Selective recovery of lithium from simulated brine using different organic synergist

The organic synergists, including Octanol, ethyl acetate(EA), butyl acetate(BA), methyl isobutyl ketone(MIBK),diisobutyl ketone(DIBK), N,N-bis(2-ethylhexyl) acetamide(N523) and 8-hydroxylquiolate, were added to the TBP–FeCl_3 extraction system to extract lithium from brine. The effects of concentration of organic synergist and total organic extractant, molar ratio of Fe/Li, phase ratio, counter-current extraction and the acidity of stripping agent on lithium extraction were investigated to optimize the extraction conditions. Under the optimize conditions, the results of counter-current extraction showed the mixed extraction system was the preponderance on the lithium extraction. Especially the separation of lithium in organic phase and aqueous phase and the separation mass ratio of Mg/Li increased greatly. An extraction mechanism was proposed based on the analysis of FT-IR spectra and Raman spectra.

Understanding of mineral change mechanisms in coal mine groundwater reservoir and their influences on effluent water quality:a experimental study

This paper presents results of an experimental study to characterize the law of mineral change of fallen rock in coal mine groundwater reservoir ant its influence on water quality.The minerals of the underground reservoir of Daliuta Coal Mine is taken as the research object.Simulation experiments were designed and conducted to simulate water–rock action in the laboratory.The mineral composition was analyzed by X-ray diffractometer(XRD),the surface morphology of the mineral was analyzed by scanning electron microscope(SEM),and the specific surface area,total pore volume and average pore diameter of the mineral were measured by fast specific surface/pore analyzer(BET).The experimental results show that the sandstone and mudstone in the groundwater reservoir of Daliuta Coal Mine account for 70%and 30%,respectively.The pore diameter is 15.62–17.55 nm,and pore volume is 0.035 cc/g.Its pore structure is a key factor in the occurrence of water–rock interaction.According to the water–rock simulation experiment,the quartz content before the water–rock action is about 34.28%,the albite is about 21.84%,the feldspar is about 17.48%,and the kaolinite is about 8.00%.After the water–rock action,they are 36.14%,17.78%,11.62%,and 16.75%,respectively.The content of albite and orthoclase is reduced while the content of kaolinite is increased,that is,the Na+content becomes higher,and the Ca2+and Mg2+contents become lower.This research builds a good theoretical foundation for revealing the role of water and rock in underground coal reservoirs.

Deep Multimodal Learning and Fusion Based Intelligent Fault Diagnosis Approach

Industrial Internet of Things(IoT)connecting society and industrial systems represents a tremendous and promising paradigm shift.With IoT,multimodal and heterogeneous data from industrial devices can be easily collected,and further analyzed to discover device maintenance and health related potential knowledge behind.IoT data-based fault diagnosis for industrial devices is very helpful to the sustainability and applicability of an IoT ecosystem.But how to efficiently use and fuse this multimodal heterogeneous data to realize intelligent fault diagnosis is still a challenge.In this paper,a novel Deep Multimodal Learning and Fusion(DMLF)based fault diagnosis method is proposed for addressing heterogeneous data from IoT environments where industrial devices coexist.First,a DMLF model is designed by combining a Convolution Neural Network(CNN)and Stacked Denoising Autoencoder(SDAE)together to capture more comprehensive fault knowledge and extract features from different modal data.Second,these multimodal features are seamlessly integrated at a fusion layer and the resulting fused features are further used to train a classifier for recognizing potential faults.Third,a two-stage training algorithm is proposed by combining supervised pre-training and fine-tuning to simplify the training process for deep structure models.A series of experiments are conducted over multimodal heterogeneous data from a gear device to verify our proposed fault diagnosis method.The experimental results show that our method outperforms the benchmarking ones in fault diagnosis accuracy.

