Separation of lead-212 from natural thorium solution utilizing novel sulfonamide dibenzo-18-crown-6.

The extraction of lead-212 (212Pb) from radioactive thorium (Th) waste is immensely important, as it serves to mitigate environmental risks associated with radioactive waste and provides a vital source for medical isotopes. To economically extract 212Pb from thorium, we synthesized a novel extractant known as 2,13-disulfonyldiethylamine dibenzo-18-crown-6 (DSADB18C6). We assessed its performance in isolating Pb(II) by employing stable lead and optimizing the parameters of the extraction system. The results showcased an exceptional ability to extract Pb(II) efficiently. Within 10 minutes, using 20 mmol of DSADB18C6 and under conditions of 10 mg L-1 lead concentration (HNO3 = 0.5 mol L-1), the extraction efficiency reached up to 96.1%. Even after four rounds of stripping with 0.4 mol L-1 ammonium citrate, the efficiency remained at 90.2%. Moreover, the extraction stoichiometry and thermodynamics revealed that DSADB18C6 exhibited superior extraction performance compared to the commercial extractant 4',4'',(5'')-di-(tert-butyldicyclohexano)-18-crown-6 (DtBuDC18C6), in line with the density functional theory (DFT) calculation result. Furthermore, we successfully separated 212Pb from the thorium nitrate solution, maintaining radioactive equilibrium with its progeny. Gamma-spectroscopy confirmed a recovery yield of extraction exceeding 85.7%. This study presents a viable approach, underscoring the potential of DSADB18C6 as a promising extractant for the effective separation of 212Pb from radioactive thorium sources.

Synthesis and performance of guanidinium-based cationic organic polymer for the efficient removal of TcO4-/ReO4.

Cationic organic polymers have found relatively extensive utility for TcO4-/ReO4- removal, but the harsh preparation conditions constrain their practical application. The bifunctional guanidinium-based cationic organic polymer (GBCOP) was successfully and facilely synthesized in benign conditions within 1 h. Batch experiments showed that GBCOP exhibited rapid removal kinetics (1 min, >98.0%) and a substantial removal capacity of 536.8 mg/g for ReO4-. Even in 1000-fold co-existing NO3- anions, the removal efficiency of GBCOP for ReO4- was 74.0%, indicating its good selectivity. Moreover, GBCOP had high removal efficiencies for ReO4- across a wide pH (3.0-10.0) range and presented remarkable stability under the conditions of strong acid and base. GBCOP could be reused four times while removing 80.8% ReO4- from simulated Hanford wastewater. SEM and XPS results revealed that the mechanism of ReO4- removal involved Cl- ion exchange within the channels of GBCOP. Theoretical calculation results supported that existing the strong electrostatic interaction between guanidinium and ReO4-. This dual-function GBCOP material is cost-effective and holds significant potential for large-scale preparation, making it a promising solution for TcO4- removal from nuclear wastewater.

Omnidirectional Printing of PEDOT:PSS for High-Conductivity Spanning Structures.

Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS), a prominent conducting polymer, holds significance in both industry and academia. However, prevailing fabrication techniques struggle to build spanning features of PEDOT:PSS with both high electrical conductivity and fine resolution due to layerwise assembly in the xy plane. Here, we report an "omnidirectional printing and secondary doping" strategy to construct spanning, filamentary and out-of-plane 3D PEDOT:PSS with high conductivity. The pristine PEDOT:PSS suspension is homogeneously concentrated to form a printable ink with high solids (∼15 wt %) consisting of entangled PEDOT:PSS nanofibrils. Such ink shows a high storage modulus G' (43531 Pa) and a high yield stress τy (4325 Pa), thereby enabling omnidirectional printing. Secondary doping with sulfuric acid or other polar solvents is used to induce a synergetic process of PSS loss, conformational change, phase separation, and crystallinity enhancement in the printed structures, resulting in a remarkable enhancement of conductivity in dehydrated (65,378 S/m) and swollen (7190 S/m) states. As a proof-of-concept, 2D grids with a feature size of 15 µm and 3D overhanging arches are fabricated for high-performance transparent glass heaters and 3D interconnection, respectively. This work promises great potential for the development of advanced flexible electronics, wearable devices, and bioelectronics.

