[en] In this paper, we study the complete f-moment convergence for widely orthant dependent (WOD, for short) random variables. A general result on complete f-moment convergence for arrays of rowwise WOD random variables is obtained. As applications, we present some new results on complete f-moment convergence for WOD random variables. We also give an application to nonparametric regression models based onWOD errors by using the complete convergence that we established. Finally, the choice of the fixed design points and the weight functions for the nearest neighbor estimator are proposed, and a numerical simulation is provided to verify the validity of the theoretical result.

[en] Objective: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of SolitaireAB stent-assisted endovascular coil embolization in treating intracranial wide-necked aneurysms and to introduce the preliminary experience in its clinical application. Methods: During the period from September 2010 to March 2012, SolitaireAB stent-assisted endovascular coil embolization was carried out in 28 patients with intracranial wide-necked aneurysms (30 lesions in total) in authors, hospital. Of the 30 intracranial wide-necked aneurysms, ruptured aneurysm with bleeding was seen in 17 and unruptured aneurysm in 13. A series of cerebral angiographies were performed after the treatment and follow-up was conducted. The clinical data as well as the angiographic findings were analyzed. Results: All stents were successfully delivered. Procedure-related complications occurred in two cases (6.7%) and one of them became disabled (3.3%). Disease-induced death was seen in two patients (6.7%) and no procedure-related death occurred. According to Raymond grading for the immediate occlusion result of the aneurysm, complete obliteration (grade I) was obtained in 25 lesions, residual neck (grade II) in 2 and residual aneurysm (grade III) in 3. Twenty patients were followed up for 6-24 months (mean 13 months), and no newly-developed neurological dysfunction or re-bleeding was observed during the follow-up period. At three months after the procedure, the level of mRS score was 0-1 in 17 patients and 2 in one patient. Follow-up examinations with angiography showed that complete embolization of the aneurysm was obtained in 17 lesions (85%) and recurrence was seen in 3 lesions (15%). In small or medium-sized aneurysms (diameter < 10 mm) group only one lesion had recurrence (5%), while all the two giant aneurysms (diameter ≥ 25 mm) developed recurrence (100%). Conclusion: SolitaireAB stent has sufficient radial force and it is easily to be operated. SolitaireAB stent-assisted endovascular coil embolization is a safe and effective treatment for intracranial wide~necked aneurysms, although its long-term effectiveness needs to be further clarified with long-term follow-up observation and multi-center clinical trials. (authors)

[en] With the improvement of living standards, cancer has become a great challenge around the world during last decades, meanwhile, abundant nanomaterials have been developed as drug delivery system (DDS) or cancer theranostic agents (CTAs) with their outstanding properties. However, low multifunctional efficiency and time-consuming synthesis limit their further applications. Nowadays, green chemistry, in particular, the concept of atom economy, has defined new criteria for the simplicity and efficient production of biomaterials for nanomedicine, which not only owns the property of spatio-temporal precision imaging, but also possess the ability to treat cancer. Interestingly, metal-organic framework (MOF) is an excellent example to meet the requirements behind this concept and has great potential for next-generation nanomedicine. In this review, we summarize our recent researches and inspiring progresses in designing DDS and CTA built from MOF, aiming to show the simplicity, control, and versatility, and provide views on the development of MOF-based nanomedicine in the future. (topical review)