Interlayer and intralayer co-modified flexible V_(2)CT_(X) MXene@SWCNT films for high-power Li-ion capacitors

As an emerging member of the two-dimensional(2D)material family,V_(2)CT_(X)MXene shows great potential in the application of lithium-ion capacitors(LICs)due to its unique structure and excellent electrical conductivity.However,severe nanosheets stacking and intra-layer transport barriers have limited the further development of V_(2)CT_(X)MXene-based materials.Herein,we prepared Kions and–O functional group co-modified V_(2)CT_(X)MXene(VCT-K)and further incorporated it with single-walled carbon nanotube(SWCNT),obtaining freestanding V_(2)CT_(X)composite films(VCT-K@C)with the 3D conductive network.Significantly,K+ions were introduced into V_(2)CT_(X)MXene to stabilize the interlayer structure and prevent the aggregation of nanosheets,the terminal group of–O was controllably modified on the surface of MXene to improve the Li+ions storage reversible capacities and the SWCNT acted as the bridge between MXene nanosheets to opens up the channels for ion/electron transportation in the longitudinal direction.Benefited from the synergistic effect of VCT-K and SWCNT,the VCT-K@C exhibits superior reversible specific capacities of 671.8 mA h g^(-1)at 0.1 A g^(-1)and 318 mA h g^(-1)at 1.0 A g^(-1).Furthermore,the assembled LICs with VCT-K@C anode coupling activated carbon(AC)cathode deliver an outstanding power density of 19.0 kW kg^(-1)at 67.4 Wh kg^(-1),a high energy density of 140.5 Wh kg^(-1)at 94.8 W kg^(-1)and a stable capacitance retention of 86%after 6000 cycles at 10 A g^(-1).Such unique structures and excellent electrochemical properties are expected to pave the way for the large-scale application in LICs of MXene-based materials.

Clinical Efficacy of Western Medicine Combined with Chinese Medicine for Pelvic Inflammatory Disease(Damp-Heat and Stasis Type)

Objective:This study was undertaken to evaluate the clinical efficacy of Western medicine combined with Chinese medicine for pelvic inflammatory disease(damp-heat and stasis type).Methods:Seventy-four patients who were diagnosed with pelvic inflammatory disease(damp-heat and stasis type)by our hospital during July 2021 to July 2022 were randomized into two groups:the participants in the control group received conventional Western medicine treatment,and the participants in the study group received Western medicine combined with Chinese medicine.Results:After treatment,the total effectiveness of the control group(72.98%)was significantly lower than that of the study group(94.59%),(P<0.05);the whole blood viscosity high cut,whole blood viscosity low cut,fibrinogen and plasma viscosity of the control group were all lower than those of the study group(P<0.05);the levels of CRP,IL-6,and TNF-αin the control group were higher and IL-2 levels in the control group were lower than those in the study group(P<0.05).Conclusion:Western medicine combined with Chinese medicine is more effective in curing damp-heat and stasis-type pelvic inflammatory disease by improving the blood rheological indexes and lowering the level of inflammatory factors.

Clinical Observation on the Treatment of Early Pre-Eclampsia Abortion with the Combination of Enhanced “Shou Tai Wan” Soup and Progesterone

Objective:To investigate the clinical efficacy of the combination of enhanced“Shou Tai Wan”soup and progesterone in the treatment of early pre-eclampsia miscarriage.Methods:86 patients with early pre-eclampsia miscarriage in our hospital from July 2021 to July 2022 were selected and randomly divided into two groups of 43 cases each.The control group was treated with progesterone,while the study group was treated with an addition of enhanced“Shou Tai Wan”soup.The treatment effects of the two groups and the changes in the inflammatory factor levels and sex hormone levels before and after the treatment were observed.Results:INF-γand Il-2 were lower and IL-4 was higher in the study group than in the control group after treatment(p-value<0.05);the total effective rate of treatment was higher in the study group(95.35%)than in the control group(74.42%),(p-value<0.05);the levels of P,E2 andβ-hCG were higher in the study group than in the control group after treatment(p-value<0.05).Conclusion:The combined application of enhanced“Shou Tai Wan”soup and progesterone in patients with early preterm abortion is more effective by improving the patients’sex hormone levels and reducing the level of inflammatory factors,which is conducive to the improvement of the treatment effect and worthy of promotion.

