Valorization of Camellia oleifera oil processing byproducts to value-added chemicals and biobased materials: A critical review

The C.oleifera oil processing industry generates large amounts of solid wastes,including C.oleifera shell(COS)and C.oleifera cake(COC).Distinct from generally acknowledged lignocellulosic biomass(corn stover,bamboo,birch,etc.),Camellia wastes contain diverse bioactive substances in addition to the abundant lignocellulosic components,and thus,the biorefinery utilization of C.oleifera processing byproducts involves complicated processing technologies.This reviewfirst summarizes various technologies for extracting and converting the main components in C.oleifera oil processing byproducts into value-added chemicals and biobased materials,as well as their potential applications.Microwave,ultrasound,and Soxhlet extractions are compared for the extraction of functional bioactive components(tannin,flavonoid,saponin,etc.),while solvothermal conversion and pyrolysis are discussed for the conversion of lignocellulosic components into value-added chemicals.The application areas of these chemicals according to their properties are introduced in detail,including utilizing antioxidant and anti-in-flammatory properties of the bioactive substances for the specific application,as well as drop-in chemicals for the substitution of unrenewable fossil fuel-derived products.In addition to chemical production,biochar fabricated from COS and its applications in thefields of adsorption,supercapacitor,soil remediation and wood composites are comprehensively reviewed and discussed.Finally,based on the compositions and structural characteristics of C.oleifera byproducts,the development of full-component valorization strategies and the expansion of the appli-cationfields are proposed.

Upcycling plastic wastes into value-added products via electrocatalysis and photoelectrocatalysis

Plastic,renowned for its versatility,durability,and cost-effectiveness,is indispensable in modern society.Nevertheless,the annual production of nearly 400 million tons of plastic,coupled with a recycling rate of only 9%,has led to a monumental environmental crisis.Plastic recycling has emerged as a vital response to this crisis,offering sustainable solutions to mitigate its environmental impact.Among these recycling efforts,plastic upcycling has garnered attention,which elevates discarded plastics into higher-value products.Here,electrocatalytic and photoelectrocatalytic treatments stand at the forefront of advanced plastic upcycling.Electrocatalytic or photoelectrocatalytic treatments involve chemical reactions that facilitate electron transfer through the electrode/electrolyte interface,driven by electrical or solar energy,respectively.These methods enable precise control of chemical reactions,harnessing potential,current density,or light to yield valuable chemical products.This review explores recent progress in plastic upcycling through electrocatalytic and photoelectrocatalytic pathways,offering promising solutions to the plastic waste crisis and advancing sustainability in the plastics industry.

Artificial photosynthesis for high-value-added chemicals:Old material,new opportunity

Solar energy utilization has drawn attention due to ever-increasing environmental and energy issues.Photoelectrochemical(PEC)and photocatalytic(PC)water splitting for hydrogen production,which is the most popular and well-established solar-to-chemical conversion process,has been studied thoroughly to date but is now facing limitations related to low conversion efficiency.To resolve this issue,research in PEC cells or photocatalysts has recently aimed to produce alternative value-added chemicals by modifying their redox reactions,which potentially enables high economic reward to compensate for the low efficiency.Here,various kinds of redox reactions that decouple classic water splitting reactions to produce value-added chemicals via PEC and PC processes are introduced.Successful coupling of CO_(2) reduction,O_(2) reduction and organic synthesis with either water oxidation or water reduction is comprehensively discussed from the perspective of basic fundamental and product selectivity in terms of the band structure of materials,cocatalyst design,and thermodynamics and kinetics of the reactions.Throughout the review,future challenges and opportunities are suggested with respect to the redesigned artificial synthesis,which might be an alternative development for the commercialization of PEC or PC value-added chemical production technologies in the near future.

