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Parameterized evaluation of thermal characteristics for a lithium ion battery is a challenge due to the facts: 1) heat generated by a battery is extremely hard to be measured; 2) the measured surface temperature is unable to reflect the entire thermal status. In this study, thermal energy conversion efficiency is proposed to evaluate the thermal behaviors. Results show thermal energy conversion efficiencies at 2 C are about 4.6% and 8.1% when charging and discharging, respectively, showing the former is significantly less than the later. The elevated temperature also shows the similar trend. The increased max temperatures at 2 C are about 16 K and 30 K when charging and discharging, respectively. It is found that the irreversible thermal energy is higher when discharging than when charging. The linear relations between thermal energy conversion efficiencies, and the max and min temperature are discovered, proving that temperature distribution is determined by the thermal energy conversion efficiency. The increased max and min temperatures as function of a current rate and state of charge (SOC) or depth of discharge (DOD) are estimated and plotted as three-dimensional figures. Thus, the temperature range can be known according to the ranges of SOC/DOD and current rates. • Parameterized evaluation of thermal characteristics for a lithium ion battery is proposed. • The linear relations between thermal energy conversion efficiency, and the max and min temperature are found. • Quantitative relation of thermal behaviors to operating conditions is established. • Increased temperature as function of a current rate and SOC or DOD is estimated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ballast water is one of the main vectors for the spread of harmful organisms among geologically isolated waters. However, the successional processes of microbial functions and assembly processes in ballast water during the long-term shipping voyage remain unclear. In this study, the compositions, ecological functions, community assembly, and potential environmental drivers of bacteria and microeukaryotes were investigated in simulated ballast water microcosms for 120 days. The results showed that the diversity and compositions of the bacterial and microeukaryotic communities varied significantly in the initial 40 days (T0∼T40 samples) and then gradually converged. The relative abundance of Proteobacteria showed a distinct tendency to decrease (87.90%–41.44%), while that of Ascomycota exhibited an increasing trend (6.35%–62.12%). The functional groups also varied significantly over time and could be related to the variations of the microbial community. The chemoheterotrophy and aerobic chemoheterotrophy functional groups for bacteria decreased from 44.80% to 28.02% and from 43.77% to 25.39%, respectively. Additionally, co-occurrence network analysis showed that the structures of the bacterial community in T60∼T120 samples were more stable than those in T0∼T40 samples. Stochastic processes also significantly affected the community assembly of bacteria and microeukaryotes. pH played the most significant role in driving the structures and assembly processes of the bacterial and microeukaryotic communities. The results of this study could aid in the understanding of variations in the functions and ecological processes of bacterial and microeukaryotic communities in ballast water over time and provide a theoretical basis for its management. [Display omitted] • Obvious changes of bacterial and microeukaryotic communities occurred with time. • Microbial community became more similar with the increase of time. • Distinct variations of microbial functional groups occurred in simulated ballast water. • Stochasticity played a dominant role on bacterial and microeukaryotic communities assembly. • pH was the crucial factor driving the structures and assembly of microbial community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conductive additives in lithium-ion batteries are indispensable for constructing electronic conductive networks and enabling continuous electrochemical reactions. Fine carbon black powder, typically composed of small round particles with a diameter of tens of nanometers, is the most commonly used conductive additive. The experimental results in some literature indicate that blending fiber-shaped conductive additives can help boost battery performance. The heterogenous electrode model is employed in this study to explore the distribution of electronic current density within lithium-ions batteries, demonstrate the benefits of blending fiber-shaped long-range conductive additives, and shed light on its mechanism. Our findings show that the introduction of long-range conductive additives leads to reallocation of the electron flow: as the proportion/weight ratio of long-range conductive additives increases, the electronic current undertaken by all conductive additives increases, while that undertaken by the active particles decreases. Without changing the total wt.