region.

Description: Water, Vol. 10, Pages 1047: Assessing Decadal Trends of a Nitrate-Contaminated Shallow Aquifer in Western Nebraska Using Groundwater Isotopes, Age-Dating, and Monitoring Water doi: 10.3390/w10081047 Authors: Martin J. Wells Troy E. Gilmore Aaron R. Mittelstet Daniel Snow Steven S. Sibray Shallow aquifers are prone to nitrate contamination worldwide. In western Nebraska, high groundwater nitrate concentrations ([NO3−]) have resulted in the exploration of new groundwater and nitrogen management regulations in the North Platte Natural Resources District (NPNRD). A small region of NPNRD (“Dutch Flats”) was the focus of intensive groundwater sampling by the United States Geological Survey from 1995 to 1999. Nearly two decades later, notable shifts have occurred in variables related to groundwater recharge and [NO3−], including irrigation methods. The objective of this study was to evaluate how changes in these variables, in part due to regulatory changes, have impacted nitrate-contaminated groundwater in the Dutch Flats area. Groundwater samples were collected to assess changes in: (1) recharge rates; (2) biogeochemical processes; and (3) [NO3−]. Groundwater age increased in 63% of wells and estimated recharge rates were lower for 88% of wells sampled (n = 8). However, mean age and recharge rate estimated in 2016 (19.3 years; R = 0.35 m/year) did not differ significantly from mean values determined in 1998 (15.6 years; R = 0.50 m/year). δ15N-NO3− (n = 14) and dissolved oxygen data indicate no major changes in biogeochemical processes. Available long-term data suggest a downward trend in normalized [NO3−] from 1998 to 2016, and lower [NO3−] was observed in 60% of wells sampled in both years (n = 87), but median values were not significantly different. Collectively, results suggest the groundwater system is responding to environmental variables to a degree that is detectable (e.g., trends in [NO3−]), although more time and/or substantial changes may be required before it is possible to detect significantly different mean recharge.

Description: IJERPH, Vol. 15, Pages 1688: EcoHealth and the Determinants of Health: Perspectives of a Small Subset of Canadian Academics in the EcoHealth Community International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph15081688 Authors: Aryn Lisitza Gregor Wolbring EcoHealth is an emerging field that examines the complex relationships among humans, animals, and the environment, and how these relationships affect the health of each of these domains. The different types of determinants of health greatly influence human health and well-being. Therefore, EcoHealth’s ability to improve human, animal, and environmental health and well-being is, in part, influenced by its ability to acknowledge and integrate the determinants of health. However, our previous research demonstrates that the academic EcoHealth literature had a low, uneven engagement with the determinants of health. Accordingly, to make sense of this gap, our research aim is to better understand the views of a small subset of the Canadian EcoHealth community about EcoHealth and the determinants of health relative to EcoHealth. We used a qualitative research design involving seven semi-structured interviews, which were analyzed using thematic analysis. Our findings suggest a tension across themes and a lack of conceptual engagement with the determinants of health. As we consider a future with rapid, unsustainable changes, we expect the identification and integration of the different types of determinants of health within EcoHealth to be imperative for EcoHealth to attain its goal of improving the health and well-being of humans, animals, and the environment.

Description: IJERPH, Vol. 15, Pages 1693: An Exploration of Psychosocial Pathways of Parks’ Effects on Health: A Qualitative Study International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph15081693 Authors: Ewelina M. Swierad Terry T. K. Huang Urban green space has been positively associated with psychological and physical health. However, the linkage between exposure to parks and health outcomes remains unclear. The current study examined the meanings that people assign to city parks, as a way to understand the pathways by which parks exert their effects on health. We conducted qualitative interviews with twenty culturally diverse residents in New York City. Thematic analysis was performed on the qualitative data. Results showed that all themes identified were related to parks fulfilling a basic human need for connection to (1) family, loved ones, and friends; (2) community and neighborhood; (3) self; and (4) nature. Based on these data, we proposed a human-centered framework for future research and interventions aimed at catalyzing parks as a vehicle to improve health and wellbeing. A human-centered approach emphasizes targeting the deep-seated needs and values of those we seek to engage and for whom health promotion and disease prevention efforts are designed. Our study shows that park transformations need to incorporate careful considerations of the human need for connection on multiple levels, so that park usage and its consequent health benefits may be optimized.

