•Ability of AWBs for heavy metal detoxification was evaluated.•Influential factors on heavy metal biosorption were presented.•Insights of binding mechanism were revealed and essential tools were ...introduced.•Merits and demerits of pretreatment methods for better biosorbents were highlighted.•Recommendation to use AWBs as green and cost-effective biosorbents was made.
This critical review discusses the potential use of agricultural waste based biosorbents (AWBs) for sequestering heavy metals in terms of their adsorption capacities, binding mechanisms, operating factors and pretreatment methods. The literature survey indicates that AWBs have shown equal or even greater adsorption capacities compared to conventional adsorbents. Thanks to modern molecular biotechnologies, the roles of functional groups in biosorption process are better understood. Of process factors, pH appears to be the most influential. In most cases, chemical pretreatments bring about an obvious improvement in metal uptake capacity. However, there are still several gaps, which require further investigation, such as (i) searching for novel, multi-function AWBs, (ii) developing cost-effective modification methods and (iii) assessing AWBs under multi-metal and real wastewater systems. Once these challenges are settled, the replacement of traditional adsorbents by AWBs in decontaminating heavy metals from wastewater can be expected in the future.
lThe critical thermal issues of lithium-ion batteries are introduced.lThe design principles for batteries thermal management are presented.lThe latest advances on battery thermal management systems ...are summarized.lEmerging technologies for next-generation power batteries are discussed.
Replacing conventional gasoline-powered cars with electric vehicles (EVs) can reduce not only pollution emissions but also the dependence on fossil fuels. As the most widely used power source to propel EVs, lithium-ion batteries are highly sensitive to the operating temperatures, rendering battery thermal management indispensable to ensure their high performance, long cycle life and safe operation. In this review, we summarize the recent advances in thermal management for lithium-ion batteries. The critical thermal issues caused by high temperature, low temperature and temperature non-uniformity are firstly discussed. The design principles and the existing thermal management systems are then presented and elaborated extensively. Emerging technologies such as thermoelectric devices and internal heating methods for future battery thermal management are analyzed. We highlight that the combination of passive and active cooling/heating methods is promising to meet the stringent thermal requirements, particularly under dynamic conditions with drastic power fluctuations. Finally, the remaining challenges and perspectives of thermal management systems with high efficiency and durability are provided. This review offers comprehensive guidance on the design of advanced thermal management system for next-generation power batteries.
A three-dimensional electrochemical-thermal coupled model is developed to investigate the interactive electrochemical and thermal characteristics of pouch-type lithium-ion batteries under natural ...convection conditions. The heat generation rate calculated by the electrochemical model is applied to the thermal model as the heat source, while the temperature derived from the thermal model is regarded as the initial condition for the electrochemical model. The simulations are verified by the experimental data under different discharge rates (1, 3, and 5 C). Numerical results reveal that the average particle size of electrodes directly affects the heat generation rate of the battery during the discharge process. More importantly, it is found that in the in-plane direction, the maximum local current density appears near the tabs initially and moves to the bottom side with the progress of the discharge as the regions away from tabs becomes more favorable for electrochemical reactions. The uneven distribution of local current density results in a non-uniform distribution of the heat generation rate and thus the uneven temperature distribution. In addition, the temperature gradient in the through-plane direction is relatively small under natural convection conditions. This work offers more insights into heat generation mechanisms in lithium-ion batteries, which will assist the design of efficient battery thermal management systems.