% of conductive additives in batteries, the ohmic resistance of the electrode and the whole cell can be significantly reduced due to more electrons passing through compositions with better conductivity. These results help researchers gain a better understanding on the correlation between conductive network geometry and electron transfer effectiveness. [Display omitted] • A heterogeneous electrode model is constructed. • The laws of electronic current density (ECD) in solid phase are revealed. • Fiber-shaped conductive additives can re-allocate of electron flow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The APT layer with a unique sandwich-like architecture can achieve the goal of separating surfactant-stabilized oil-in-water emulsions and adsorbing water-soluble contaminants in multifunctional water remediation. • APT layer with sandwich-like architecture was fabricated by the universal method. • APT layer can separate a series of surfactant-stabilized oil-in-water emulsions. • APT layer also exhibited good adsorption performance for dyes and heavy metal. With the development of social economy, large quantities of oily wastewater discharged from our daily life and industries have already threatened human health and natural environment. Generally, during wastewater treatment, there are other pollutants including dyes and heavy metal ions in water apart from various kinds of oils. Therefore, how to remove these pollutants during the emulsion separation is of great significance. More recently, some membranes with underwater superoleophobic property have been ready to separate various oil-in-water emulsions. However, the fabrication of majority of these superwetting membranes involves complicated process control, special equipment and expensive reagents, which further restricts the multifunction of practical large-scale applications. Herein, the three-dimensional attapulgite (APT) layer with sandwich-like architecture was fabricated by a facile and universal applicable approach without any further modification of the original membranes. This method employs ordinary material with underwater superoleophobicity towards the effective and fast separation of different oil-in-water emulsions and adsorption of organic dyes and heavy metal ions. Compared with the fabrication methods of traditional coatings, the design thought of this paper is universal and brand-new that can easily be applied to a broad range of materials. This work can provide more novel ideas for the fabrication of oil/water separating materials, leading to multifunctional water purification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigating the correlation between aging mechanisms and state of charge (SOC) can optimize cycling conditions and prolong the life cycle of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). A long-term cycle between a certain SOC range is usually employed to study this correlation. However, this method necessitates a lengthy period, running from months to years, prolonging the research duration significantly. The aging mechanisms obtained through this method are a result of the coupling of various SOC levels; the aging mechanisms at a specific SOC level are not accurately decoupled and analyzable. The proposed Zero-sum pulse method, using symmetrical pulses with small SOC amplitude variations on SOC, can explore aging mechanisms of LIBs at a specific SOC level and reduce the time to less than a week, which significantly expedite the research process. The aging mechanisms at 30%, 50%, 70%, and 90% SOC levels are explored to verify the accuracy and timeliness of this method., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

The mass transfer in lithium-ion batteries is a low-frequency dynamic that affects their voltage and performance. To find an effective way to describe the mass transfer in lithium-ion batteries, a simplified electrochemical lithium-ion battery model based on ensemble learning is proposed. The proposed model simplifies lithium-ion transfer in electrode particles with ensemble learning which ensembles discrete-time realization algorithm (DRA), fractional-order Padé approximation model (FOM), and three parameters (TPM) parabolic. The lithium-ion transfer in the electrolyte is simplified by the first-order inertial element (FIE). The results show that the proposed model achieves not only accurate lithium-ion concentration prediction in solid and electrolyte phase but also precise voltage prediction with low computational complexity., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Author(s).)

Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is the most common pathological subtype of lung cancer and has a poor prognosis. Immune Checkpoint Blockage (ICB) have been shown to improve the survival of LUAD in the last decade. CD8 + T cell infiltration is significantly related to LUAD prognosis and plays a critical role in ICB response efficiency. Chemokines expressed and secreted by tumor and microenvironment cells regulate the recruitment of CD8 + T cells. A cytoplasm-dominant circRNA, termed circMAPK1, was found to be down-regulated in LUAD and dramatically suppressed the growth of LUAD upon circMAPK1 overexpression in immunocompetent mice. Meanwhile, it was found that circMAPK1 significantly promoted the CD8 + T cell intratumoral infiltration in vitro and in vivo. CircMAPK1 was identified as binding IGF2BP1 in the cytoplasm and inducing IGF2BP1 to occupy the 3'UTR of CCL5 mRNA, resulting in retained stability of CCL5 mRNA. In general, circMAPK1 is a microenvironment-associated circRNA that recruits CD8 + T cells in LUAD. CircMAPK1 is an effective microenvironment regulator and a potential nucleic acid drug that can be combined with ICB to improve immunotherapy response efficiency., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Accurate detecting bacterial communities in ballast water and sediments supports risk management. This study uses full-length 16S rRNA gene sequencing to investigate the bacterial communities in ballast water and sediments, focusing on detecting pathogens. The results indicate that full-length sequencing more accurately reveals the species diversity. There is a significant difference (P < 0.05) in bacterial communities between ballast water and sediments, despite both being dominated by the Proteobacteria phylum. Thirty human and fish pathogens were identified by full-length sequencing, yet only five pathogens were detected from V3-V4 sequencing. Notably, emerging pathogens such as Citrobacter freundii and Nocardia nova are detected in samples, which are harmful to aquaculture and human health. Several opportunistic pathogens were also identified. In summary, this study provides important insights into the bacterial communities in ballast water and sediments, highlighting the need for strict management., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Ballast water and sediments can serve as prominent vectors for the widespread dispersal of pathogens between geographically distant areas. However, information regarding the diversity and distribution of the bacterial pathogens in ballast water and sediments is highly limited. In this study, using high-throughput sequencing and quantitative PCR, we investigated the composition and abundance of potential pathogens, and their associations with indicator microorganisms. We accordingly detected 48 potential bacterial pathogens in the assessed ballast water and sediments, among which there were significant differences in the compositions and abundances of pathogenic bacterial communities characterizing ballast water and sediments. Rhodococcus erythropolis, Bacteroides vulgatus, and Vibrio campbellii were identified as predominant pathogens in ballast water, whereas Pseudomonas stutzeri, Mycobacterium paragordonae, and Bacillus anthracis predominated in ballast sediments. Bacteroidetes, Vibrio alginolyticus, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, and Escherichia coli were generally detected with median values of 8.54 × 10 3 -1.22 × 10 7 gene copies (GC)/100 mL and 1.16 × 10 7 -3.97 × 10 9 GC/100 g in ballast water and sediments, respectively. Notably, the concentrations of Shigella sp., Staphylococcus aureus, and V. alginolyticus were significantly higher in ballast sediments than in the water. In addition, our findings tend to confirm that the indicator species specified by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) might underestimate the pathogen risk in the ballast water and sediments, as these bacteria were unable to predict some potential pathogens assessed in this study. In summary, this study provides a comprehensive insight into the spectrum of the potential pathogens that transferred by ship ballast tanks and emphasizes the need for the implementation of IMO convention on ballast sediment management., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

A scalable cyanation of gem -difluoroalkenes to (hetero)arylacetonitrile derivatives was developed. This strategy features mild reaction conditions, excellent yields, wide substrate scope, and broad functional group tolerance. Significantly, in this reaction, aqueous ammonia offers a "N" source for the "CN" reagent and entirely avoids the use of toxic cyanating reagents or metal catalysis. Hence, we provide a green and alternative method for the synthesis of arylacetonitriles.