Ginsenoside-Rg1 mitigates cardiac arrest-induced cognitive damage by modulating neuroinflammation and hippocampal plasticity.

Ginsenoside-Rg1 can effectively ameliorate mental disorders, but whether ginsenoside-Rg1 plays a neuroprotective role in cardiac arrest and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CA/CPR)-induced cognitive impairment remains unclear. In this study, a 5-min asphyxia-based CA/CPR rat model was established to explore the mechanisms underlying the effects of ginsenoside-Rg1 (40 mg·kg-1·d-1, ip, 14 days) on its cognitive alterations. These CA/CPR rats displayed spatial learning and memory impairment in the Morris water maze, as reflected in the compromised basal synaptic transmission and long-term potentiation (LTP) at the Schaffer collateral of hippocampal CA1 area in vivo electrophysiology, whereas the ginsenoside-Rg1 remarkably mitigated these alterations. Next, we found that ginsenoside-Rg1 inhibited hippocampal neuroinflammation by alleviating the CA/CPR-induced hippocampal activation of microglia and astrocytes and the overexpression of related proinflammatory cytokines interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) and tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). In addition, ginsenoside-Rg1 improved CA/CPR-induced hippocampal neuronal apoptosis, dendritic spines and synaptic ultrastructure defects as associated with the upregulation of the key synaptic regulatory proteins. Furthermore, ginsenoside-Rg1 could ameliorate CA/CPR-induced aberrant expression of the key regulators of hippocampal glutamate signaling pathways, excitatory amino acid transporter 2 (EAAT2), excitatory amino acid transporter 1 (EAAT1), Glutamine Synthetase (GS), GluN2B, and glutamate. In conclusion, ginsenoside-Rg1 exerts its neuroprotective effects by ameliorating hippocampus-dependent neuroglia activation-mediated neuroinflammation and neuroplasticity deficits, shedding new light on the therapeutic intervention of CA/CPR-related cognitive disorders.

Design anion regulated layered double hydroxide and explore its theoretical mechanism of immobilizing uranium.

It is momentous to comprehensively understand the anion's effect during the formation of Mg-Al layered double hydroxide (LDH), especially relating to the long-term disposal of uranium-containing (UO22+) residue. In this research, the CO32-, PO43- and SO42- anions were inserted into the LDH's interlayer driven by its reconstructive memory effect. The UO22+ removal capacity increased in order (typically SO42- < PO43- < CO32-). This was further confirmed by the bond length of U-S, U-P and U-C data acquired by theoretical calculation. The SEM-EDS showed anion-regulated LDH materials got fleecy and facilitated the insertion of anions. The increased average pore size and volume of calcined LDH provided convenient access for anions to easily enter interlayer. XRD results showed inserted interlayer anions could increase the interlayer spacing and expose more active sites, which was conducive to the removal of UO22+. The FTIR combined with theoretical calculation results certified anions could grasp UO22+. XPS results gave a compelling evidence that the amount of anion insertion was proportional to UO22+ removal capacity. In short, the anions could significantly improve LDH to the removal of UO22+ by the mechanism of surface and interlayer complexation. What was discovered can better evaluate the environmental behavior of UO22+ influenced by anion factors.

Mutual effects of Shewanella putrefaciens-montmorillonite and their impact on uranium immobilization.

This study investigated the immobilization behavior of U(VI) by the mixture of Shewanella putrefaciens (S. putrefaciens) and montmorillonite with batch experiment. The relevant mechanisms were discussed based on the experimental results and characterizations. It was found that the immobilization of U(VI) by S. putrefaciens-montmorillonite was inhibited at pH < 7.0 and enhanced at pH > 7.0. The inhibition effect was due to the aggregation and coverage between S. putrefaciens and montmorillonite, whereas the association of microbial dissolvable organic matters (DOM) on montmorillonite could promote immobilization of U(VI). The evidences of X-photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and density functional theory (DFT) simulation confirmed that the carboxyl-, hydroxyl-, nitrogen-based DOM do have the ability to interacted with U(VI). This work highlights a comprehensive and overlook perspective to understand the immobilization behavior of U(VI) in environmental organo-minerals.