Food processing wastewater purification by microalgae cultivation associated with high value-added compounds production——A review

Microalgae have been considered as an efficient microorganism for wastewater treatment with simultaneously bioenergy and high value-added compounds production.However,the high energy cost associated with complicated biorefinery(e.g.microalgae cultivation,harvesting,drying,extraction,conversion,and purification)is a critical challenge that inhibits its large-scale application.Among different nutrition(e.g.carbon,nitrogen and phosphorous)sources,food processing wastewater is a relative safe and suitable one for microalgae cultivation due to its high organic content and low toxicity.In this review,the characteristic of different food wastewater is summarized and compared.The potential routes of value-added products(i.e.biofuel,pigment,polysaccharide,and amino acid)production along with wastewater purification are introduced.The existing challenges(e.g.biorefinery cost,efficiency and mechanism)of microalgal-based wastewater treatment are also discussed.The prospective of microalgae-based food processing wastewater treatment strategies(such as microalgae-bacteria consortium,poly-generation of bioenergy and value-added products)is forecasted.It can be observed that food wastewater treatment by microalgae could be a promising strategy to commercially realize waste source reduce,conversion and reutilization.

Influence of Pt/Ru anodic ratio on the valorization of ethanol by PEM electrocatalytic reforming towards value-added products

The ethanol electro-reforming process was studied over PtRu/C catalysts synthesized by the modified polyol method with different compositions.In particular,this work reports the influence of anodic Pt:Ru ratio(5:1,2:1 and 1:2)on the organic product distribution(acetaldehyde,acetic acid and ethyl acetate)and pure hydrogen generation at different current densities operation levels.Physicochemical characterization of the catalysts was made by X-ray diffraction(XRD),temperature-programmed reduction(TPR)and N_(2) adsorption-desorption measurements.XRD patterns showed that Ru is introduced into the Pt structure,forming an alloy between both metals.Also,the degree of alloy was higher by increasing the Ru amounts.From TPR profiles Pt was found to be properly reduced while Ru was both in metallic state and forming RuO2.The electrochemical behaviour of each catalyst towards ethanol electroreforming process was investigated through electrochemical techniques in a half cell and a single proton exchange membrane(PEM)cell systems.An intermediate Pt:Ru ratio was found to result in high current density and electrochemical surface area(ECSA)values along with lower amounts of adsorbed species.Also,Ru addition seems to diminish the degree of degradation of the catalyst.Based on characterization and in agreement with essays carried out in a PEM cell at mild conditions(80℃ and 1 atm),PtRu/C 2:1 anode provided the best electrocatalytic results in terms of current density(740 mA cm^(-2)),hydrogen production and selectivity toward acetic acid(up to 15%apart from acetaldehyde and ethyl acetate)while requiring the lowest energy consumption.

Brief analysis on value-added tax transformation and its influence on enterprises

From Jan. 1st, 2009, the value-added tax transformation will be performed in all industries around the country. Based on value-added tax types and retrospection of reform practices, this article analyzes the background of the national value-added tax transformation and points out the influence of full implementation of the value-added tax transformation on various enterprises.

Evolution trends and structural decomposition of China's green value-added over 40 years of reform and opening-up

China's 40-year history of reform and opening-up includes rapid economic development as well as pollution and environmental governance.Using a four-stage division,this study explores the evolution trend and structural decomposition of China's green value-added by constructing a non-competitive input-output table for environmental pollution from 1978 to 2017.The results indicate that pollution production coefficients increased continuously,and the green value-added index decreased.Additionally,the structural decomposition showed that investment and export were critical for economic growth during the period,though they were accompanied by serious pollution problems.The pollution generated by the raw material(represented by coal mining)and processing industries(represented by the textiles)were not controlled effectively.Pollution treatment for these industries should be strengthened in the future.The study has implications for government officials,policy makers,and academics.First,China should make green development a core concept for economic development,increase environmental pollution governance,develop a“green GDP,”incorporate the external costs of environmental pollution into the national economic accounting system.Second,it must change the investment and export structure as well as the traditional economic development pattern that exacerbates pollution.Specifically,the country should develop industries with low pollution and promote the export of industries producing high value-added products and increase green GDP per capita.Third,it should closely monitor the development of highly polluting industries.Upgrading technology to reduce pollution and strengthening pollution treatment will reduce the number of polluting industries and improve environmental governance efficiency.