Blood biochemical profile can be used to evaluate the health status of fish and ambient environmental conditions. However, it is not well known in the aquaponic systems, let alone their differences between hydroponic and aquatic plants. A 5-month trial was conducted to investigate the changes in the growth performance and blood index of Qihe crucian carp Carassius auratus in eight aquaponic systems (control, Ipomoea aquatica, Lactuca sativa, Lemna minor, Amaranthus tricolor, Ceratophyllum demersum, Vallisneria spiralis, and C. demersum-net, indicated by CK, Ia, Ls, Lm, At, Cd, Vn, and Cd-ns). Results showed that weight gain rate and specific growth rate did not significantly differ among the eight groups. However, most blood parameters significantly differed among the eight groups. The glucose level and activities of alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase, and aspartate aminotransferase were generally larger in Cd, Lm, Vn, and CK groups, and smaller in Ia, Ls, or At groups. Additionally, the triglyceride, cholesterol, albumin, and albumin/globulin were mostly elevated in Ia and At groups. Moreover, the creatinine, total proteins, and globulin levels peaked in Vn group. These findings showed that the blood biochemical profile was more sensitive than the growth performances and that hydroponic plants can induce a higher production and more healthy status of Qihe crucian carp C. auratus when compared with aquatic plants or no plants.

Special-wetting materials have been broadly studied in various oil/water separation processes. However, there are granted numerous challenges in extremely durable materials with mechanical robustness, especially considering the great requirements in purifying emulsified oil/water mixtures. Herein, we present a facile route to prepare robust superhydrophobic surface by spraying Octadecyltrimethoxys modified attapulgite suspension combined with inorganic adhesive on mesh. The as-prepared meshes show eminent superhydrophobicity and acquire a gravity driven water-in-oil emulsion separation with efficiency above 99.7% and flux above 106.7 L m -2 h -1 even after multiple cycles. In addition, the meshes exhibit robust and stable superhydrophobicity with water contact angles above 150° after 200 sandpaper abrasion (transverse shear force) and harsh sand impact (longitudinal impact force) cycles, and meanwhile, still maintain outstanding emulsion separation performance during tests. This study is meaningful for the development of fabricating low-energy separating materials with high efficiency and mechanical robustness for harsh chemical engineering., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Few studies have focused on the biomechanical responses of submerged, rosette-forming macrophytes to wave action, water depth, or their co-occurrence in naturally eutrophic systems. The plant architecture, root anchorage strength-related traits, leaf morphology, and biomechanics of Vallisneria natans inhabiting a range of water depths were examined along three transects (T1, T2, and T3) in a eutrophic lake, Lake Erhai, in Yunnan Province, China. These transects were exposed to weak wave action and hyper-eutrophication (T1), moderate wave action and eutrophication (T2), or strong wave action and eutrophication (T3). The results showed that V. natans was mainly distributed at intermediate depths, with the widest colonization depth in T1. The values of plant architecture, root anchorage strength-related traits, leaf morphology, and biomechanics were generally highest in T3 and smallest in T2. Along the depth gradient, these values were generally highest at 3.5, 2.5, and 2.5 m for the plants growing in T1, T2, and T3, respectively. These findings suggest that V. natans adopts a "tolerance" strategy to cope with the effects of strong wave action in eutrophic habitats and an "avoidance" strategy when exposed to moderate wave action in eutrophic areas. Since the absence of an avoidance strategy increases the resistance to low-light stress at the expense of increased drag forces, there is a limit to the wave action that V. natans can withstand. This study indicates that biomechanics could be important when determining the distribution pattern of V. natans in Lake Erhai.

As an endemic species of freshwater gastropods in China, Bellamya quadrata plays an important role in ecosystem service provision and commercial importance. However, the species is overharvested and its natural habitats are under severe threat due to fragmentation and loss. To estimate the genetic diversity and population structure of B. quadrata, 285 individuals from eight lake populations across middle and lower Yangtze River were sampled. Seven microsatellite loci were genotyped. Our results showed that (i) the genetic diversity of B. quadrata was high in most of the studied populations, yet effective population sizes appear to be rather small in some populations; (ii) low levels of genetic differentiation exists among populations but gene flow was generally high; (iii) no clear geographic or genetic structure was observed in the studied region, implying mechanisms (zoochoric dispersal and anthropogenic translocations) that enhance dispersal and gene flow have promoted population connectivity. However, the comparatively high genetic diversity of B. quadrata could be attributed to a lag phase, suggesting that the genetic diversity of this species may be lost in the future and the priorities for conservation of B. quadrata are necessary.