Activated carbon fibers with manganese dioxide coating for flexible fiber supercapacitors with high capacitive performance

Fiber supercapacitor(FSC)is a promising power source for wearable/stretchable electronics and high capacitive performance of FSCs is highly desirable for practice flexible applications.Here,we report a composite of manganese dioxide(Mn O_2)and activated carbon fibers(ACFs)with high MnO_2mass loading and microporous structure(abbreviated as Mn O_2@ACF),which is used as a fiber electrode to produce a FSC with a high capacitive performance and a good flexibility.The MnO_2@ACF composite electrode in FSCs delivers an ultrahigh specific capacitance of 410 mF/cm^2at 0.1 mA/cm^2,corresponding to a high energy density of 36μWh/cm^2and high power density of 726μW/cm^2.Such high capacitive performance and simple fabrication method indicates that the Mn O_2@ACF composite is a very promising electrode material for flexible fiber supercapacitors.

Coking-resistant Ni-ZrO_2/Al_2O_3 catalyst for CO methanation

Highly coke-resisting ZrO2-decorated Ni/A1203 catalysts for CO methanation were prepared by a two-step process. The support was first loaded with NiO by impregnating method and then modified with ZrO2 by deposition-precipitation method （IM-DP）. Nitrogen adsorption- desorption, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, thermogravimetdc analysis, H2 temperature- programmed reduction and desorption, NH3 temperature-programmed desorption, and zeta potential analysis were employed to characterize the samples. The results revealed that, compared with the catalysts with the same composition prepared by co-impregnation （CI） and sequential impregnation （SI） methods, the Ni/A1203 catalyst prepared by IM-DP showed much enhanced catalytic performance for syngas methanation under the condition of atmospheric pressure and a high weight hourly space velocity of 120000 mL.g-1 .h-1. In a 80 h life time test under the condition of 300-600 ~C and 3.0 MPa, this catalyst showed high stability and resistance to coking, and the amount of deposited carbon was only 0.4 wt%. On the contrary, the deposited carbon over the catalyst without ZrO2 reached 1.5 wt% after a 60 h life time test. The improved catalytic performance was attributed to the selective deposition of ZrO2 nanoparticles on the surface of NiO rather than A1203, which could he well controlled via changing the electrostatic interaction in the DP procedure. This unique structure could enhance the dissociation of CO2 and generate surface oxygen intermediates, thus preventing carbon deposition on the Ni particles in syngas methanation.

Functional markers developed from TaGS3, a negative regulator of grain weight and size, for marker-assisted selection in wheat

The TaGS3 homoeologous genes(homoeologs)located on chromosomes 7 A,4 A,and7 D in hexaploid wheat were cloned.Relative expression analysis of the three Ta GS3 homoeologs revealed that the expression levels of TaGS3-4 A and TaGS3-7 D in developing grains were higher than that of TaGS3-7 A.Genetic evidence showed that Ta GS3 was a negative regulator of grain weight and grain size.Fifteen polymorphic sites and five haplotypes were detected in TaGS3-4 A.Two molecular markers were developed to distinguish the five haplotypes.Association analysis using 260 accessions from Chinese wheat mini-core collection(MCC)indicated that TaGS3-4 A affected thousand grain weight(TGW)and grain length(GL).HAP-4 A-1 and HAP-4 A-2 were favorable haplotypes that increased TGW and GL and had undergone strong selection during domestication of wheat.In addition,interaction of the TaGS3-4 A and TaGS3-7 D homoeologs had significant additive effects on the grain traits.Hap-4 A-1/Hap-7 D-2 was the best haplotype combination in increasing TGW and GL.The frequencies and geographic distributions of favorable TaGS3 haplotypes among 1388 wheat accessions from worldwide sources provided clues for selection of yield-related traits.Our findings demonstrated that TaGS3-4 A had significant effects on TGW and GL.Marker-assisted selection of HAP-4 A-1/2 combined with HAP-7 D-2 has potential to increase wheat yields.