Dynamic evolution of eukaryotic mitochondrial and nuclear genomes: a case study in the gourmet pine mushroom Tricholoma matsutake.

Fungi, as eukaryotic organisms, contain two genomes, the mitochondrial genome and the nuclear genome, in their cells. How the two genomes evolve and correlate to each other is debated. Herein, taking the gourmet pine mushroom Tricholoma matsutake as an example, we performed comparative mitogenomic analysis using samples collected from diverse locations and compared the evolution of the two genomes. The T. matsutake mitogenome encodes 49 genes and is rich of repetitive and non-coding DNAs. Six genes were invaded by up to 11 group I introns, with one cox1 intron cox1P372 showing presence/absence dynamics among different samples. Bioinformatic analyses suggested limited or no evidence of mitochondrial heteroplasmy. Interestingly, hundreds of mitochondrial DNA fragments were found in the nuclear genome, with several larger than 500 nt confirmed by PCR assays and read count comparisons, indicating clear evidence of transfer of mitochondrial DNA into the nuclear genome. Nuclear DNA of T. matsutake showed a higher mutation rate than mitochondrial DNA. Furthermore, we found evidence of incongruence between phylogenetic trees derived from mitogenome and nuclear DNA sequences. Together, our results reveal the dynamic genome evolution of the gourmet pine mushroom.

Nano zero valent iron encapsulated in graphene oxide for reducing uranium.

Nano zero-valent iron (Fe0) has been widely used to remove Uranium (U(VI)). In order to enhance the performance of Fe0 toward U(VI) removal, the Fe0 was assembled into graphene oxide (GO) sheets via 3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane (APTES) as Fe0/APTES-GO composites. The Fe0/APTES-GO composites were triumphantly prepared, characterized and analyzed by means of Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) together with Energy Dispersive Spectrometer (EDS), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). SEM and TEM-EDS results manifested that Fe0 particles were encapsulated into rolled-up GO, which greatly improved the stability of Fe0. Batch experiment showed that only a small amount of Fe2+ was leached in the first two leaching cycles of Fe0/APTES-GO composites. The removal capacity of Fe0/APTES-GO composites was up to 1357.99 mg/g at pH = 4.1 and T = 50 °C, which was mainly attributed to the reducing activity of Fe0 and an abundance of functional groups (i.e., -COOH, C-OH and -OH) on the Fe0/APTES-GO composites. The electrostatic potential (ESP) from the calculation also supported that U(VI) tended to be reduced at the back side of the GO-Fe0 cluster.

Sodium salicylate enhances neural excitation via reducing GABAergic transmission in the dentate gyrus area of rat hippocampus in vivo.

Sodium salicylate, one of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, is widely prescribed in the clinic, but a high dose of usage can cause hyperactivity in the central nervous system, including the hippocampus. At present, the neural mechanism underlying the induced hyperactivity is not fully understood, in particular, in the hippocampus under an in vivo condition. In this study, we found that systemic administration of sodium salicylate increased the field excitatory postsynaptic potential slope and the population spike amplitude in a dose-dependent manner in the hippocampal dentate gyrus area of rats with in vivo field potential extracellular recordings, which indicates that sodium salicylate enhances basal synaptic transmission and neural excitation. In the presence of picrotoxin, a GABA-A receptor antagonist, sodium salicylate failed to increase the initial slope of the field excitatory postsynaptic potential and the amplitude of the population spike in vivo. To further explore how sodium salicylate enhances the neural excitation, we made whole-cell patch-clamp recordings from hippocampal slices. We found that perfusion of the slice with sodium salicylate decreased electrically evoked GABA receptor-mediated currents, increased paired-pulse ratio, and lowered frequency and amplitude of miniature inhibitory postsynaptic currents. Together, these results demonstrate that sodium salicylate enhances the neural excitation through suppressing GABAergic synaptic transmission in presynaptic and postsynaptic mechanisms in the hippocampal dentate gyrus area. Our findings may help understand the side effects caused by sodium salicylate in the central nervous system.