Description: IJERPH, Vol. 15, Pages 1691: Evolution of Landscape Ecological Risk at the Optimal Scale: A Case Study of the Open Coastal Wetlands in Jiangsu, China International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph15081691 Authors: Yongchao Liu Yongxue Liu Jialin Li Wanyun Lu Xianglin Wei Chao Sun Detailed analysis of the evolution characteristics of landscape ecological risk is crucial for coastal sustainable management and for understanding the potential environmental impacts of a man-made landform landscapes (MMLL). As a typical open coastal wetland, large-scale human activities (e.g., tidal reclamation, fishery activities, wind farm construction, and port construction) have substantially affected the evolution of the coastal ecological environment. Previous landscape ecological risk assessment studies have documented the effectiveness of assessing the quality of ecological environment processes. However, these studies have either focused on the noncoastal zone, or they have not considered the evolution of the spatial characteristics and ecological risk evolution of the landscape at an optimal scale. Here, we present a landscape ecological risk pattern (LERP) evolution model, based on two successive steps: first, we constructed an optimal scale method with an appropriate extent and grain using multi–temporal Landsat TM/OLI images acquired in the years 2000, 2004, 2008, 2013 and 2017, and then we calculated landscape ecological risk indices. Based on this model, the entire process of the spatiotemporal evolution of ecological risk patterns of the open coastal wetlands in Jiangsu, China, was determined. The principal findings are as follows: (1) The main landscape types in the study area are tidal flats and farmland, and the main features of the landscape evolution are a significant increase in aquafarming and a substantial decrease in the tidal flat area, while the landscape heterogeneity increased; (2) In the past 20 years, the areas of low and relatively low ecological risk in the study region were greatly reduced, while the areas of medium, relatively high, and high ecological risk greatly increased; the areas of high-grade ecological risk areas are mainly around Dongtai and Dafeng; (3) The area of ecological risk from low-grade to high-grade occupied 71.75% of the study area during 2000–2017. During the previous periods (2000–2004 and 2004–2008), the areas of low-grade ecological risk were transformed to areas of middle-grade ecological risk area, while during the later periods (2008–2013 and 2013–2017) there was a substantial increase in the proportion of areas of high-grade ecological risk. Our results complement the official database of coastal landscape planning, and provide important information for assessing the potential effects of MMLL processes on coastal environments.

Description: IJERPH, Vol. 15, Pages 1689: Predicting Condom Use among Undergraduate Students Based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour, Coquimbo, Chile, 2016 International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph15081689 Authors: Patricio Ramírez-Correa Muriel Ramírez-Santana Background: Sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy in adolescents are acknowledged public health problems in many countries. Although it is known that the proper use of condoms allows avoiding these health problems, their use in Chile is still limited, for unknown reasons. Objective: Based on planned behavioural theory, the aim was to validate a behaviour model regarding condom use by measuring the influence of the variables that predict this use among Chilean university students. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out in October 2016 among 151 Chilean university students belonging to the health and engineering areas. The information was collected through a self-administered survey. The sample was divided into two groups: stable and not stable relationships. Partial least squares (PLS) regression was used for the analysis. Results: It was possible to explain the condom use of the students by 57%. The attitude was the main variable related to the intention of using condoms, together with the perceived behavioural control. Additionally, there are statistically significant differences in the variables that predict condom use among students with stable relations compared to those without a stable relationship. Conclusions: The planned behavioural theory is useful for predicting condom use behaviour when students have a stable partner.

Description: IJERPH, Vol. 15, Pages 1687: A Framework of Industrialized Building Assessment in China Based on the Structural Equation Model International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph15081687 Authors: Lei Jiang Zhongfu Li Long Li Tiankun Li Yunli Gao Compared with the conventional building, the industrialized building (IB) promotes the sustainable development of the construction industry, which will become a growth trend in the future. Nevertheless, the progress of industrialized building is intimately affected through the scientific evaluating mechanism, which still requires more research. Thus, this study establishes a conceptual framework of industrialized building assessment (IBA), which is validated through exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The impact between efficiency and the other five dimensions are studied by the structural equations model (SEM). The findings indicated that the conceptual framework is valid, and the efficiency has a positive impact on economic factors, livability, safety, environmental factors, and social benefits. Consequently, the improvement of efficiency has turned out to be the primary issue for improving the growth of the industrialized building. This research explores the basic framework of industrialized building assessment and provides a basis to establish a comprehensive and precise industrial building evaluation mechanism in the near future.