Culture and Identification of Myoblasts Isolated from Duck Embryos

Using embryonic myoblasts to research the formation and de-velopmental mechanisms of skeletal muscle is becoming a research hotspot. This study aimed to establish a method of isolation, culture and identification of my-oblasts in duck embryos. [Method] Pectoral and leg muscle samples were isolated from the embryos of Gaoyou duck at 13 d of hatching, then disassociated with col-lagenase and trypsin and purified via differential adhesion. The isolated cells were cultured in vitro and detected for the expression of Pax7 protein using immunofluo-rescence technique. [Result] Myoblasts were obtained successful y both from pectoral and leg muscles in duck embryos and these cells proliferated strongly and differen-tiated wel . Immunofluorescence staining showed that more than 95% cells could express Pax7 protein. [Conclusion] In summary, we report the successful establish-ment of a complete system for the isolation, purification, identification and culture of myoblasts from duck embryos.

Porous carbon microspheres assembled by defective nitrogen and sulfur co-doped nanosheets as anode materials for lithium-/sodium-ion batteries

Carbon-based anode materials are widely used in various battery energy storage systems due to their low cost,wide source,high conductivity and easy morphology control.However,current commercially available anode materials as active materials for lithium-/sodium-ion batteries generally suffer from large volume changes and poor rate performance.In response,we synthesized defect-rich N,S co-doped two dimensional(2D)nanosheet-assembled porous carbon microspheres(N,S-PCS)via simple hydrothermal,carbonization and etching process based on the principle of Schiff base reaction.The N,S-PCS structure is thus constructed by removing Fe7S8 nanoparticles from the carbon skeleton to form porous microspheres with N,S doping.Therefore,the micromorphology characteristic,pore structure and electroconductivity of carbon materials are effectively optimized via heteroatom doping and surface engineering.As expected,the prepared N,S-PCS electrodes exhibit excellent electrochemical performance in both lithium-ion and sodium-ion batteries.For lithium-ion batteries,it achieves reversible capacities of 1045 and 237 mAh g^(-1) at 0.1 and 20 A g^(-1),respectively.For sodium-ion batteries,it shows good cycling stability with a capacity of 157 mAh g^(-1) after 500 cycles at 1 A g^(-1).Experimental and theoretical calculation results confirm that the N,S co-doping strategies help to improve the structural stability,shorten the ion diffusion paths,and promote the reaction kinetics,thus achieving excellent electrochemical performance.This work is instructive for the practical application of nonmetal doping functionalized porous carbon structures for metal-ion batteries.

Anisotropic solution growth of 1D/2D N-rich carbon

Despite the fact that low-dimensional carbons(LDCs,1D/2D)materials are very interesting due to their intriguing electrical properties,we still attempt to enrich them by high N-content in order to enjoy their electro-applications.We here report a template-free synthesis of 1D/2D LDC with high N content(>40 at%)and tunable aspect ratios from molecular formamide(FA).The 1D/2D LDC is in polyaminoimidazole as confirmed by pair distribution function analysis,and 1D growth mode can be altered to 2D by simply adding a 2D-guiding molecule of melamine.Electrochemical properties of the LDC can befinely tuned by adjusting the solvothermal temperature and melamine dosage.It is revealed that the optimal 2D LDC delivers superior O2-to-H_(2)O_(2) yield(687.2 mmol⋅g^(-1)⋅h^(-1))and Faradic efficiency(87.5%).Considering the heavy N content and high adjustability of aspect ratio,the FAderived LDCs potentially open new synthesis routes for structural carbon materials for broad electrochemical applications.

Single-cell transcriptomic profiling unravels the adenoma-initiation role of protein tyrosine kinases during colorectal tumorigenesis

The adenoma-carcinoma sequence is a well-accepted roadmap for the development of sporadic colorectal cancer.However,cellular heterogeneity in aberrant epithelial cells limits our understanding of carcinogenesis in colorectal tissues.Here,we performed a single-cell RNA sequencing survey of 54,788 cells from patient-matched tissue samples,including blood,normal tissue,para-cancer,polyp,and colorectal cancer.

