Preparation and Characterization of Collagens from the Skin of Northern Snakehead (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Channa argus)</Emphasis>

Channa argus, a type of snakehead fish native to China, is a popular food fish in certain Asian countries but is a known destructive invasive species in the US. In this study, the two collagens, i.e. acid-soluble collagen (ASC) and pepsin-solubilized collagen (PSC), were obtained from C. argus skin. The yield of ASC was 28.0% and that of PSC was 16.8% on the dry bases. The collagens were identified as the collagen of type I by SDS–PAGE patterns. The Tds were approximately 27.0?°C. Similar ultraviolet spectra of both collagens were observed. Fourier Transform infrared spectra indicated PSC structure had a little change due to the loss of terminal domains by pepsin digestion. The results of XRD proved that the two collagens retained their helical structures. The results suggest that the collagens isolated from C. argus can potentially be alternative sources of vertebrate collagens for use in the food and other industries.     

High Toughness and Fast Crystallization Poly(Lactic Acid)/Polyamide 11/SiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> Composites

A poly(lactic acid) (PLA)/polyamide 11 (PA11)/SiO₂ composite was mixed from PLA, PA11, and nanosilica particles through twin-screw extrusion. The PLA/PA11/SiO₂ composite was evaluated with tensile and Izod impact tests, light transmission and haze measurement, and isothermal and nonisothermal crystallization behavior determinations. The PLA/PA11/SiO₂ (97.0/3.0) composite had approximately 10.8% less ultimate tensile strength than neat PLA, but it had greater ductility and approximately ninefold greater elongation at break. A dimple morphology was observed on the fractural surface of the PLA/PA11/SiO₂ composite, indicating that the incorporation of PA11 and nanosilica particles increased the ductility of the PLA matrix. PLA with less than 3 wt% of PA11 and 0.5 phr of nanosilica particles had an Izod impact strength of 8.72 kJ/m². PA11 and nanosilica particles effectively toughened this PLA polymer; they accelerated both isothermal and nonisothermal crystallization rates and increased the crystallinities of the resulting composites under isothermal and nonisothermal crystallization processes.     

An evaluation scheme for assessing the effectiveness of intersection movement assist (IMA) on improving traffic safety

Objective: Intersection movement assist (IMA) has been recognized as one of the prominent countermeasures to reduce angle crashes at intersections, which constitute 22% of total crashes in the United States. Utilizing vehicle-based sensors, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communications, IMA offers extended vision to provide early warning for an imminent crash. However, most of IMA-related research implements their methods and strategies only in simulations, test tracks, or driving simulator studies that have quite a few assumptions and limitations and hence the effectiveness evaluations reported may not be transferable or comparable.

Methods: This study seeks to develop a generalized evaluation scheme that can be used not only to assess the effectiveness of IMA on improving traffic safety at intersections but to facilitate comparisons across similar studies. The proposed evaluation scheme utilizes the concepts of traffic conflict in terms of time-to-collision (TTC) as a crash surrogate. This approach avoids the issue of having insufficient crash frequency data for system evaluation. To measure the effectiveness of IMA on reducing traffic conflicts, a relative risk is calculated for comparing the risk of with/without using the IMA. As a proof-of-concept study, this study applied the proposed evaluation scheme and reported the effectiveness of IMA on improving traffic safety in a field operation test (FOT). Seven test scenarios were conducted at 4 intersections, and a total of 40 participants were recruited to use the IMA for 6 months.

Results: It was estimated that IMA users have 26% fewer conflicts with TTC less than 5 s and have 15% fewer conflicts with TTC less than 4 s. However, the results vary across different sites and different definitions of conflicts in terms of TTC.

Conclusions: Overall, IMA is promising to effectively reduce angle crashes related to sight obstruction and has potential to reduce not only crash frequency but crash severity.     

Depth perception,dark adaptation,vigilance and accident proneness of Chinese coal mine workers

To explore the relationships between human factors and accident proneness of coal mine workers, the depth perception, dark adaptation and vigilance abilities of 239 Chinese coal mine workers were tested and their accident proneness was surveyed with an accident proneness questionnaire. The results indicated that dark adaptation and vigilance abilities of the mine workers declined with increasing age. Vigilance had a significant negative relationship with accident proneness. There were significant differences in vigilance between coal mine workers doing different types of work. Individual difference in vigilance was relevant to the type of work that an individual did in a coal mine. The dark adaptation index had a significant positive relationship with accident proneness. Coal mine workers with weaker dark adaptation ability were also more accident prone. Some ergonomics recommendations concerning coal mine safety management in China are proposed.     

Road traffic injuries among riders of electric bike/electric moped in southern China

Objective: Electric bike/moped-related road traffic injuries have become a burgeoning public health problem in China. The objective of this study was to identify the prevalence and potential risk factors of electric bike/moped-related road traffic injuries among electric bike/moped riders in southern China.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was used to interview 3,151 electric bike/moped riders in southern China. Electric bike/moped-related road traffic injuries that occurred from July 2014 to June 2015 were investigated. Data were collected by face-to-face interviews and analyzed between July 2015 and June 2017.