Reactive ball-milling synthesis of Co-Fe bimetallic catalyst for efficient hydrogenation of carbon dioxide to value-added hydrocarbons

Catalytic hydrogenation of CO_(2) using renewable hydrogen not only reduces greenhouse gas emissions,but also provides industrial chemicals.Herein,a Co-Fe bimetallic catalyst was developed by a facile reactive ball-milling method for highly active and selective hydrogenation of CO_(2) to value-added hydrocarbons.When reacted at 320℃,1.0 MPa and 9600 mL h^(-1) g_(cat)^(-1),the selectivity to light olefin(C_(2)^(=)-C_(4)^(=)) and C_(5)+ species achieves 57.3% and 22.3%,respectively,at a CO_(2) co nversion of 31.4%,which is superior to previous Fe-based catalysts.The CO_(2) activation can be promoted by the CoFe phase formed by reactive ball milling of the Fe-Co_(3)O_(4) mixture,and the in-situ Co_(2)C and Fe_(5)C_(2) formed during hydrogenation are beneficial for the C-C coupling reaction.The initial C-C coupling is related to the combination of CO species with the surface carbon of Fe/Co carbides,and the sustained C-C coupling is maintained by self-recovery of defective carbides.This new strategy contributes to the development of efficient catalysts for the hydrogenation of CO_(2) to value-added hydrocarbons.

PoC: An IMS-based Wireless Value-added Service

This article introduces the Push-to-talk over Cellular( PoC) service, a new mobile value-added service based on the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS). Its implementation scheme is discussed and its Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) signaling exchange flow is described. Target user groups are predicted based on the analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the PoC service. The article purports that the PoC system could undoubtedly be used as a platform for new services such as multimedia messaging, instant messaging, presence, and picture receiving and sending. Just like the short message service, the PoC service will help the terminal vendors, equipment vendors, content providers and operators setup a win-for-all industrial value chain.

Export Value-Added of China’s Manufacturing Sector:Estimation and Mechanism Analysis

Estimation of domestic and overseas value-added of manufacturing sector is an important and difficult subject for the science-based evaluation of a country＇s trade interests under global value chain. Traditional HIY approach overestimates the domestic value- added of export. Although Koopman＇s method made certain improvements, it cannot utilize traditional I/O matrix and direct input coefficient matrix under the condition of incomplete information. By creating GAMS model, this paper addresses the above-mentioned problems and employs an improved model for the estimation of variations in domestic and overseas value-added of Chinese exports between 2002 and 2012. Our results indicate that by neglecting the export of processing trade, HIY approach overestimates the domestic value- added ratio of Chinese exports. As more imported intermediate inputs have been used in the export of processing trade, the estimation result of this paper have corrected deviations in the forecast of overseas value-added ratio and its tendencies based on HIY method Further analysis of specific factors of domestic value-added of export led to the discovery that the domestic value-added of export of processing trade and mixed trade is highly vulnerable to the impact of international capital inflow. It can be seen that the improved method for the estimation of value-added has indeed corrected the deviations in the estimation of China＇s value-added. In conclusion, China should accelerate the development of export of non- processing trade and trade in high-end services, and balance the relationship of export between local firms and foreign-funded firms, with a view to improving trade dependence and increasing the trade status of Chinese manufaeturing firms in global value chain.

International Competitiveness of China’s Manufacturing Sectors:Estimation Based on Trade in Value-added

Based on trade in value-added, this paper has estimated the revealed comparative advantage （RCA） of China＇s various manufacturing sectors between 1995 and 2011 and compared with the RCA indexes measured using conventional aggregate accounting approach. Results indicate that： （1） the RCA index measured using conventional aggregate accounting approach has underestimated China＇s comparative advantage of labor-intensive sectors but overestimated China＇s comparative advantage in capital, knowledge and technology-intensive manufacturing sectors, giving rise to a serious misjudgment. （2） The RCA measured using value-added approach shows that in the industry chain layout of global manufacturing sectors, China＇s comparative advantage is still concentrated in labor-intensive manufacturing sectors but has signs of weakening; in capital, knowledge and technology-intensive sectors, China is yet to develop any significant comparative advantage; there are signs that China is developing comparative advantage in capital-intensive sectors yet China＇s comparative disadvantage in knowledge and technology-intensive sectors has no significant tendency to improve. This result not only helps correct the misjudgment of China＇s competitiveness in manufacturing sectors based on conventional aggregate accounting approach but offers important policy implications for setting strategic directions and policies for China＇s manufacturing transition and upgrade.