Description: Materials, Vol. 11, Pages 991: Cononsolvency Transition of Polymer Brushes: A Combined Experimental and Theoretical Study Materials doi: 10.3390/ma11060991 Authors: Huaisong Yong Sebastian Rauch Klaus-Jochen Eichhorn Petra Uhlmann Andreas Fery Jens-Uwe Sommer In this study, the cononsolvency transition of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNiPAAm) brushes in aqueous ethanol mixtures was studied by using Vis-spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) discussed in conjunction with the adsorption-attraction model. We proved that the cononsolvency transition of PNiPAAm brushes showed features of a volume phase transition, such as a sharp collapse, reaching a maximum decrease in thickness for a very narrow ethanol volume composition range of 15% to 17%. These observations are in agreement with the recently published preferential adsorption model of the cononsolvency effect.

Description: Materials, Vol. 11, Pages 989: Wheat Straw-Derived N-, O-, and S-Tri-doped Porous Carbon with Ultrahigh Specific Surface Area for Lithium-Sulfur Batteries Materials doi: 10.3390/ma11060989 Authors: Feng Chen Lulu Ma Jiangang Ren Mou Zhang Xinyu Luo Bing Li Zhiming Song Xiangyang Zhou Recently, lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries have been greeted by a huge ovation owing to their very high theoretical specific capacity (1675 mAh·g−1) and theoretical energy density (2600 Wh·kg−1). However, the full commercialization of Li-S batteries is still hindered by dramatic capacity fading resulting from the notorious “shuttle effect” of polysulfides. Herein, we first describe the development of a facile, inexpensive, and high-producing strategy for the fabrication of N-, O-, and S-tri-doped porous carbon (NOSPC) via pyrolysis of natural wheat straw, followed by KOH activation. The as-obtained NOSPC shows characteristic features of a highly porous carbon frame, ultrahigh specific surface area (3101.8 m2·g−1), large pore volume (1.92 cm3·g−1), good electrical conductivity, and in situ nitrogen (1.36 at %), oxygen (7.43 at %), and sulfur (0.7 at %) tri-doping. The NOSPC is afterwards selected to fabricate the NOSPC-sulfur (NOSPC/S) composite for the Li-S batteries cathode material. The as-prepared NOSPC/S cathode delivers a large initial discharge capacity (1049.2 mAh·g−1 at 0.2 C), good cycling stability (retains a reversible capacity of 454.7 mAh·g−1 over 500 cycles at 1 C with a low capacity decay of 0.088% per cycle), and superior rate performance (619.2 mAh·g−1 at 2 C). The excellent electrochemical performance is mainly attributed to the synergistic effects of structural restriction and multidimensional chemical adsorptions for cooperatively repressing the polysulfides shuttle.

Description: Materials, Vol. 11, Pages 987: Rapid Sintering of Li2O-Nb2O5-TiO2 Solid Solution by Air Pressure Control and Clarification of Its Mechanism Materials doi: 10.3390/ma11060987 Authors: Hiromi Nakano Konatsu Kamimoto Takahisa Yamamoto Yoshio Furuta We first successfully synthesized Li1+x−yNb1−x−3yTix+4yO3 (LNT) solid solutions (0.13 ≤ x ≤ 0.18, 0 ≤ y ≤ 0.06) rapidly at 1373 K for one hour under 0.35 MPa by the controlling of air pressure using an air-pressure control atmosphere furnace. The composition is a formation area of a superstructure for LNT, in which the periodical intergrowth layer was formed in the matrix, and where it can be controlled by Ti content. Therefore, the sintering time depended on Ti content, and annealing was repeated for over 24 h until a homogeneous structure was formed using a conventional electric furnace. We clarified the mechanism of the rapid sintering using various microscale to nanoscale characterization techniques: X-ray diffraction, a scanning electron microscope, a transmission electron microscope (TEM), a Cs-corrected scanning TEM equipped with electron energy-loss spectroscopy, and X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy.