Hydraulic rotary drilling can offer the essential information and core samplesa for the researches on solid earth. Recording the factual field drilling data and analyzing the hydraulic rotary coring ...process are challenging yet promising to utilize the massive drilling information in geophysics and geology. This paper adopts the drilling process monitoring (DPM) technique and records the four parameters of displacement, thrust pressure, upward pressure, and rotation speed in real-time series for profiling the siliciclastic sedimentary rocks along 108 m deep drillhole. The digitalization results with 107 linear zones represent the spatial distribution of drilled geomaterials including superficial deposits (fill, loess, gravelly soil), mudstone, silty mudstone, gritstone, and fine sandstone. The constant drilling speeds varying from 0.018 to 1.905 m/min present the in-situ coring resistance of drilled geomaterials. Furthermore, the constant drilling speeds can identify the strength quality of soils to hard rocks. The thickness distributions of the six basic strength quality grades are presented for all the sedimentary rocks and each individual type of the seven soil and rocks. The in-situ strength profile determined in this paper can be used to assess and evaluate the in-situ mechanical behavior of geomaterial along the drillhole and can provide a new mechanical-based assessment for determining the spatial distribution of geological strata and structures in subsurface. They are important since the same stratum at different depths can have different mechanical behavior. The results provide a novel quantitative measurement for continuously in-situ mechanical profiling by digital drilling data. The findings of the paper can offer a new and effective method for refinement and upgrading of in-situ ground investigation, and can provide researchers and engineers with a novel tool and valuable reference to digitize and utilize factual data of current drilling projects.
Statins are widely used lipid‐lowering drugs that are effective in reducing cardiovascular disease risk. Although they are generally well tolerated, they can cause muscle toxicity, which can lead to ...severe rhabdomyolysis. Research in this area has been hampered to some extent by the lack of standardized nomenclature and phenotypic definitions. We have used numerical and descriptive classifications and developed an algorithm to define statin‐related myotoxicity phenotypes, including myalgia, myopathy, rhabdomyolysis, and necrotizing autoimmune myopathy.
Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (2014); 96 4, 470–476. doi:10.1038/clpt.2014.121
Polymeric metal coagulants are increasingly being used to improve coagulation efficiency, yet the research on the development of titanium and particularly polytitanium salts remains limited. This ...study is the first attempt in the synthesis, characterization, and application of polytitanium salts as coagulants. Polytitanium tetrachloride (PTC) solutions with different basicity values B (OH/Ti molar ratio) were prepared using a slow alkaline titration method. Jar tests were conducted to assess coagulation performance using both synthetic and real raw water samples, and the floc characteristics were monitored online using a laser diffraction particle size analyzer. Electrospray ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (ESI-TOF-MS) was utilized to identify various Ti species, with the results providing strong evidence of the presence of various hydrolyzed Ti species in the titanium aqueous phase. Compared to titanium tetrachloride (TiCl4), higher or comparable turbidity and organic matter removal efficiency could be achieved by PTC with improved floc characteristics in terms of size, growth rate, and structure. Besides, the water pH after PTC coagulation was significantly improved toward neutral pH. This study indicates that PTC is an effective and promising coagulant for water purification. Besides, the PTC flocculated sludge was able to recycle and produce functional TiO2 photocatalyst.
The glycolysis of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) was studied using several ionic liquids and basic ionic liquids as catalysts. The basic ionic liquid, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hydroxyl ...(BmimOH), exhibits higher catalytic activity for the glycolysis of PET, compared with 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bicarbonate (BmimHCO3), 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (BmimCl) and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide (BmimBr). FT-IR, 1H NMR and DSC were used to confirm the main product of glycolysis was bis(2-hydroxyethyl) terephthalate (BHET) monomer. The influences of experimental parameters, such as the amount of catalyst, glycolysis time, reaction temperature, and dosages of ethylene glycol on the conversion of PET, yield of BHET were investigated. The results showed a strong influence of the mixture evolution of temperature and reaction time on depolymerization of PET. Under the optimum conditions of m(PET):m(EG): 1:10, dosage of BmimOH at 0.1g (5wt%), reaction temperature 190°C and time 2h, the conversion of PET and the yield of BHET were 100% and 71.2% respectively. Balance between the polymerization of BHET and depolymerization of PET could be changed when the reaction time was more than 2h and contents of catalyst and EG were changed.
