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Objective There has been no definite consensus on the ideal depth of acetabuloplasty, especially in cases of global pincer femoroacetabular impingement (FAI). This study aims to determine whether the depth of acetabuloplasty influences postoperative outcomes in cases of global pincer FAI. Methods Data were retrospectively collected from patients with global pincer FAI who underwent hip arthroscopy with a minimum follow‐up period of 2 years from May 2014 to December 2018. Patients with global pincer FAI were subdivided into low or high resection depth groups based on whether the intraoperative acetabular rim was resected by more than 3 mm. Radiographic measurements; arthroscopic procedures; preoperative and postoperative PROs were recorded. Achievement of MCID and PASS was compared for the VAS, mHHS, HOS‐ADL, and iHOT‐12. A paired Student t‐test was used to evaluate the significance of preoperative and postoperative PROs and two‐tailed unpaired Student t‐test was used to compare demographic data and PROs between different groups. MCID and PASS were evaluated using the chi‐square test or the Fisher's exact test. Results A total of 41 hips with global pincer FAI (15 and 26 patients in low or high resection depth groups, respectively) were included in this study. Both groups showed significant postoperative improvements in the scores of all PROs (p < 0.001). Compared to the low resection depth group, the high resection depth group had a lower degree of improvement through hip arthroscopy, which manifested as lower postoperative mHHS scores (94.29 vs. 85.08, p = 0.006), higher VAS scores (0.93 vs. 2.54, p = 0.002), and lower improvements in VAS (−5.00 vs. −3.35, p = 0.028), HOS‐ADL (34.99 vs. 23.90, p = 0.017) and iHOT‐12 (39.89 vs. 29.27, p = 0.036). Patients in high resection depth group were less likely to achieve the MCID for the VAS score compared to low resection depth group in significant (73.3 vs. 26.9%, p = 0.004). Conclusions For patients with global pincer, the outcomes in high resection depth group were slightly worse than the the low resection depth group. It is indicated that excessive resection of the acetabular rim during the procedure should be avoided. To determine whether the depth of acetabuloplasty influences outcomes in cases of global pincer FAI. The results of our study suggest that excessive resection of the acetabular rim during the procedure should be avoided.

The paper proposes a biomass cross-upgrading process that combines hydrothermal carbonization and pyrolysis to produce high-quality blast furnace injection fuel. The results showed that after upgrading, the volatile content of biochar ranged from 16.19% to 45.35%, and the alkali metal content, ash content, and specific surface area were significantly reduced. The optimal route for biochar production is hydrothermal carbonization–pyrolysis (P-HC), resulting in biochar with a higher calorific value, C=C structure, and increased graphitization degree. The apparent activation energy ( E ) of the sample ranges from 199.1 to 324.8 kJ/mol, with P-HC having an E of 277.8 kJ/mol, lower than that of raw biomass, primary biochar, and anthracite. This makes P-HC more suitable for blast furnace injection fuel. Additionally, the paper proposes a path for P-HC injection in blast furnaces and calculates potential environmental benefits. P-HC offers the highest potential for carbon emission reduction, capable of reducing emissions by 96.04 kg/t when replacing 40wt% coal injection.

The approach of choosing an effective low-carbon land-use structure by multi-objective methods is commonly used in land-use planning. A common methodology is to calculate carbon emissions and conduct scenario simulations for the future. However, most Chinese cities have not implemented the methods for monitoring carbon emissions proposed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), especially Shenzhen, which is one of the fastest-growing cities in China. This study first calculated the carbon emissions for a typical year in Shenzhen under the guidance of the IPCC. Second, nighttime light data were used to spatialize the gross domestic product to obtain the economic benefit coefficients of the various land types. Finally, a multi-objective linear programming model was used to optimize the land-use structure under different scenarios for 2020 and 2025. The results show that (i) energy consumption contributed the most to local carbon emissions in 2016, at 94.75%; (ii) carbon emissions from paddy fields, animals, and humans were the second most dominant source; (iii) the intensity of carbon emissions from different land types in 2016 was variable; and (iv) compared with the natural scenario, an optimized land-use structure could reduce carbon emissions by 5.97% by 2020 and 12.61% by 2025. Under ideal simulation conditions, the simulated land-use pattern could not only meet the requirements of economic and social development, but also could effectively reduce carbon emissions, which is of great value to land managers and decision-makers.