Resveratrol noncompetitively inhibits glycine receptor-mediated currents in neurons of rat central auditory neurons.

Resveratrol, a naturally occurring stilbene found in red wine, is known to modulate the activity of several types of ion channels and membrane receptors, including Ca2+, K+, and Na+ ion channels. However, little is known about the effects of resveratrol on some important receptors, such as glycine receptors and GABAA receptors, in the central nervous system (CNS). In the present study, the effects of resveratrol on glycine receptor or GABAA receptor-mediated currents in cultured rat inferior colliculus (IC) and auditory cortex (AC) neurons were studied using whole-cell voltage-clamp recordings. Resveratrol itself did not evoke any currents in IC neurons but it reversibly decreased the amplitude of glycine-induced current (IGly) in a concentration-dependent manner. Resveratrol did not change the reversal potential of IGly but it shifted the concentration-response relationship to the right without changing the Hill coefficient and with decreasing the maximum response of IGly. Interestingly, resveratrol inhibited the amplitude of IGly but not that of GABA-induced current (IGABA) in AC neurons. More importantly, resveratrol inhibited GlyR-mediated but not GABAAR-mediated inhibitory postsynaptic currents in IC neurons using brain slice recordings. Together, these results demonstrate that resveratrol noncompetitively inhibits IGly in auditory neurons by decreasing the affinity of glycine to its receptor. These findings suggest that the native glycine receptors but not GABAA receptors in central neurons are targets of resveratrol during clinical administrations.

Inhibition of Cdk5 in PV Neurons Reactivates Experience-Dependent Plasticity in Adult Visual Cortex.

Cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5) has been shown to play a critical role in brain development, learning, memory and neural processing in general. Cdk5 is widely distributed in many neuron types in the central nervous system, while its cell-specific role is largely unknown. Our previous study showed that Cdk5 inhibition restored ocular dominance (OD) plasticity in adulthood. In this study, we specifically knocked down Cdk5 in different types of neurons in the visual cortex and examined OD plasticity by optical imaging of intrinsic signals. Downregulation of Cdk5 in parvalbumin-expressing (PV) inhibitory neurons, but not other neurons, reactivated adult mouse visual cortical plasticity. Cdk5 knockdown in PV neurons reduced the evoked firing rate, which was accompanied by an increment in the threshold current for the generation of a single action potential (AP) and hyperpolarization of the resting membrane potential. Moreover, chemogenetic activation of PV neurons in the visual cortex can attenuate the restoration of OD plasticity by Cdk5 inhibition. Taken together, our results suggest that Cdk5 in PV interneurons may play a role in modulating the excitation and inhibition balance to control the plasticity of the visual cortex.

Effects of Nb on the Microstructure and Compressive Properties of an As-Cast Ni44Ti44Nb12 Eutectic Alloy.

The addition of Nb can form a eutectic phase with a NiTi matrix in a NiTi-based shape memory alloy, improving the transition hysteresis of the NiTi alloy. A Ni44Ti44Nb12 ingot was prepared using the vacuum induction melting technique. Under compression deformation, the yield strength of the NiTi-Nb alloy is about 1000 MPa, the maximum compressive strength and strain can reach 3155 MPa and 43%, respectively. Ni44Ti44Nb12 exhibited a superelastic recovery similar to that of the as-cast NiTi50. Meanwhile, the loading-unloading cycle compression shows that the superelastic recovery strain reached a maximum value (2.32%) when the total strain was about 15%, and the superelasticity tends to rise first and then decrease as the strain increases.

Activity dependent LoNA regulates translation by coordinating rRNA transcription and methylation.