SWI/SNF-related, matrix-associated, actin-dependent regulator of chromatin subfamily A member 2 (SMARCA2), also known as Brahma homologue (BRM), is a Snf2-family DNA-dependent ATPase. BRM and its ...close homologue Brahma-related gene 1 (BRG1), also known as SMARCA4, are mutually exclusive ATPases of the large ATP-dependent SWI/SNF chromatin-remodeling complexes involved in transcriptional regulation of gene expression. No small molecules have been reported that modulate SWI/SNF chromatin-remodeling activity via inhibition of its ATPase activity, an important goal given the well-established dependence of BRG1-deficient cancers on BRM. Here, we describe allosteric dual BRM and BRG1 inhibitors that downregulate BRM-dependent gene expression and show antiproliferative activity in a BRG1-mutant-lung-tumor xenograft model upon oral administration. These compounds represent useful tools for understanding the functions of BRM in BRG1-loss-of-function settings and should enable probing the role of SWI/SNF functions more broadly in different cancer contexts and those of other diseases.
Ureteric stents are clinically deployed to retain ureteral patency in the presence of an obstruction of the ureter lumen. Despite the fact that multiple stent designs have been researched in recent ...years, encrustation and biofilm-associated infections remain significant complications of ureteral stenting, potentially leading to the functional failure of the stent. It has been suggested that “inactive” side-holes of stents may act as anchoring sites for encrusting crystals, as they are associated with low wall shear stress (WSS) levels. Obstruction of side-holes due to encrustation is particularly detrimental to the function of the stent, since holes provide a path for urine to by-pass the occlusion. Therefore, there is an unmet need to develop novel stents to reduce deposition of encrusting particles at side-holes. In this study, we employed a stent-on-chip microfluidic model of the stented and occluded ureter to investigate the effect of stent architecture on WSS distribution and encrustation over its surface. Variations in the stent geometry encompassed (i) the wall thickness and (ii) the shape of side-holes. Stent thickness was varied in the range 0.3-0.7 mm, while streamlined side-holes of triangular shape were evaluated (with a vertex angle in the range 45°-120°). Reducing the thickness of the stent increased WSS and thus reduced the encrustation rate at side-holes. A further improvement in performance was achieved by using side-holes with a triangular shape; notably, a 45° vertex angle showed superior performance compared to other angles investigated, resulting in a significant increase in WSS within “inactive” side-holes. In conclusion, combining the optimal stent thickness (0.3 mm) and hole vertex angle (45°) resulted in a ∼90% reduction in encrustation rate within side-holes, compared to a standard design. If translated to a full-scale ureteric stent, this optimised architecture has the potential for significantly increasing the stent lifetime while reducing clinical complications.
Recent reports indicate that microRNAs (miRNAs) play a critical role in malignancies. However, the role that miRNAs play in pancreatic cancer remains to be determined. The purpose of this study was ...to investigate aberrantly expressed miRNAs in pancreatic cancer tissues and demonstrate their roles in disease progression.
We detected the expression patterns of miRNAs in 10 pancreatic cancer tissues and their adjacent benign tissues by quantitative real time-PCR (qRT-PCR) and found that miR-15a and miR-214 were dysregulated in the tumor samples. This is the first time that miR-214 has been identified as aberrantly expressed in pancreatic cancer. In vitro experiments showed that overexpression of miR-15a inhibited the viability of pancreatic cancer cells, whereas overexpression of miR-214 decreased the sensitivity of the cells to gemcitabine (GEM). Furthermore, we identified WNT3A and FGF7 as potential targets of miR-15a and ING4 as a target of miR-214.
Aberrant expression of miRNAs such as miR-15a and miR-214 results in different cellular effects in pancreatic cancer. Downregulation of miR-15a might contribute to proliferation of pancreatic cancer cells, whereas upregulation of miR-214 in pancreatic cancer specimens might be related to the poor response of pancreatic cancer cells to chemotherapy. MiR-15a directly targets multiple genes relevant in pancreatic cancer, suggesting that it may serve as a novel therapeutic target for treatment of the disease.
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