Colorectal cancer-derived extracellular vesicles induce liver premetastatic immunosuppressive niche formation to promote tumor early liver metastasis

Dear Editor,To date,the effect of colorectal cancer(CRC)-derived extracellular vesicles(EVs)on liver pre-metastatic niche(PMN)remain incompletely understood.1 To investigate the role of CRC-derived EVs in the remodeling of the liver PMN,we isolated EVs from CT26 cell culture supernatant.The characteristics of EVs(the morphology,size,and markers)were identified by transmission electron microscopy(TEM),Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis(NTA),and western blotting(Supplementary Fig.S1a–e).Then,BALB/c mice with an intact liver immune status were pretreated with CRCderived EVs and phosphate-buffered saline(PBS)for one month,and a liver metastasis model was established via spleen injection of tumor cells to determine whether EVs influence liver metastasis(Fig.1a).Two hours after the operation,in vivo imaging indicated that the animal model was successfully established,and the tumor fluorescence intensity in the liver was consistent between the two groups(Supplementary Fig.S2a,b).Amazingly,the liver tumor fluorescence intensity in the EVs group was significantly stronger than that in the PBS group after 24 h(Fig.1b;Supplementary Fig.S2c,d).The number of liver tumor nodules in the EVs group was also significantly higher than that in the PBS group on day 4(Fig.1c;Supplementary Fig.S2e,f).

Simultaneously Constructing Asymmetrically Coordinated Cobalt Single Atoms and Cobalt Nanoclusters via a Fresh Potassium Hydroxide Clipping Strategy toward Efficient Alkaline Oxygen Reduction Reaction

Single-atom catalysts based on metal-N-C constituents facilitate oxygen reduction reaction kinetics due to super-high atomic utilization efficiency.However,conventional isolated atoms suffer from coordination symmetry and make less use of electron interaction between adjacent metal sites,which severely impedes its electrocatalytic activity.In response,we creatively issue a feasible potassium hydroxide clipping strategy through breaking up partial Co-N bonding and reconstructing Co-Co coordination,thus simultaneously implanting abundant Co atomic clusters and Co single atoms(SAs)on the surface of covalent organic framework(COF)-derived N-doped carbon nanospheres,which are intertwined by surrounding carbon nanotube(CNT)networks.This elaborately designed Co_(AC-SAs)/N-C@CNT catalyst combines the benefits of the asymmetrically coordinated Co-N_(2) configuration and Co-Co electronic interaction,which exert great influence on local atomic microenvironment of metal sites and,thus,efficiently modulate the electronic structure.Then,the optimized d-band center of Co centers contributes to weakening oxygen intermediate adsorption and to reducing the rate-determining step energy barrier.Meanwhile,because of the unique surface chelation mechanism between COF matrix and Co cations,the as-optimized Co centers are homogenously stabilized on the carbon outermost shell,further maximizing active sites efficiency.As expected,the CoAC-SAs/N-C@CNT catalyst harvests superior oxygen reduction reaction catalytic kinetics in alkaline medium,surpassing the commercial Pt/C catalyst.

Engineering oxygen vacancies and localized amorphous regions in CuO-ZnO separately boost catalytic reactivity and selectivity

Generating different types of defects in heterogeneous catalysts for synergetic promotion of the reactivity and selectivity in catalytic reactions is highly challenging due to the lack of effective theoretical guidance.Herein,we demonstrate a facile strategy to introduce two types of defects into the CuO-ZnO model catalyst,namely oxygen vacancies(OVs)induced by H2 partial reduction and localized amorphous regions(LARs)generated via the ball milling process.Using industrially important Rochow–Müller reaction as a representative,we found OVs predominantly improved the target product selectivity of dimethyldichlorosilane,while LARs significantly increased the conversion of reactant Si.The CuO-ZnO catalyst with optimized OVs and LARs contents achieved the best catalytic property.Theoretical calculation further revealed that LARs promote the generation of the Cu3Si active phase,and OVs impact the electronic structure of the Cu3Si active phase.This work provides a new understanding of the roles of different catalyst defects and a feasible way of engineering the catalyst structure for better catalytic performances.