The ribosome is indispensable for precisely controlling the capacity of protein synthesis. However, how translational machinery is coordinated to meet the translational demands remains elusive. Here, we identify a nucleolar-specific lncRNA (LoNA), its 5' portion binds and sequesters nucleolin to suppress rRNA transcription, and its snoRNA like 3' end recruits and diminishes fibrillarin activity to reduce rRNA methylation. Activity-dependent decrease of LoNA leads to elevated rRNA and ribosome levels, an increased proportion of polysomes, mRNA polysome loading, and protein translation. In addition, transport of ribosomes to synapses is particularly promoted, resulting in increased levels of AMPA/NMDA receptor, enhanced synaptic plasticity, long-term potentiation and consolidated memory. Strikingly, hippocampal LoNA deficiency not only enhances long-term memory in WT mice, but also restores impaired memory function in APP/PS1 transgenic mice. Together, these findings reveal the multifaceted role of LoNA in modulating ribosome biogenesis to meet the translational demands of long-term memory.

Powder metallurgical low-modulus Ti-Mg alloys for biomedical applications.

In this work, powder metallurgical (PM) Ti-Mg alloys were prepared using combined techniques of mechanical alloying and spark plasma sintering. The alloys mainly consist of super saturations of Mg in Ti matrix, and some laminar structured Ti- and Mg-rich phases. The PM Ti-Mg alloys contain a homogeneous mixtures of nanocrystalline Mg and Ti phases. The novel microstructures result in unconventional mechanical and biological properties. It has been shown that the PM Ti-Mg alloys have a much lower compression modulus (36-50GPa) compared to other Ti alloys, but still remain a very high compressive strength (1500-1800MPa). In addition, the PM Ti-Mg alloys show good biocompatibility and bioactivity. Mg can dissolve in the simulated body fluids, and induce the formation of the calcium phosphate layer. The compression modulus of PM Ti-Mg alloys decreases with the amount of Mg, while the bioactivity increases. Although the corrosion resistance of Ti-Mg alloys decreases with the content of Mg, the alloys still show good stability in simulated body fluid under electrochemical conditions. The indirect and direct cytotoxicity results show that PM Ti-Mg alloys have a good biocompatibility to NIH-3T3 cells. Therefore, the PM Ti-Mg alloys are promising candidates in biomedical applications.

Synthesis of Ti-Ta alloys with dual structure by incomplete diffusion between elemental powders.

In this work, powder metallurgical (PM) Ti-Ta alloys were sintered using blended elemental powders. A dual structure, consisting of Ti-rich and Ta-rich zones, was formed due to the insufficient diffusion between Ti and Ta powders. The microstructure, mechanical properties and in vitro biological properties of the alloys were studied. Results indicated that the alloys have inhomogenous microstructures and compositions, but the grain structures were continuous from the Ti-rich zone to the Ta-rich zone. The Ta-rich zone exhibited a much finer grain size than the Ti-rich zone. The alloys had a high relative density in the range of 95-98%, with the porosity increasing with the content of Ta due to the increased difficulty in sintering and the formation of Kirkendall pores. The alloys had a good combination of low elastic modulus and high tensile strength. The strength of alloys was almost doubled compared to that of the ingot metallurgy alloys with the same compositions. The low elastic modulus was due to the residual pores and the alloying effect of Ta, while the high tensile strength resulted from the strengthening effects of solid solution, fine grain size and α phase. The alloys had a high biocompatibility due to the addition of Ta, and were suitable for the attachment of cells due to the surface porosity. It was also indicated that PM Ti-(20-30)Ta alloys are promising for biomedical applications after the evaluations of both the mechanical and the biological properties.

Progress of Application Researches of Porous Fiber Metals.

Metal fiber porous materials with intrinsic properties of metal and functional properties of porous materials have received a great deal of attention in the fundamental research and industry applications. With developments of the preparation technologies and industrial requirements, porous fiber metals with excellent properties are developed and applied in many industry areas, e.g., sound absorption, heat transfer, energy absorption and lightweight structures. The applied research progress of the metal fiber porous materials in such application areas based on the recent work in our group was reviewed in this paper.