Results: The prevalence of electric bike/moped-related road traffic injuries among the investigated riders was 15.99%. Electric bike/moped-related road traffic injuries were significantly associated with category of electric bike (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.36, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.01–1.82), self-reported confusion (AOR = 1.77, 95% CI, 1.13–2.78), history of crashes (AOR = 6.14, 95% CI, 4.68–8.07), running red lights (AOR = 3.57, 95% CI, 2.42–5.25), carrying children while riding (AOR = 1.96, 95% CI, 1.37–2.85), carrying adults while riding (AOR = 1.68, 95% CI, 1.23–2.28), riding in the motor lane (AOR = 2.42, 95% CI, 1.05–3.93), and riding in the wrong traffic direction (AOR = 1.63, 95% CI, 1.13–2.35). In over 77.58% of electric bike/moped-related road traffic crashes, riders were determined by the police to be responsible for the crash. Major crash-causing factors included violating traffic signals or signs, careless riding, speeding, and riding in the wrong lane.

Conclusion: Traffic safety related to electric bikes/moped is becoming more problematic with growing popularity compared with other 2-wheeled vehicles. Programs need to be developed to prevent electric bike/moped-related road traffic injuries in this emerging country.     

高铁酸盐处理有机废水的研究进展

综述了高铁酸盐去除水中藻类、细菌、烃类衍生物、药品、农药、染料等有机污染物的国内外最新研究进展,并对高铁酸盐的高效利用进行了探讨。高铁酸盐可破坏藻类和细菌细胞的完整性,将大分子芳香烃衍生物氧化为低毒的小分子中间体,将小分子链烃衍生物矿化,破坏药品、农药及染料的不饱和双键。无机矿物在溶液中负载高铁酸盐或将高分子有机物与固体高铁酸盐混合造粒,将是高铁酸盐高效利用领域的研究热点。     

Zr掺杂TiO_2介孔材料光催化降解头孢氨苄

采用固相合成法制备了Zr掺杂TiO_2(Zr-TiO_2),运用XRD技术对其进行了表征,并将其用于水中头孢氨苄的光催化降解,通过单因素实验及正交实验优化了光催化反应条件。结果表明:制备的Zr-TiO_2为锐钛矿型介孔材料,孔径约为8.12 nm;各因素对头孢氨苄去除率的影响由大到小依次为光照时间、Zr-TiO_2投加量、初始头孢氨苄质量浓度;在Zr-TiO_2投加量为1.5 g/L、初始头孢氨苄质量浓度为10 mg/L、溶液pH为7.0、光照(300 W UV)时间为1.5 h的优化条件下,头孢氨苄去除率高达99.46%;Zr-TiO_2光催化剂的重复使用性能良好。     

羟基乙叉二膦酸镀铜废液的处理及Cu~(2+)的高附加值资源化回收

采用Na BH4还原法将羟基乙叉二膦酸(HEDP)镀铜废液中的Cu~(2+)制备成纳米铜粉,并采用聚丙烯酰胺(PAM)对还原反应后的废液进行絮凝处理。研究了n(Cu~(2+))∶n(Na BH4)、还原反应温度、还原反应时间及PAM添加量对废液中剩余Cu~(2+)质量浓度的影响,并对回收的纳米铜粉进行了XRD和TEM表征。实验结果表明:当n(Cu~(2+))∶n(Na BH4)=4∶6、还原反应温度为50℃、还原反应时间为2 h时,废液中剩余Cu~(2+)质量浓度降低至1.1 mg/L,Cu~(2+)还原率达99.99%;可获得粒径为20~45 nm的近球型、高纯度、由多晶组成的纳米铜粉;当PAM添加量为10 mg/L时,废液中剩余Cu~(2+)质量浓度降至0.35 mg/L以下,达到GB 21900—2008《电镀污染物排放标准》(小于0.5 mg/L)的要求。     

口服纳米银对大鼠的生物有效性及其体内分布的研究

由于独特的抗菌特性,纳米银(AgNP)在诸多领域得到广泛应用,但是其生物有效性、动物组织分布及排出尚不清楚。将聚乙烯吡咯烷酮包被的AgNP溶液按照10 mg kg^-1给雌性SD大鼠灌胃,采用ICP-MS检测SD大鼠组织、粪便及尿液中总银浓度。实验结果表明,AgNP通过小肠吸收后,可以通过血液循环快速分布在肝、肾、脾、肺、脑等靶器官。灌胃后1 h,大鼠各组织中总银浓度达到最大值(肝、肾、脾、肺、脑中银浓度分别为0.29 ± 0.13 mg kg^-1、0.23 ± 0.04 mg kg^-1、0.17 ± 0.05 mg kg^-1、0.11 ± 0.01 mg kg^-1、0.06 ±0.02 mg kg^-1),之后银浓度随时间降低直至和对照组无显著性差异。在灌胃途径下,AgNP对SD大鼠的有效性为8.5%,且73%的AgNP是通过粪便的途径排出体外。