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Simple and environment-friendly recovery of valuable metals from spent LIBs was explored. The experimental method, which included reduction roasting and hydrometallurgical recovery, is called a quasi-reversible process. The principle behind the quasi-reversible model could be used to assess the energy consumed during the recovery of metals from cathode active materials. The roasting process was analysed using TG–DSC and Kissinger equation. XRD patterns and mass loss ratios were used to investigate the layered LiNi x Co y Mn z O 2 that broke into Li 2 CO 3 , MnO, NiO, Ni and Co. Roasting temperature, coke dosage and roasting time were assessed to determine the leaching efficiency of Li, Ni, Co and Mn. Results indicated that the optimum roasting conditions were roasting temperature of 650 °C, coke dosage of 10% and roasting time of 30 min. The roasted products under the optimum parameters were used to leach the valuable metals, and the leaching efficiencies of Li, Ni, Co and Mn were 93.67%, 93.33%, 98.08% and 98.68%, respectively. Li 2 CO 3 solution recovered from water leaching could be utilised to produce Li 2 CO 3 by evaporative crystallisation. Moreover, divalent solution of Ni, Co and Mn obtained via acid leaching without added reducer could be recycled in the co-precipitation of the ternary precursor.

Diabetic wounds require continuous and coordinated modulation of the microenvironment concurrent with tissue regeneration, which remains a significant challenge. As a proof of concept, we herein propose to use dimeric copper peptide (D-CuP) for diabetic wound treatment. The D-CuP is synthesized and then incorporated into a reactive oxygen species (ROS)-responsive hydrogel matrix to improve therapeutic compliance, culminating in the formulation of G/D-CuP. Compared to monomer copper peptide (M-CuP), a wound healing agent, D-CuP exhibits multivalency, enhanced biological stability against proteases, and broad biological activities. Meanwhile, the hydrogel matrix, exhibiting ROS-scavenging capabilities, has been engineered to be an intelligent drug reservoir for wound-responsive release of D-CuP at the wound site while simultaneously attenuating inflammatory responses. Ultimately, the G/D-CuP group demonstrates superior therapeutic efficacy, achieving 97.2% closure of infected wounds. Diabetic wounds are a prevalent type of chronic wound that is challenging to treat due to the dynamic and complex wound microenvironment. Here, Cong et al. presents a dimeric copper peptide incorporated hydrogel for multifunctional treatment of diabetic wounds.

Background This study aims to investigate potential interactions between maternal smoking around birth (MSAB) and type 2 diabetes (T2D) pathway-specific genetic risks in relation to the development of T2D in offspring. Additionally, it seeks to determine whether and how nutritional factors during different life stages may modify the association between MSAB and risk of T2D. Methods This study included 460,234 participants aged 40 to 69 years, who were initially free of T2D from the UK Biobank. MSAB and breastfeeding were collected by questionnaire. The Alternative health eating index(AHEI) and dietary inflammation index(DII) were calculated. The polygenic risk scores(PRS) of T2D and pathway-specific were established, including β-cell function, proinsulin, obesity, lipodystrophy, liver function and glycated haemoglobin(HbA1c). Cox proportion hazards models were performed to evaluate the gene/diet-MSAB interaction on T2D. The relative excess risk due to additive interaction (RERI) were calculated. Results During a median follow-up period of 12.7 years, we identified 27,342 cases of incident T2D. After adjustment for potential confounders, participants exposed to MSAB had an increased risk of T2D (HR=1.11, 95%CI:1.08-1.14), and this association remained significant among the participants with breastfeeding (HR= HR=1.10, 95%CI: 1.06-1.14). Moreover, among the participants in the highest quartile of AHEI or in the lowest quartile of DII, the association between MSAB and the increased risk of T2D become non-significant (HR=0.94, 95%CI: 0.79-1.13 for AHEI; HR=1.09, 95%CI:0.99-1.20 for DII). Additionally, the association between MSAB and risk of T2D became non-significant among the participants with lower genetic risk of lipodystrophy (HR=1.06, 95%CI:0.99-1.14), and exposed to MSAB with a higher genetic risk for β-cell dysfunction or lipodystrophy additively elevated the risk of T2D(RERI=0.18, 95%CI:0.06-0.30 for β-cell function; RERI=0.16, 95%CI:0.04-0.28 for lipodystrophy). Conclusions This study indicates that maintaining a high dietary quality or lower dietary inflammation in diet may reduce the risk of T2D associated with MSAB, and the combination of higher genetic risk of β-cell dysfunction or lipodystrophy and MSAB significantly elevate the risk of T2D in offspring.

Quantum dot nanobeads (QBs) were used as signal source to develop competitive lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) for the detection of chloramphenicol (CAP). The quantitative detection of CAP was achieved by calculating the total color difference (∆E) values of the test line (T line) using the images of test strips. QB-based LFIA (QBs-LFIA) allowed the effective dynamic linear detection of CAP in the range of 0.1–1.5 ng/mL. The limit of detection (LOD) was 3.0 ng/mL, which was 50 and 667 times lower than those achieved for two different brands of colloidal gold kits. The recoveries of CAP during real-sample detection were 82.82–104.91% at spiked levels of 0.1, 0.7, and 1.5 ng/mL. These results indicate that the developed QBs-LFIA facilitates the sensitive detection of CAP.