[en] Highlights: • MFC can convert methane to electricity but face difficulties in startup. • Methane-fueled MFC was successfully started up in a short time of 53 d. • Mo/W facilitated both methane consumption and electricity generation. • 30 °C and pH 7 buffered by PBS were deemed as suitable operation parameters. • Formate-fed electroactive culture is a suitable inoculum of methane-fueled MFC. Methane gas is widespread in natural environments and anaerobic wastewater treatment sites, bringing the risk of the greenhouse effect and energy loss if left unmanaged. A methane-fueled microbial fuel cell (MFC) can convert methane to electricity under mild condition, but faced difficulties in startup. In this study, the new startup strategy and operation performance for methane-fueled MFCs were investigated. After the pre-cultivation of formate-acclimating electroactive culture, the methane-fueled MFC was successfully started up in a short time of 53 d. Increasing concentrations of molybdenum and tungsten in medium facilitated both methane consumption and electricity generation. Under the optimal condition (batch duration of 11 h, 30 °C, pH 7 buffered by phosphate buffer solution), the methane-fueled MFC achieved the maximum power density of 166 mW/m³, a coulomb production of 6.58 ± 0.07C/batch, a CE of 27.4 ± 0.4% and a methane consumption of 31.2 ± 0.3 μmol/batch. This work explored a suitable inoculum (formate-acclimating electroactive culture) for methane-fueled MFCs.

[en] We present the joint probability density function (PDF) between the bucket signals and reference signals in thermal light ghost imaging, by regarding these signals as stochastic variables. The joint PDF allows us to examine the fractional-order moments of the bucket and the reference signals, in which the correlation orders are fractional numbers, other than positive integers in previous studies. The experimental results show that various images can be reconstructed from fractional-order moments. Negative (positive) ghost images are obtained with negative (positive) orders of the bucket signals. The visibility and peak signal-to-noise ratios of the diverse ghost images depend greatly on the fractional orders. (paper)

[en] In this research, methylene blue (MB) and orange II (OII) were effectively removed through subsequent immobilized laccase degradation on crosslinked polymethacrylate (PMMA)/carbon nanotubes (CNTs). PMMA was coated on CNTs by microemulsion polymerization, and then laccase was immobilized on the PMMA-CNTs. Laccase immobilized on PMMA-CNTs shows a high catalytic ability and stable reusability. The immobilized laccase exhibits a high specific laccase activity and a high decolorization rate on the azo dyes, which the maximum decolorization rate for MB can reach 96% and maximum decolorization rate for OII is 74%. Additionally, the decolorization rate was decreased only about 10% after 10 successive cycles. The immobilized laccase can be a promising multifunction material in wastewater treatment, which would be applied in the decolorization of azo dyes. (paper)

[en] Energy and environment as the current research hots pot, how to effectively combine the two is very important and full of challenge. In this research, we design a new type multifunctional aerogel material, which not only can applied for supuercapacitors, but also acted as adsorbents for adsorb organic pollutant. This multifunctional aerogel was prepared by one-pot hydrothermal and freeze-drying method based on elongated TiO₂ nanotubes (eTNTs) and graphene. During the hydrothermal process, the graphene nanosheets and eTNTs self-assembled into three-dimensional (3D) interconnected networks, in which the eTNTs with uniform size are intercalate the pore interconnected framework. The results show that the as-prepared eTNTs/graphene aerogel (TGA) exhibits a high specific surface area of 343.2 m² g⁻¹. The highly porous and interconnected 3D nanostructure provided efficient migration of electrolyte ions and electrons, and thus the TGA exhibited excellent electrochemical performance for supercapacitors. The binder free TGA electrode possessed high performance electrochemical properties with an excellent specific capacitance (476.8 F g⁻¹ at scan rate of 5 mV s⁻¹), and outstanding cycle stability (92% capacitance retention after 5000 cycles). In addition, the TGA also showed admirable adsorption capacity for organic pollutant of bisphenol A, which reached 523.5 mg g⁻¹. The excellent electrochemical and adsorption capacities suggest the TGA to be the promising materials application in energy storage and environmental remediation. (paper)

