[en] Manas River Basin (MRB) is a typical mountains-oases-desert arid inland river basin in the Northwest China. Its oases plain is an important economic agricultural production area. With the increase of population and land reclamation in the MRB, water shortage problem is getting seriously in the past decades. The continuous decline of groundwater level, groundwater salinization and environmental degradation are threatening sustainable development of the local economy. It is significant to understand the mechanism of groundwater salinization for water utilization, soil salinization controlling and environmental protection in the MRB. Based on field investigation and system analysis of regional groundwater flow, surface water, aquifer groundwater and aquitard porewater in the MRB were collected and their hydrochemistry, stable and radioactive isotopes were measured. Soil water content, temperature and EC were monitored by using the 5TE sensors and soil evaporation rates were monitored by using the micro-lysimeters in the field. Artificial bromide tracers were used to evaluate groundwater evaporation rates. Soil column experiments and numerical simulation of flow and salt transport were carried out to understand the interaction processes of evaporation and salt accumulation. The results show that the salinization or total dissolved solids of groundwater are different at different location of the MRB. The hydrogeochemical and isotopic characteristics revealed groundwater salinity in the piedmont area was low with fast freshwater infiltration and low evaporation. The average salinity increased along the groundwater flow paths because of mineral dissolution, evapotranspiration, and agricultural activities. Groundwater received modern water recharge from irrigation and channel leakage with flushed soil evaporites in the middle alluvial– diluvial plain. Direct evaporation occupied 1-59% of groundwater loss and contributed 0.14-49.85% to salinity in different aquifers at different location based on the deuterium excess method. The saline porewater released from aquitards due to overexploitation is an important factor for groundwater salinization of the middle and deep aquifers in the depression zone. The average evaporation rates of phreatic water between May and August of 2017 was 0.04-2.26 mm/day estimated by Bromide tracing. Evaporation rates reached up to the maximum value after precipitation. When soil water content reduced, the rates decreased in the desert area and nonsaline soils. The low water content is the major factor that restricts soil evaporation rates. While in the saline soils, the salt content in the soils and salt crusts on the land surface reduce the soil evaporation rates. The results of soil column experiment showed that the solution concentrations affected the evaporation rates in saturated soils. The higher solution concentrations, the lower evaporation rates happened. Evaporation from saturated zone resulted in salt precipitates and salt crust on the soil surface. The evaporation rates increased at the early stage, and then slowed down due to the salts crust growth.

[en] Aim: To describe the imaging findings of jejunal diverticulitis as depicted at contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) and review the differential diagnosis and clinical management. Materials and Methods: CT and pathology databases were searched for the diagnosis of jejunal diverticulitis. Three cases were identified and the imaging and clinical findings correlated. Results: Jejunal diverticulitis presents as a focal inflammatory mass involving the proximal small bowel. A trial of medical management with antibiotics may be attempted. Surgical resection may be required if medical management is unsuccessful. Conclusion: The imaging findings at MDCT may allow a specific diagnosis of jejunal diverticulitis to be considered and may affect the clinical management of the patient

[en] Water table depth is a critical factor affecting infiltration recharge and groundwater evaporation, both of which are key aspects of the hydrological process in the unsaturated zone. To evaluate the effect of water table depth on the hydrological process in the unsaturated zone, a lysimeter experiment incorporating a 1-year-long bromide tracer test was conducted to determine the unsaturated zone flow process under different water table conditions. The experimental results clearly indicated that water table depth determines the storage capacity of the unsaturated zone, thereby affecting the hydrological process in the unsaturated zone. The decline of the water table increased the maximum water deficit that consumed the infiltrated water and reduced the actual recharge quantity. Evaporation only affected the unsaturated zone above the extinction depth of evaporation (EDE), and consequently, groundwater evaporation tended to be extinct in association with the decline of the water table. The relative position of the water table and EDE changed the unsaturated zone flow. When the water table was above the EDE, downward and upward fluxes were dominated by infiltration recharge and groundwater evaporation, respectively, but would restrict each other, as demonstrated by the negative relationship between an irrigation event and groundwater evaporation. Soil water moved predominantly downward when the water table was below the EDE; a deep unsaturated zone entailed a long infiltration path, which smoothed the temporal variability of the recharge rate and increased the time lag in recharge. Groundwater evaporation caused the upward transport of bromide, which proved to be significant for the evaluation of evaporation quantity. The application of the bromide tracer method should meet certain prerequisites such as application of a rain shelter and appropriate injection depth. The bromide tracer was proved to be efficient for tracing the unsaturated zone flow and presents an innovative method for evaluating groundwater evaporation.

[en] With the increasing ability of Member States to analyse stable isotopes on their own, the Isotope Hydrology Laboratory (IHL) is turning its focus to radioisotopes, including tritium-helium-3 and noble gas isotopes, for groundwater dating. Noble gas isotopes dissolved in groundwater provide valuable information about climatic conditions during recharge, as well as the residence time of groundwater and its renewal rate. The isotope composition of noble gases can also serve as a geochemical fingerprint to decipher the origin of groundwater and its flow patterns. The Isotope Hydrology Laboratory (IHL) of the IAEA is fully equipped with the equipment required to measure with high precision noble gas concentrations and stable isotopes of noble gases from groundwater samples (such as ³He, ⁴He, ²⁰Ar, ²²Ar, etc.)