Description: IJERPH, Vol. 15, Pages 1232: Prevalence of Smoking among Men in Ethiopia and Kenya: A Cross-Sectional Study International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph15061232 Authors: Shangfeng Tang Ghose Bishwajit Tegene Regassa Luba Sanni Yaya While tobacco use remains the largest single cause of premature death in the industrialized countries, low-and-middle income countries are also experiencing a rising burden of the tobacco epidemic and are making various programmatic efforts to tackle the issue. Evidence-based policy making is critical to the long-term success of tobacco intervention programs and is reliant on regular monitoring of the trends and prevalence rates of tobacco use though population-based surveys, which are sparse for countries in eastern Africa. Therefore, in the present study we aimed to (1) estimate the trends in the prevalence of self-reported smoking status; and (2) explore the sociodemographic factors associated with smoking among adult men in Ethiopia and Kenya. Methods: Subjects were 26,919 adult men aged between 15 and 59 years from Ethiopia and Kenya. Nationally representative cross-sectional data on self-reported smoking and relevant sociodemographic indicators were collected from the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) conducted in these two countries. Data analysis was performed by descriptive, bivariate, and multivariable methods. Results: In Ethiopia, the prevalence rate of smoking increased from 8.5% in 2005 to 11.7% in 2011. While in Kenya, the rate declined albeit slowly from 22.9% in 2003 to 18.8% in 2008–2009 and 17% in 2014. The prevalence was significantly different in urban and rural areas. In majority of the surveys, prevalence of smoking was highest in the age group of 25–34 years. The prevalence of smoking varied widely across several socioeconomic characteristics. Conclusions: The findings indicate a high rate of smoking among men especially in urban areas, and call for policy actions to address the socioeconomic factors as a part of the policy to strengthen tobacco-control efforts.

Description: IJERPH, Vol. 15, Pages 1166: Effect of Intermittent Energy Restriction on Flow Mediated Dilatation, a Measure of Endothelial Function: A Short Report International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph15061166 Authors: Michelle L. Headland Peter M. Clifton Jennifer B. Keogh Intermittent energy restriction is a popular alternative to daily energy restriction for weight loss; however, it is unknown if endothelial function, a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, is altered by periods of severe energy restriction. The objective of the study was to determine the impact of two consecutive very low energy intake days, which is the core component of the 5:2 intermittent energy restriction diet strategy, on endothelial function compared to consecutive ad libitum eating days. The secondary objective was to explore the effects of these dietary conditions on fasting glucose concentrations. This was a 4-week randomized, single-blinded, crossover study of 35 participants. Participants consumed a very low energy diet (500 calories for women, 600 calories for men) on two consecutive days per week and 5 days of habitual eating. In weeks 3 and 4 of the trial, participants had measurements of flow mediated dilatation (FMD) and blood samples taken following either 2 habitual eating days or 2 energy restricted days in a randomized order. FMD values were not different after the two eating states (8.6% vs. 8.3%, p = 0.7). All other outcome variables were unchanged. Endothelial function, as measured by flow mediated dilatation, was not altered by two consecutive very low energy intake days. Further investigations assessing the impact in specific population groups as well as different testing conditions would be beneficial.

Description: Materials, Vol. 11, Pages 998: Versatile Poly(Diallyl Dimethyl Ammonium Chloride)-Layered Nanocomposites for Removal of Cesium in Water Purification Materials doi: 10.3390/ma11060998 Authors: Sung-Chan Jang Sung-Min Kang Gi Yong Kim Muruganantham Rethinasabapathy Yuvaraj Haldorai Ilsong Lee Young-Kyu Han Joanna C. Renshaw Changhyun Roh Yun Suk Huh In this work, we elucidate polymer-layered hollow Prussian blue-coated magnetic nanocomposites as an adsorbent to remove radioactive cesium from environmentally contaminated water. To do this, Fe3O4 nanoparticles prepared using a coprecipitation method were thickly covered with a layer of cationic polymer to attach hollow Prussian blue through a self-assembly process. The as-synthesized adsorbent was confirmed through various analytical techniques. The adsorbent showed a high surface area (166.16 m2/g) with an excellent cesium adsorbent capacity and removal efficiency of 32.8 mg/g and 99.69%, respectively. Moreover, the superparamagnetism allows effective recovery of the adsorbent using an external magnetic field after the adsorption process. Therefore, the magnetic adsorbent with a high adsorption efficiency and convenient recovery is expected to be effectively used for rapid remediation of radioactive contamination.