[en] Highlights: • The new three-dimensional electrode system with the nitrogen-doped graphene aerogels particle electrodes is developed. • The optimal technique parameters were explored. • Simulated BPA waste waters are effectively degraded. • Degradation pathway and intermediates are proposed. • Three-dimensional electrode system shows good and stable removal performance. - Abstract: The treatment of effluent containing Bisphenol A (BPA) was investigated experimentally using nitrogen-doped graphene aerogel (NGAs) as particle electrodes in a three-dimensional electrode reactor for the electrochemical treatment was studied. The effects of the cell voltage, pH, the ratio of NGAs mass to solution volume and repeated times on the removal efficiency were investigated. Compared with commercial carbon particle electrodes, the NGAs exhibited stronger activity to remove BPA simulated wastewater. For 15 mg L"−"1 of BPA solution, the degradation rate of BPA exceeded 90% after treatment for only 30 min under the optimum conditions. The COD_C_r removal rate of BPA was 85%. Moreover, in the process of reused 50 times, the degradation rate of BPA can be kept in more than 85%. The COD_C_r removal rate was stable at about 73%. The intermediate products of electrochemical degradation of BPA were identified by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry liquid chromatography (LC–MS), and a probable BPA degradation pathway was proposed. It was considered that ·OH radicals by water electrolysis could constantly attack the aromatic ring to form various intermediates such as hydroxylated-BPA, isopropylphenol, hydroquinone, phenol and butantetraol, maleic acid, oxalic acid. These compounds were eventually mineralized by electrolysis into CO_2 and H_2O.

[en] To address the severe nitrate contamination of water sources, a Cu/Ni bimetallic composite electrode was successfully prepared via cathodic electrodeposition method. Characterization by scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction confirmed that Cu nanoparticles were successfully deposited on the surface of Ni foam as irregular spherical structures with a diameters of 900 nm. The Cu/Ni electrode was applied as a cathode in nitrate electroreduction experiments, achieving nearly complete removal of nitrate within 60 min compared to a Ni foam electrode (15.0% removal). The improved performance was attributed to the dramatically increased catalytically active sites and the decreased resistance of the electrode, as shown by linear sweep voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy analyses. The parameters influencing electrolysis, including current density, Cl⁻ concentration, and solution pH were evaluated. It was concluded that (a) Increasing the current density favored nitrate removal, but reduced the electronic energy utilization efficiency; (b) Cl⁻ presence hindered nitrate removal slightly, but facilitated NH₄⁺-N removal significantly; (c) Acidic conditions were detrimental to nitrate and total nitrogen removal. Additionally, reusability experiments of the Cu/Ni electrode over eight cycles were performed. These indicated that the Cu/Ni electrode possessed excellent stability, maintaining a high removal efficiency of >95.0% over eight cycles. Finally, a possible removal pathway of nitrate electroreduction with the Cu/Ni cathode was proposed.

[en] Highlights: • MnO₂/MWCNT composites were used for the first time in the electrocatalysis system. • The self-made electrode exhibited high catalytic activity and reusability. • Electrooxidation and electroreduction simultaneously occurred in TBBPA decomposition. • Intermediates were identified and possible degradation pathway was proposed. -- Abstract: In this study, MnO₂/MWCNT hybrids, prepared using a solvothermal method, were coated onto Ni foam and then used as a cathode for tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) degradation. The reaction was confirmed to exhibit the pseudo first-order kinetics. Compared with the original Ni foam cathode, the fabricated electrode exhibited higher catalytic activity, attributed to its strong cross-linking and ability to produce catalytic free radicals. Radical scavenger experiments revealed that O₂⁻ and OH were involved in the decomposition of TBBPA. The effects of current density, pH, catalyst dosage, and initial TBBPA concentration on removal efficiency were further studied. An optimal removal rate of 98.3% was achieved while the rate constant reached values up to 0.07293 min⁻¹ and the debromination rate was more than 75.4% within 60 min. The electrode showed high catalytic performance and low catalyst loss after 10 cycles, indicating its excellent stability and reusability. The probable mechanism and pathway of TBBPA degradation were suggested based on the analysis of intermediate products. It could be inferred that the decomposition of TBBPA involved CC bond breaks (oxidation) and debromination (reduction). The MnO₂/MWCNT-Ni foam could be a promising cathode material for electrochemical degradation of halogenated organic compounds.