A novel, molecularly imprinted, upconversion fluorescence probe (UCNP@MIFP) for sulfonamide sensing was fabricated by Pickering emulsion polymerization using UCNP@SiO2 particles as the stabilizer and sulfamethazine/sulfamerazine as the co-templates. The synthesis conditions of the UCNP@MIFP were optimized, and the synthesized probe was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectrometer, thermogravimetric analyzer, and fluorescence spectrometer. The UCNP@MIFPs showed a good adsorption capacity and a fast kinetic feature for the template. The selectivity experiment revealed that the UCNP@MIFP has a broad-spectrum molecular recognition capability. Good linear relationships were obtained over the concentration range of 1–10 ng/mL for sulfamerazine, sulfamethazine, sulfathiazole, and sulfafurazole, with low limits of detection in the range of 1.37–2.35 ng/mL. The prepared UCNP@MIFP has the potential to detect four sulfonamide residues in food and environmental water.

Hippophae tibetana (Tibetan sea-buckthorn) is one of the highest distributed woody plants in the world (3,000-5,200 meters a.s.l.). It is characterized by adaptation to extreme environment and important economic values. Here, we combined PacBio Hifi platform and Hi-C technology to assemble a 1,452.75 Mb genome encoding 33,367 genes with a Contig N50 of 74.31 Mb, and inferred its sexual chromosome. Two Hippophae -specific whole-genome duplication events (18.7-21.2 million years ago, Ma; 28.6-32.4 Ma) and long terminal repeats retroelements (LTR-RTs) amplifications were detected. Comparing with related species at lower altitude, Ziziphus jujuba (<1, 700 meters a.s.l.), H. tibetana had some significantly rapid evolving genes involved in adaptation to high altitude habitats. However, comparing with Hippophae rhamnoides (<3, 700 meters a.s.l.), no rapid evolving genes were found except microtubule and microtubule-based process genes, H. tibetana has a larger genome, with extra 2, 503 genes (7.5%) and extra 680.46 Mb transposable elements (TEs) (46.84%). These results suggest that the changes in the copy number and regulatory pattern of genes play a more important role for H. tibetana adapting to more extreme and variable environments at higher altitude by more TEs and more genes increasing genome variability and expression plasticity. This suggestion was supported by two findings: nitrogen-fixing genes of H. tibetana having more copies, and intact TEs being significantly closer genes than fragmentary TEs. This study provided new insights into the evolution of alpine plants.

Background Previous observational studies have suggested diabetic patients should synchronize their foods and nutrient intake with their biological rhythm; however, the optimal intake time of coffee and tea for reducing all-cause and disease-specific mortality in diabetes is still unknown. This study aims to examine by investigating the association of timing for coffee and tea consumption with long-term survival in people with diabetes. Methods A total of 5378 people with diabetes who enrolled in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2003 to 2014 were recruited for this study. Coffee and tea intakes were measured by a 24-h dietary recall, which were divided by different time intervals across the day, including dawn to forenoon, forenoon to noon, noon to evening, and evening to dawn. Weighted cox proportional hazards regression models were developed to evaluate the survival-relationship of coffee and tea consumption with mortality of all-cause, cardiovascular disease (CVD), stroke, and diabetes. Results During 47,361 person-year follow up, total 1639 death cases were documented, including 731 CVD deaths, 467 heart disease deaths, 99 stroke deaths, and 462 diabetes deaths. After adjustment for potential confounders, compared with participants without drinking coffee during dawn to forenoon, drinking coffee at this period was associated with increased mortality risk of all-cause (HR 1.25, 95% CI 1.05–1.50), CVD (HR 1.41, 95% CI 1.07–1.86), heart-disease (HR 1.47, 95% CI 1.05–2.07), and diabetes (HR 1.50, 95% CI 1.10–2.04). In contrast, drinking coffee during forenoon to noon had lower mortality risk of all-cause (HR 0.80, 95% CI 0.69–0.92), CVD (HR 0.79, 95% CI 0.63–0.99), and heart disease (HR 0.70, 95% CI 0.52–0.94). Similarly, drinking tea during forenoon to noon had lower risk of CVD mortality (HR = 0.62, 95% CI 0.44–0.87). Conclusions This study suggests that drinking coffee in dawn to forenoon is linked to a higher risk of death, but having coffee and tea from forenoon to noon is linked to a lower risk of overall mortality, CVD, and heart disease in individuals with diabetes. Graphical Abstract