Description: Materials, Vol. 11, Pages 993: Investigation of Tensile Creep of a Normal Strength Overlay Concrete Materials doi: 10.3390/ma11060993 Authors: Martin Drexel Yvonne Theiner Günter Hofstetter The present contribution deals with the experimental investigation of the time-dependent behavior of a typical overlay concrete subjected to tensile stresses. The latter develop in concrete overlays, which are placed on existing concrete structures as a strengthening measure, due to the shrinkage of the young overlay concrete, which is restrained by the substrate concrete. Since the tensile stresses are reduced by creep, creep in tension is investigated on sealed and unsealed specimens, loaded at different concrete ages. The creep tests as well as the companion shrinkage tests are performed in a climatic chamber at constant temperature and constant relative humidity. Since shrinkage depends on the change of moisture content, the evolution of the mass water content is determined at the center of each specimen by means of an electrolytic resistivity-based system. Together with the experimental results for compressive creep from a previous study, a consistent set of time-dependent material data, determined for the same composition of the concrete mixture and on identical specimens, is now available. It consists of the hygral and mechanical properties, creep and shrinkage strains for both sealed and drying conditions, the respective compliance functions, and the mass water contents in sealed and unsealed, loaded and load-free specimens.

Description: Materials, Vol. 11, Pages 992: Damping Analysis of Some Inorganic Particles on Poly(butyl-methacrylate) Materials doi: 10.3390/ma11060992 Authors: Saisai Zhou Chunhua Yang Jia Hu Xianru He Rui Zhang Viscoelastic polymers can be used as damping materials to control unexpected vibration and noise through energy dissipation. To investigate the effect of an inorganic filler on damping property, a series of inorganic particles, Ferriferous oxide(Fe3O4), Graphene/Fe3O4(GF), and Fe3O4 of demagnetization(α-Fe2O3) were incorporated into poly(butyl-methacrylate) (PBMA). The effects of the dispersion of particles, as well as the interaction between particles and the PBMA matrix on the damping property of composites, were systematically studied. Results revealed that the addition of three types of particles can effectively improve the damping properties and broaden the effective damping temperature range. Dispersion of α-Fe2O3 in the PBMA matrix is better than that of Fe3O4. As a result, the damping peak can be increased more. The interaction between GF and the PBMA matrix is stronger than that between Fe3O4 and the PBMA. The damping peak of the composites can be suppressed by GF, which is opposite to Fe3O4 and α-Fe2O3. In addition, glass transition temperature (Tg) of all composites in the study shifted to low temperatures.

Description: Materials, Vol. 11, Pages 997: Preparation and Properties of C/C Hollow Spheres and the Energy Absorption Capacity of the Corresponding Aluminum Syntactic Foams Materials doi: 10.3390/ma11060997 Authors: Qiyong Yu Yan Zhao Anqi Dong Ye Li The present study focuses on the preparation and characterization of lab-scale aluminum syntactic foams (ASFs) filled with hollow carbon spheres (HCSs). A new and original process for the fabrication of HCSs was explored. Firstly, expanded polystyrene beads with an average diameter of 6 mm and coated with carbon fibers/thermoset phenolic resin were produced by the “rolling ball” method. In the next step, the spheres were cured and post-cured, and then carbonized at 1050 °C under vacuum to form the HCSs. The porosity in the shell of the HCSs was decreased by increasing the number of impregnation–carbonization cycles. The aluminum syntactic foams were fabricated by casting the molten aluminum into a crucible filled with HCSs. The morphology of the hollow spheres before and after carbonization was investigated by scanning electron microscope (SEM). The compressive properties of the ASF were tested and the energy absorption capacities were calculated according to stress–strain curves. The results showed that the ASF filled with HCSs which had been treated by more cycles of impregnation–carbonization had higher energy absorption capacity. The aluminum syntactic foam absorbed 34.9 MJ/m3 (28.8 KJ/Kg) at 60% strain, which was much higher than traditional closed cell aluminum foams without particles. The HCSs have a promising future in producing a novel family of metal matrix syntactic foams.