Distribution of Value-added Income of Collective Construction Land Entering the Market Based on the Subject Input Contribution and TOPSIS

In order to promote the revitalization and development of rural areas and protect the property rights of farmers,it is necessary to explore the reasonable distribution ratio of land value-added income in collective operating construction land.Under the existing land value-added income distribution model,the land value-added income obtained by the government is much greater than that of village collectives,and it is difficult for village collectives and farmers to enjoy greater benefits.This distribution model is not conducive to protecting the property rights of farmers.The results show that there was a positive correlation between land value-added income and land level,that is,the higher the land level was,the higher the value-added income and its ratio to the market transaction price were.According to calculation,the reasonable distribution ratio of the value-added income of collective operating construction land entering the market among the government,village collectives and farmers was 28.6%,51.1%,and 20.3%respectively.The actual land value-added income obtained by farmers was greatly improved compared with the current situation.In actual operation,this distribution mode has universal applicability.The reform of entering the market in the future also needs to raise the standards for entering the market,explore diversified interest protection channels,and strengthen the construction of rural collective management system.

Operational mechanism of comprehensive benefit evaluation of existing building energy efficient renovation project based on value-added life

The comprehensive benefit evaluation of the existing building energy efficient renovation project cannot be separated from the scientific and effective evaluation mechanism.Based on the value-added life perspective,this paper analyzes the implementation subject,standard,system and principle of the comprehensive benefit evaluation of the existing building energy efficient renovation project.It plans the process of comprehensive benefit evaluation,and builds a scientific and reasonable operation platform of evaluation system,with a view to promoting the effective implementation of the comprehensive benefit evaluation of existing building energy-saving retrofits.

Impact of body mass index on adverse kidney events in diabetes mellitus patients: A systematic-review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND The incidence of chronic kidney disease among patients with diabetes mellitus(DM)remains a global concern.Long-term obesity is known to possibly influence the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus.However,no previous meta-analysis has assessed the effects of body mass index(BMI)on adverse kidney events in patients with DM.AIM To determine the impact of BMI on adverse kidney events in patients with DM.METHODS A systematic literature search was performed on the PubMed,ISI Web of Science,Scopus,Ovid,Google Scholar,EMBASE,and BMJ databases.We included trials with the following characteristics:(1)Type of study:Prospective,retrospective,randomized,and non-randomized in design;(2)participants:Restricted to patients with DM aged≥18 years;(3)intervention:No intervention;and(4)kidney adverse events:Onset of diabetic kidney disease[estimated glomerular filtration rate(eGFR)of<60 mL/min/1.73 m2 and/or microalbuminuria value of≥30 mg/g Cr],serum creatinine increase of more than double the baseline or end-stage renal disease(eGFR<15 mL/min/1.73 m2 or dialysis),or death.RESULTS Overall,11 studies involving 801 patients with DM were included.High BMI(≥25 kg/m2)was significantly associated with higher blood pressure(BP)[systolic BP by 0.20,95%confidence interval(CI):0.15–0.25,P<0.00001;diastolic BP by 0.21 mmHg,95%CI:0.04–0.37,P=0.010],serum albumin,triglycerides[standard mean difference(SMD)=0.35,95%CI:0.29–0.41,P<0.00001],low-density lipoprotein(SMD=0.12,95%CI:0.04–0.20,P=0.030),and lower high-density lipoprotein(SMD=–0.36,95%CI:–0.51 to–0.21,P<0.00001)in patients with DM compared with those with low BMIs(<25 kg/m2).Our analysis showed that high BMI was associated with a higher risk ratio of adverse kidney events than low BMI(RR:1.22,95%CI:1.01–1.43,P=0.036).CONCLUSION The present analysis suggested that high BMI was a risk factor for adverse kidney events in patients with DM.