Objectives The continuous evolution of NDM variants, some of which exhibit enhanced hydrolytic activity, poses a serious public health threat and necessitates ongoing surveillance. This study aimed to investigate the clinical and molecular characteristics of Escherichia coli strains producing NDM-9 and NDM-13 variants. Methods Six bla NDM-9 -carrying and two bla NDM-13- carrying E. coli strains were isolated from six hospitals in China. MALDI-TOF MS and Vitek-2 systems were used for identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST). Phenotypic detection of carbapenemases was conducted using a combined disc test. Multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) was used to assess clonal relatedness among the eight E. coli isolates. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) and bioinformatics analysis were used to characterize the bla NDM-9 and bla NDM-13 -carrying strains. Phylogenetic trees and core SNP comparisons were generated using isolates from this study and publicly available sequences from the GenBank database. Conjugation experiments were performed to evaluate the horizontal transferability of bla NDM genes. Plasmid stability was assessed by serial passage for 10 days without antibiotic selection. Results All E. coli isolates exhibited a multiple drug resistance phenotype, but remained susceptible to amikacin and tigecycline. The E. coli types were diverse by MLST, including ST1 ( n  = 2), ST19 ( n  = 2), ST2 ( n  = 1), ST664 ( n  = 2), and one novel ST type. WGS analysis identified 41 and 49 resistance genes and virulence factor genes. The bla NDM-9 genes were carried by IncHI2-type plasmids ( n  = 4) or IncK2-type plasmids ( n  = 2), while all bla NDM-13 genes were exclusively carried by IncX3-type plasmids ( n  = 2). Both variants were associated with Tn 125 -related transposons. Phylogenetic analysis of core SNPs revealed that 52 E. coli strains (including 44 genome sequences from GenBank) were divided into six clustering clades with SNP differences ranging from 2 to 10,625. Two bla NDM-13 -carrying isolates differed by only two SNPs. Conjugation experiments confirmed the successful transfer of bla NDM-9 and bla NDM-13 to E. coli C600, and plasmids remained stable after 10 days of passage. Conclusions The detailed clinical and molecular characteristics of NDM-9 and NDM-13 producing CR-EC enhance our understanding of the evolution and dissemination of NDM variants. These insights highlight the further comprehensive surveillance to evaluate the public-health risk of NDM variants producing strains.

Monthly hydrological models are useful tools for runoff simulation and prediction. This study proposes a three-parameter monthly hydrological model based on the proportionality hypothesis (TMPH) and applies to the Upper Hanjiang River Basin (UHRB) in China. Two major modules are involved in the TMPH: the actual evapotranspiration and runoff, in which the coupled water–energy balance equation and the proportionality hypothesis are used for calculation, respectively. It is worth mentioning that the proportionality hypothesis was extended to the partitioning of the available water into water loss and runoff at the monthly scale, which demonstrates that the ratio of runoff to its potential value is equal to the ratio of continuing water loss to its potential value. Results demonstrate that the TMPH model performs well when the NSE values are 0.79 and 0.83, and the KGE values are 0.86 and 0.78 for calibration period and validation period, respectively. The widely used two-parameter monthly water balance (TWBM) model and ABCD model are compared with the proposed model. Results show that TMPH performs better than TWBM model with NSE increased by 0.07 and 0.11, and KGE increased by 0.02 and 0.16, respectively, whereas the TMPH performs similarly as the ABCD model in the calibration period, and performs slightly better in the validation period, with NSE increased by 0.02, and KGE increased by 0.03. Sensitivity analysis show that the simulation result is most sensitive to parameter n, followed by SC and λ. In summary, the proposed model has strong applicability to the study area.

The plant mediator is a highly conserved protein complex that interacts with transcription factors (TFs) and RNA polymerase II (RNAP II) to relay regulatory information during transcription. Plant immune response is one of the biological processes that is orchestrated by this regulatory mechanism. Brassica napu s, an important oil crop, is severely attacked by a devastating disease Sclerotinia stem rot. Here, we explored broad-spectrum disease resistant roles of B. napus mediator subunit 16 (BnMED16) and its host defense mechanism against fugal pathogen Sclerotinia sclerotiorum . We found that BnMED16 expression was significantly increased by S. sclerotiorum infection, and its homologous overexpression resulted in rapid and comprehensive defense responses from the beginning to the end. This affected signal transduction with multiple channels including pathogen recognition, intracellular Ca 2+ concentration, reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation and clearance, and activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling cascades initially. Subsequently, pathogen-/defense-related genes and hormone-responsive pathways were highly activated, which resulted in enhanced cell wall and secretion of defense proteases. Furthermore, the biochemical analysis showed that BnMED16 interacts with BnMED25 and BnWRKY33. Additionally, BnMED25 also interacts with TFs BnMYC2, BnCOI1, and BnEIN3 of the JA/ET signal transduction pathway. Taken together, we proposed a hypothetical model that BnMED16 confers S. sclerotiorum resistance by enhancing BnMED25-mediated JA/ET defense pathways and BnWRKY33-activated defense signaling in B. napus . The BnMED16 overexpressing lines with enhanced broad-spectrum disease resistance could be useful for breeding Sclerotinia -resistant oilseed rape varieties, as well as serving as basis for further strategy development in resistance breeding.