Metabolomics investigation on antiobesity effects of Corydalis bungeana on high-fat high-sugar diet-induced obese rats

Objective:Corydalis bungeana(CB)is a well-used medicinal herb in Mongolian folk medicine and has been traditionally applied as an antiobesity agent.However,the evidence-based pharmacological effects of CB and its specific metabolic alterations in the obese model are not entirely understood.This study aimed to utilize untargeted metabolomic techniques to identify biomarkers and gain mechanistic insight into the serum metabolite alterations associated with weight loss and lipid metabolism in obese rats.Methods:A high-fat high-sugar(HFHS)diet was used to induce obese models in rats.CB extract was orally gavaged at 0.18,0.9 and 1.8 g/kg doses for six weeks,and feed intake,body weight,fat pad weight,and blood indexes were measured.Blood serum metabolites were evaluated by gas chromatography/quadrupole time-of-fight tandem mass spectrometry(GC-TOF/MS).Results:The results showed that compared with the obese group,the administration of CB extract caused significant decreases in body weight(P<0.05),feed intake,Lee’s index,and perirenal,mesenteric,epididymal fat weight.CB extract also reduced blood triglyceride and total cholesterol levels(P<0.05)of obese rats.Metabolomic findings showed that nine differential metabolites,including pyruvic acid,D-glucuronic acid,malic acid,dimethylglycine,oxoglutaric acid,pantothenic acid,sorbitol acid,fumaric acid and glucose 6-phosphate were identified under CB treatment and altered metabolic pathways such as TCA cycle,pantothenate and CoA biosynthesis,and glycolysis/gluconeogenesis.Conclusion:This study demonstrated weight loss and lipid lowering effects of CB on HFHS diet-induced obese rats and identified nine metabolites as potential biomarkers for evaluating the favorable therapeutic mechanism of CB via regulation of lipid and glucose metabolism.

Weak blind quantum signature protocol based on entanglement swapping

In this paper, we put forward a weak blind quantum signature scheme based on quantum entanglement swapping of Bell states. Different from the existing quantum signature schemes, our scheme can offer two-step verification security services to ensure the validity of the verification. In order to guarantee the unconditional security of the scheme, the quantum key distribution protocol and one-time pad encryption algorithm are employed in our scheme. Besides, the entanglement swapping of Bell states mechanism enhances the security of verification criteria. The proposed scheme has the properties of nonforgeability, nonrepudiation, lindness,and traceability.

Improving the response of 2D COFs to the surface doping strategies through rational design of their chemical structure

The chemical structure of covalent organic frameworks(COFs)plays a key role in their response to the surface doping strategy used for tuning their electronic character,but it is still not fully understood.To explore a rational design proposal for their chemical structure,the electronic properties of three n-doped typical COFs,including boroncontaining(COF-1),triazine-based(CTF),and C–C bondlinked(GCOF)COFs,were investigated theoretically in this work.As expected,the chemical doping effects are different for these COFs.The dispersion of the frontier bands,the nuclear-independent chemical shift(NICS)aromaticity index results,distribution of the electron localization function(ELF),and Hirshfeld charge population plots show that part of the transferred electron from dopants will be offset by the intralayer charge transfer of COFs.Thus,chemical doping effects are more significant if the electron distribution in the COFs is more localized.This means the response of COFs to the surface doping strategy should be dominated by the conjugation degree of their chemical structure.Our results prove that the intrinsic conjugation degree of COFs plays a key role in such doping functionalization strategies,which are expected to provide more useful information for the initial structure design of COF materials and facilitate their practical applications as active electronic transport materials in nanoscale devices.

CRISPR/CasΦ2-mediated gene editing in wheat and rye

The recent advancements in developing the CRISPR/Cas9 system and various derivative tools(e.g.,base editors)have accelerated basic plant science research and crop improvement by creating multiple types of genetic variations(Li et al.,2023a).