A phenology-based vegetation index for improving ratoon rice mapping using harmonized Landsat and Sentinel-2 data

Ratoon rice,which refers to a second harvest of rice obtained from the regenerated tillers originating from the stubble of the first harvested crop,plays an important role in both food security and agroecology while requiring minimal agricultural inputs.However,accurately identifying ratoon rice crops is challenging due to the similarity of its spectral features with other rice cropping systems(e.g.,double rice).Moreover,images with a high spatiotemporal resolution are essential since ratoon rice is generally cultivated in fragmented croplands within regions that frequently exhibit cloudy and rainy weather.In this study,taking Qichun County in Hubei Province,China as an example,we developed a new phenology-based ratoon rice vegetation index(PRVI)for the purpose of ratoon rice mapping at a 30 m spatial resolution using a robust time series generated from Harmonized Landsat and Sentinel-2(HLS)images.The PRVI that incorporated the red,near-infrared,and shortwave infrared 1 bands was developed based on the analysis of spectro-phenological separability and feature selection.Based on actual field samples,the performance of the PRVI for ratoon rice mapping was carefully evaluated by comparing it to several vegetation indices,including normalized difference vegetation index(NDVI),enhanced vegetation index(EVI)and land surface water index(LSWI).The results suggested that the PRVI could sufficiently capture the specific characteristics of ratoon rice,leading to a favorable separability between ratoon rice and other land cover types.Furthermore,the PRVI showed the best performance for identifying ratoon rice in the phenological phases characterized by grain filling and harvesting to tillering of the ratoon crop(GHS-TS2),indicating that only several images are required to obtain an accurate ratoon rice map.Finally,the PRVI performed better than NDVI,EVI,LSWI and their combination at the GHS-TS2 stages,with producer's accuracy and user's accuracy of 92.22 and 89.30%,respectively.These results demonstrate that the proposed PRVI based on HLS data can effectively identify ratoon rice in fragmented croplands at crucial phenological stages,which is promising for identifying the earliest timing of ratoon rice planting and can provide a fundamental dataset for crop management activities.

Method for evaluation of geological strength index of carbonate cliff rocks:Coupled hyperspectral-digital borehole image technique

The deterioration of unstable rock mass raised interest in evaluating rock mass quality.However,the traditional evaluation method for the geological strength index(GSI)primarily emphasizes the rock structure and characteristics of discontinuities.It ignores the influence of mineral composition and shows a deficiency in assessing the integrity coefficient.In this context,hyperspectral imaging and digital panoramic borehole camera technologies are applied to analyze the mineral content and integrity of rock mass.Based on the carbonate mineral content and fissure area ratio,the strength reduction factor and integrity coefficient are calculated to improve the GSI evaluation method.According to the results of mineral classification and fissure identification,the strength reduction factor and integrity coefficient increase with the depth of rock mass.The rock mass GSI calculated by the improved method is mainly concentrated between 40 and 60,which is close to the calculation results of the traditional method.The GSI error rates obtained by the two methods are mostly less than 10%,indicating the rationality of the hyperspectral-digital borehole image coupled evaluation method.Moreover,the sensitivity of the fissure area ratio(Sr)to GSI is greater than that of the strength reduction factor(a),which means the proposed GSI is suitable for rocks with significant fissure development.The improved method reduces the influence of subjective factors and provides a reliable index for the deterioration evaluation of rock mass.

Spectral purification improves monitoring accuracy of the comprehensive growth evaluation index for film-mulched winter wheat