[en] The programme of this CRP is focused on the analyses of human hair samples. There are only two human hair samples certified for total mercury, and no RMs for methylmercury compounds is available. One of the main objectives of this CRP is to produce, through the IAEA AQCS Programme, a human hair intercomparison material for quality assurance requirements in population monitoring programmes for total and methylmercury exposure. Through the reporting period, MESL has introduced a new method for simultaneous determination of total and methylmercury in biological samples. As the laboratory has close collaboration with the CRP's Reference Laboratory in Ljubljana, Slovenia, it has also been actively involved in the quality assurance component of this CRP. This report represents a summary on the results for total and methylmercury in two intercomparison samples, IAEA-085 and IAEA-086 using newly developed method

[en] We have evaluated the structural and chemical properties of InGaN films and InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells (MQWs) using various X-ray scattering methods such as high-Q diffraction, anomalous X-ray scattering reciprocal space mapping, and grazing incidence X-ray scattering. The strain and the indium composition of InGaN films are determined from the reciprocal space maps near the (1 0 1bar3) and by anomalous X-ray scattering spectra obtained near the In K absorption edge at the InGaN (0 0 0 6) Bragg peak. Combining the anomalous X-ray scattering spectra and regular X-ray diffraction pattern, the Poisson's ratio of InGaN is determined to be ν∼0.23. The structure of MQWs is also investigated at high-Q ranges including the (0 0 0 6) and the (0 0 0 8) Bragg peaks where InGaN Bragg reflections are well resolved from the GaN reflections

[en] Specific [3H]estradiol-17 beta ([3H]E2) binding activity (EBA) with characteristics of an estrogen receptor (ER) was demonstrated in cytosols and nuclear extracts of the female turtle, Chrysemys picta. Three different receptor assays (dextran-coated charcoal assay, hydroxylapatite batch procedure, and DNA-cellulose chromatography) were evaluated in terms of their applicability in analyzing large numbers of samples. For the measurement of cytosolic EBA, the hydroxylapatite batch procedure was found to be the most reliable assay. On the other hand, the dextran-coated charcoal assay was found to be the most appropriate method for the measurement of nuclear EBA. Turtle hepatic EBA binds [3H]E2 with high affinity (cytosolic, 17.4 +/- 2.8 X 10(9) M-1; nuclear, 17.7 +/- 1.9 X 10(9) M-1), limited capacity (cytosolic, 133.7 +/- 4.6 fmol/g tissue; nuclear, 81.1 +/- 9.0 fmol/g tissue), and strict steroid specificity. The EBA bound natural estrogens (E2, estrone, estriol) as well as the nonsteroidal estrogen, diethylstilbestrol, but exhibited little affinity for androgens, progesterone, or corticosterone. The turtle hepatic EBA resembled mammalian and avian ERs in terms of binding characteristics; however, unlike mammalian and avian ERs it was shown to be heat-labile. Incubation at 30 degrees caused rapid loss of [3H]E2 binding activity in both cytosolic and nuclear fractions. The exchange between [3H]E2 and the endogenously bound estrogen was slow at 4 and 15 degrees, but the exchange process was facilitated in the presence of the chaotropic salt, NaSCN. Establishment of quantitation methods for both cytosolic and nuclear forms of EBA will enable future investigation of the mechanism and regulation of estrogen action in the liver of this turtle species

[en] Nine different kinds of polyether acrylic isocyanate oligomers were synthesized. The effect of their structures and molecular weight on radiation curing rate, curing dose and final gel content was investigated. The following results were obtained. 1. The concept of critical curing dose was defined. 2. The curing rate and final gel content of the acrylate oligomers of same morphology increases with the decreases of its molecular weight, while the critical curing dose increases with it. 3. A formula of radiation curing rate related with gel content and unsaturation has been found by kinetic analysis, and is presented. (author)

[en] A La-deficient manganite perovskite sample La_0.54Ca_0.32MnO_3-δ was prepared by conventional solid-state reaction method. The Curie temperature T_C is 272 K, about 10 K higher than that of La_1-xCa_xMnO₃. A large magnetic entropy change has been observed and the maximum -ΔS_M∼2.9J/kgK appears at its Curie temperature upon a 0.9 T magnetic field change. The easy fabrication and higher chemical stability make La_0.54Ca_0.32MnO_3-δ a suitable candidate as a working substance in magnetic refrigeration technology. [copyright] 2001 American Institute of Physics

[en] Objective: To investigate the correlations of cognitive function with serum levels of homocysteine (Hcy), sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), and leptin in patients with schizophrenia. Methods: This was retrospective study. This study included 58 patients with schizophrenia (SCZ) as observation group and 60 clinically healthy individuals as control group admitted to Xiangshan County Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine Medical and Health Group Third Hospital from March 2022 to June 2023. Serum levels of Hcy, SHBG, and leptin in the two groups were measured, and Pearson correlation analysis was conducted to investigate the correlations between the Hcy, SHBG, and leptin levels and the psychiatric symptoms and cognitive function in the observation group. Results: The Hcy and SHBG levels in the observation group were significantly higher than those in the control group (p<0.05, respectively), and the leptin level was lower than that in the control group (p<0.05). The observation group scored significantly lower than the control group for each dimension of the MCCB (p<0.05, respectively). In the observation group, Hcy was positively correlated with negative symptoms and the PANSS total score (p<0.05, respectively) and was negatively correlated with scores for the leptin was negatively correlated with negative symptoms and the PANSS total score (p<0.05, respectively) and was positively correlated with scores for speed of processing (SOP), WMS-III, BVMT, and MSCEIT (p<0.05, respectively). Conclusions: Increased levels of Hcy and SHBG and decreased leptin are strongly associated with the occurrence of cognitive impairment in SCZ cases. Therefore, clinical observation and monitoring of these markers can help identify changes in patient conditions. (author)