Urea production plays a crucial part in the worldwide agricultural economy, providing a primary supply of nitrogen for fertilizers. For storage and transport, urea is synthesized in granular form, and the prilling technology is frequently employed. In this technique, the hot liquid feed passes through an atomizer to produce small droplets, which then fall along the high tower. During the falling process, the liquid droplets gradually become solid because the internal energy is removed by the cooling air, which flows upward from the bottom. Typically, three consecutive thermal phases are analyzed for the solidification process: the liquid droplet cooling, solidification when the surface reaches freezing point, and the solid particle cooling. In this paper, the temperature distribution across the radius of the urea particles was analyzed using a heat transfer equation, which is considered a two-phase Stefan problem. The system of partial differential equations is solved numerically using the finite difference method and the enthalpy method. The temperature of the cooling air at various heights of the tower and the degree of solidification of different particle sizes were estimated and compared with data obtained from the urea factory to assess their reliability. The validation demonstrated a strong correlation between the model estimates and the real plant observations.

Photocatalysis is one of the effective methods to treat wastewater and degrade pollutants. Titania (TiO2) is usually chosen based on its superior properties and its high performance as reported in many publications. However, the properties of TiO2 may be influenced by the synthesis method. In this work, several methods were applied to synthesize TiO2, and its modified form (composite with graphene oxide) to explore the influence of synthesis method on its photocatalytic activity for the methyl orange and phenol degradation under UV light illumination. The results showed that the synthesis method significantly influences on the morphology, particle sizes and surface area of the catalysts as examined by SEM and BET techniques but did not differentiate crystal structure and crystallite dimensions of catalysts as seen by XRD measurement. TiO2 catalyst synthesized by hydrothermal method using P123 template was almost anatase phase, possessed high surface area (110 m2/g) and exhibited highest activity for methyl orange and phenol degradation under UV light illumination. However, the addition of graphene oxide to the catalyst is not yet able to improve its activity under visible light. Compared with ZnO-graphene oxide photocatalyst (almost 100% phenol degraded after 275 min of the treatment), TiO2-graphene oxide catalyst exhibited much less activity for methyl orange and phenol degradation under visible light irradiation.

Shrubland is an important type of vegetation in the semi-arid region of the western Loess Plateau, and it is of great value to the maintenance of biodiversity and soil and water conservation. Equally, there may be significant differences in the level of diversity and the community assembly patterns across different types of shrublands (desert, alpine, and secondary shrublands). This study aimed to reveal the diversity and the community assembly patterns of different types of shrublands and the environmental explanations for these by using a taxonomic and phylogenetic analysis approach, as well as by considering soil and climate factors. The diversity level of the desert shrublands was low, and the habitats of the three types of shrubland were significantly different. Precipitation may be the main environmental factor driving the variation in and diversity of these types of shrubland. All three types of shrubland were strongly affected by environmental filtering and competitive exclusion, and their community assembly patterns were similar.

The Asia-Pacific region is known as a favorite destination for global medical travelers due to its medical expertise, innovative technology, safety, attractive tourism destination and cost advantage in the recent decade. This study contributes to propose an approach which effectively assesses performance of medical tourism industry based on considering the economic impact factors as well as provides a conceptual framework for the industry analysis. Grey system theory is utilized as a major analyzing approach. According to that, factors impact on the sustainable development of medical tourism in Asia-Pacific region could be identified. The performance of each destination in this region was simultaneously revealed. The results presented an overall perspective of the medical tourism industry in the scope of the Asia-Pacific region, and in Taiwan particularly. Data was collected on six major destinations including Singapore, Thailand, India, South Korea, Malaysia and Taiwan. The results proved that tourism sources and healthcare medical infrastructures play a crucial role in promoting the healthcare travel industry, while cost advantage and marketing effectiveness were less considered. In addition, performance analyse indicated that Thailand has a good performance and stands in the top ranking, followed by Malaysia, India, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan, respectively. The revenue of Taiwan has increased slowly in the last six years, with a market worth approximately NT$20.5 billion, and the number of medical travelers is expected to increase to 777,523 by 2025. The findings of this study are expected to provide useful information for the medical tourism industry and related key players in strategic planning.