In order to further improve the utility of unmanned aerial vehicle(UAV)remote-sensing for quickly and accurately monitoring the growth of winter wheat under film mulching, this study examined the treatments of ridge mulching,ridge–furrow full mulching, and flat cropping full mulching in winter wheat.Based on the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation (FCE) method, four agronomic parameters (leaf area index, above-ground biomass, plant height, and leaf chlorophyll content) were used to calculate the comprehensive growth evaluation index (CGEI) of the winter wheat, and 14 visible and near-infrared spectral indices were calculated using spectral purification technology to process the remote-sensing image data of winter wheat obtained by multispectral UAV.Four machine learning algorithms, partial least squares, support vector machines, random forests, and artificial neural network networks(ANN), were used to build the winter wheat growth monitoring model under film mulching, and accuracy evaluation and mapping of the spatial and temporal distribution of winter wheat growth status were carried out.The results showed that the CGEI of winter wheat under film mulching constructed using the FCE method could objectively and comprehensively evaluate the crop growth status.The accuracy of remote-sensing inversion of the CGEI based on the ANN model was higher than for the individual agronomic parameters, with a coefficient of determination of 0.75,a root mean square error of 8.40, and a mean absolute value error of 6.53.Spectral purification could eliminate the interference of background effects caused by mulching and soil, effectively improving the accuracy of the remotesensing inversion of winter wheat under film mulching, with the best inversion effect achieved on the ridge–furrow full mulching area after spectral purification.The results of this study provide a theoretical reference for the use of UAV remote-sensing to monitor the growth status of winter wheat with film mulching.

Value-Added Tax （VAT） on Selected Financial Transactions

This paper deals with the approach to imposing value-added tax （VAT） on financial transactions. The VAT is a highly harmonized consumption tax within the European Union （EU）. VAT operational rules have been set down by the relevant directive of the Council of the EU. Under the directive, it is possible to select either exemption or taxation of financial transactions. Only the first option is permitted in the Czech Republic. Pros and cons of both models are described, in particular, the problems with determining the difference between financial transactions and other similar performance that must always be subject to tax. Potential lower VAT revenue or tax base assessment, as appropriate, seems to be crucial in the case of the taxation of financial transactions.

Association between triglyceride-glucose index and colorectal polyps:A retrospective cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND Colorectal polyps(CPs)are frequently occurring abnormal growths in the colorectum,and are a primary precursor of colorectal cancer(CRC).The triglyceride-glucose(TyG)index is a novel marker that assesses metabolic health and insulin resistance,and has been linked to gastrointestinal cancers.AIM To investigate the potential association between the TyG index and CPs,as the relation between them has not been documented.METHODS A total of 2537 persons undergoing a routine health physical examination and colonoscopy at The First People's Hospital of Kunshan,Jiangsu Province,China,between January 2020 and December 2022 were included in this retrospective cross-sectional study.After excluding individuals who did not meet the eligibility criteria,descriptive statistics were used to compare characteristics between patients with and without CPs.Logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine the associations between the TyG index and the prevalence of CPs.The TyG index was calculated using the following formula:Ln[triglyceride(mg/dL)×glucose(mg/dL)/2].The presence and types of CPs was determined based on data from colonoscopy reports and pathology reports.RESULTS A nonlinear relation between the TyG index and the prevalence of CPs was identified,and exhibited a curvilinear pattern with a cut-off point of 2.31.A significant association was observed before the turning point,with an odds ratio(95% confidence interval)of 1.70(1.40,2.06),P<0.0001.However,the association between the TyG index and CPs was not significant after the cut-off point,with an odds ratio(95% confidence interval)of 0.57(0.27,1.23),P=0.1521.CONCLUSION Our study revealed a curvilinear association between the TyG index and CPs in Chinese individuals,suggesting its potential utility in developing colonoscopy screening strategies for preventing CRC.

＂Add-ons＂ to the Value-Added of ELTs

Teacher evaluations intend to cultivate quality among teachers. However, since they are traditionally dependent on observers and their reports that are likely biased, the procedures probably effectuate discords among the calling-teaching professionals. An evaluation procedure that can ascertain fairness in the decisions about teacher retentions, terminations, promotions, and sanctions can capture the accordance of all teachers and teacher facilitators. This paper identifies the possibility of such an evaluation system that is built upon the existing value-added methods. Drawing upon the observations and recommendations by Chetty, Friedman, and Rockoff （2012） on value-added methods of evaluation, and considering the uniqueness of ELTs （English Language Teachers） as it was observed by Borg （2006） and Lee （2010）, this paper describes the application of the value-added evaluation method, in gauging the quality of ELTs. The paper further explicates the vantages and conformities embodied in the procedure that could boost up the morale of ELTs as independent professionals of a creative art, and help them perform to their fullest potential