Description: Materials, Vol. 11, Pages 995: Synthesis of Various TiO2 Micro-/Nano-Structures and Their Photocatalytic Performance Materials doi: 10.3390/ma11060995 Authors: Anquan Deng Yufu Zhu Xin Guo Lei Zhou Qingsong Jiang TiO2 micro-/nano-structures with different morphologies have been successfully synthesized via a hydrothermal method. The effects of the solvents on the morphology and structure of the obtained products have been studied. The objective of the present paper is to compare the photocatalytic properties of the obtained TiO2 products. During the synthesis process, the tetrabutyl titanate and titanium (IV) fluoride were used as the titanium source. The obtained micro-/nano-structures were characterized by field-emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, and nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms. The photocatalytic activity of the samples was evaluated by the degradation of Rhodamine B solution under simulated solar irradiation. It is found that the morphologies and structures of TiO2 have a great influence on its photocatalytic activity. Compared with other samples, TiO2 flower clusters assembled with nanorods exhibited a superior photocatalytic activity in the degradation of Rhodamine B.

Description: IJERPH, Vol. 15, Pages 1225: Effect of Time and Mixing in Thermal Pretreatment on Faecal Indicator Bacteria Inactivation International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph15061225 Authors: Fubin Yin Hongmin Dong Bin Shang Wanqin Zhang Faecal indicator bacteria of faecal coliform, Salmonella spp., and faecal Streptococcus are present at high levels in faecal sludge and affect human health. Mesophilic anaerobic digestion cannot reduce faecal indicator bacteria to meet the standards for biosolids; therefore, the thermal pretreatment of faecal sludge is essential. The main objectives of this research were to evaluate the effect of thermal (70 °C) pretreatment time (20, 40, 60, 80, 100, and 120 min) and mixing velocity gradient (no mixing, 133, 191, and 238 s−1) on faecal indicator bacteria inactivation and determine the kinetics of the inactivation. The results showed that mixing has a more positive effect on pretreatment; thermal pretreatment with mixing was able to completely inactivate faecal indicator bacteria within 80 min, and inactivation followed first-order kinetics. In addition, under optimal mixing at a velocity gradient 191 s−1, the thermal pretreatment with mixing had a positive effect on the sludge solubilisation. Soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD, 71,430 mg L−1) and soluble protein (7.96 g L−1) were higher than the values obtained with thermal pretreatment without mixing, which were a SCOD value of 63,600 mg L−1 and soluble protein of 6.78 g L−1.

Description: IJERPH, Vol. 15, Pages 1257: Impacts of Water Stress on Forest Recovery and Its Interaction with Canopy Height International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph15061257 Authors: Peipei Xu Tao Zhou Chuixiang Yi Hui Luo Xiang Zhao Wei Fang Shan Gao Xia Liu Global climate change is leading to an increase in the frequency, intensity, and duration of drought events, which can affect the functioning of forest ecosystems. Because human activities such as afforestation and forest attributes such as canopy height may exhibit considerable spatial differences, such differences may alter the recovery paths of drought-impacted forests. To accurately assess how climate affects forest recovery, a quantitative evaluation on the effects of forest attributes and their possible interaction with the intensity of water stress is required. Here, forest recovery following extreme drought events was analyzed for Yunnan Province, southwest China. The variation in the recovery of forests with different water availability and canopy heights was quantitatively assessed at the regional scale by using canopy height data based on light detection and ranging (LiDAR) measurements, enhanced vegetation index data, and standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI) data. Our results indicated that forest recovery was affected by water availability and canopy height. Based on the enhanced vegetation index measures, shorter trees were more likely to recover than taller ones after drought. Further analyses demonstrated that the effect of canopy height on recovery rates after drought also depends on water availability—the effect of canopy height on recovery diminished as water availability increased after drought. Additional analyses revealed that when the water availability exceeded a threshold (SPEI > 0.85), no significant difference in the recovery was found between short and tall trees (p > 0.05). In the context of global climate change, future climate scenarios of RCP2.6 and RCP8.5 showed more frequent water stress in Yunnan by the end of the 21st century. In summary, our results indicated that canopy height casts an important influence on forest recovery and tall trees have greater vulnerability and risk to dieback and mortality from drought. These results may have broad implications for policies and practices of forest management.