Vanadium extraction tailings, as a highly alkaline and hazardous solid waste, pose not only serious environmental risks but also severely hinder the large-scale recycling of secondary iron resources. This study proposes an innovative process of “mild alkali leaching for vanadium extraction coupled with deep calcification and dealkali removal”. The vanadium extraction slag from a steel plant in China was used as a raw material to carry out the experimental and pilot study of alkali leaching of vanadium and calcification dealkalization. Experimental results show that under the conditions of 120 °C, 1% NaOH solution, liquid-solid ratio of 4:1 to 6:1, and reaction time of 1 h, vanadium leaching rate can reach 50%, which can be effectively used as a high-value-added economic hedge. Subsequently, under the conditions of 200 °C, calcium oxide concentration of 19.29%, stirring speed of 800 rpm, liquid-solid ratio of 4:1, and reaction time of 1 h, the Na2O content in the tailings was successfully reduced to below 1%. A large number of tailings can be converted into high-quality secondary iron ore resources, which are suitable for subsequent iron-bearing briquette preparation and blast furnace ironmaking. Furthermore, pilot-scale testing in a 200 L reactor verified the engineering scalability of this combined process, maintaining a vanadium extraction rate of over 50% and an alkali removal rate of over 80%. This study provides a robust, scalable, and highly profitable pathway for the comprehensive utilization of high-alkali metallurgical solid waste.

Clonal plants in heterogeneous environments can benefit from habitat selection, giving them the ability to utilize patchily distributed resources efficiently. However, most research is conducted in a resource heterogeneous environment, and the study of heterogeneous environment of non-resource material (copper, cadmium, lead, and so on) is limited. Research into clonal plant growth under heterogeneous toxic conditions could contribute to our understanding of the strategy of the selective establishment pattern. Thus, we examined clonal growth in a heterogeneous lead environment to enhance understanding of habitat selection strategies. The growth indices (stolon-length, ramet number, biomass, and lead-concentrations) of Duchesnea indica were examined under three levels (low, moderate, and high were represented by 0, 50 and 100%) of lead contamination and two degrees of heterogeneity (low and high heterogeneity under moderate contamination) environments in a glasshouse study. Habitat selection strategy was analyzed by clone growth pattern, labor division, and risk-spreading. The clones under the moderate contamination level, especially with high heterogeneity, demonstrated the optimal growth. They expanded their growth-pattern to escape the toxic environment, and rooted more ramets in the unpolluted patches, allocating more aboveground biomass to these areas. Moreover, parent ramets transported their lead in the soil to the offspring. The offspring spread the toxic risk by accumulating lead in their roots and producing more ramets. Optimal growth of clonal plants occurred in environments moderately contaminated with lead, especially under higher heterogeneity, which performed effective survival strategy by expensive growth architecture, above-ground biomass increase and risk-spreading.

Shrub communities play an irreplaceable role in maintaining ecological security in the stressed habitat areas of Northwest China. In these areas, multiple types of shrublands coexist simultaneously. Their diversity levels and community assembly processes may perform different patterns along different stress gradients. This study using linear model fitting, principal component analysis, analyzed the species and phylogenetic diversity of desert, alpine, and secondary shrublands along the gradients of environmental stress factors such as topography, soil, and climate, which reflect low temperature, human disturbance, and drought stress habitats. The changing trend of the phylogenetic structure of different types of shrublands was also studied with using variance decomposition, and phylogenetic structure analysis, which reveals their diversity maintenance mechanisms along environmental stress gradients. The research shows that (1) the mean annual temperature is the main environmental factor shaping the diversity patterns and maintenance processes of shrub communities because low temperatures may lead to habitat filtering; (2) in the western Loess Plateau, the community assembly of different types of shrublands is dominated by deterministic processes, but the diversity and assembly patterns of different shrublands are inconsistent across different environmental stress gradients. Systematic research on the diversity characteristics and assembly patterns of different shrub communities is of great significance for clarifying the restoration, succession, and stability of stressed habitat areas.