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A low-cost and easy-available silicon (Si) feedstock is of great significance for developing high-performance lithium-ion battery (LIB) anode materials. Herein, we employ waste crystalline Si solar panels as silicon raw materials, and transform micro-sized Si (m-Si) into porous Si (p-Si) by an alloying/dealloying approach in molten salt where Li+ was first reduced and simultaneously alloyed with m-Si to generate Li-Si alloy at the cathode. Subsequently, the as-prepared Li-Si alloy served as the anode in the same molten salt to release Li+ into the molten salt, resulting in the production of p-Si by taking advantage of the volume expansion/contraction effect. In the whole process, Li+ was shuttled between the electrodes in molten LiCl-KCl, without consuming Li salt. The obtained p-Si was applied as an anode in a half-type LIBs that delivered a capacity of 2427.7 mAh g−1 at 1 A g−1 after 200 cycles with a capacity retention rate of 91.5% (1383.3 mAh g−1 after 500 cycles). Overall, this work offers a straightforward way to convent waste Si panels to high-performance Si anodes for LIBs, giving retired Si a second life and alleviating greenhouse gas emissions caused by Si production.

Exosomes are critical mediators of intercellular communication in the tumor microenvironment. Exosomal circular RNAs (circRNAs) can act as biomarkers and play crucial roles in many cancers, including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The aim of this study was to explore the functions and regulatory mechanism of exosomal circ_0007385 in NSCLC. The expression levels of circ_0007385, microRNA-1253 (miR-1253), family with sequence similarity 83, member A (FAM83A) mRNA were determined by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), 5-Ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (Edu), and colony formation assays were utilized to determine cell proliferation ability. Sphere formation efficiency was determined by sphere formation assay. All protein levels were detected by western blot assay. Exosomes were detected using transmission electron microscopy analysis. Size distribution of exosomes was analyzed by nanoparticle tracking analysis. The interaction between miR-1253 and circ_0007385 or FAM83A was confirmed by dual-luciferase reporter, RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) and RNA pull-down assays. Mice xenograft model was established to verify the function of circ_0007385 in vivo. Circ_0007385 was upregulated in NSCLC tissues and cells. Knockdown of circ_0007385 inhibited NSCLC cell proliferation and stemness, while exosomal circ_0007385 facilitated NSCLC cell proliferation and stemness. In addition, miR-1253 was a direct target of circ_0007385, and miR-1253 reversed the inhibitory effects of circ_0007385 on cell proliferation and stemness in NSCLC cells. Moreover, FAM83A was a direct target of miR-1253, and miR-1253 suppressed NSCLC cell proliferation and stemness by targeting FAM83A. Furthermore, circ_0007385 knockdown inhibited tumor growth in vivo. Exosomal circ_0007385 promoted NSCLC cell proliferation and stemness by regulating miR-1253/FAM83A axis.

Aiming at the parameters of the different displacements and related components of the variable-displacement asymmetric axial piston pump (VAPP) required by the energy-recovery system of excavator booms of different tonnages, a rapid multi-process parallel optimization method of complex hydraulic products based on a multi-core CPU was proposed for parameter matching. The parameter matching was used to reasonably select relevant parameters so that the excavator’s boom energy-recovery and utilization system can improve operational efficiency and energy-saving efficiency under the premise of satisfying the normal working conditions of the working mechanism, and achieving the purpose of serializing VAPP products. A multi-objective optimization model was put forward according to energy-saving efficiency and operational efficiency. First, the accuracy of the acceleration method of the CVODE, a solver for stiff and non-stiff ordinary differential equation (ODE) systems, was verified by a physical prototype test. The results showed that the test and simulation results were in good agreement. A particle swarm optimization algorithm (PSO) was used to optimize the main parameters of the boom energy-recovery system to obtain the appropriate energy-saving efficiency and obtain the VAPP displacement and related component parameters required by the energy-recovery system of excavator booms of different tonnages. The simulation results showed that a motor working condition was necessary in the guaranteed descending stage, and the process of lifting–descending–lifting was completed under the condition that the total time did not exceed a certain value. The energy-saving rates of the 7-ton (7T), 12-ton (12T), 20-ton (20T), and 30-ton (30T) excavator boom energy-recovery systems reached 29.8%, 35.3%, 31.25%, and 27.88%, respectively. In the eight-core CPU workstation under the simulation conditions, compared with the Simulation X platform simulation method, the simulation efficiency of the multi-core CPU parallel method was improved by more than 80 times.

A high-sensitivity differential Helmholtz photoacoustic cell based on multiple reflection was reported, and its performance parameters and gas replacement time were optimized by finite element simulation. To realize the long absorption path of the measured gas, the collimated excitation light was reflected multiple times on the gold-plated wall of the absorption cavity, and the wavelength modulation technology was used to reduce the multiple reflection noise. Additionally, the differential could suppress external co-phase noise and double the photoacoustic signal. When a laser with a central wavelength of 1653 nm was employed as the excitation light source, the minimum detection limit of 177 ppb (signal-to-noise ratio, SNR = 1) for methane was achieved within a detection time of 1 s, and the corresponding normalized noise equivalent absorption coefficient was 4.1×10–10 cm–1WHZ–1/2.

Chiglitazar (Carfloglitazar) is a novel peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) pan-agonist that has shown promising effects on glycemic control and lipid regulation in patients with type 2 diabetes. In this randomized phase 3 trial, we compared the efficacy and safety of chiglitazar with sitagliptin in patients with type 2 diabetes who had insufficient glycemic control despite a strict diet and exercise regimen. Eligible patients were randomized (1:1:1) to receive chiglitazar 32 mg (n = 245), chiglitazar 48 mg (n = 246), or sitagliptin 100 mg (n = 248) once daily for 24 weeks. The primary endpoint was the change in glycosylated hemoglobin A1C (HbA1c) from baseline at week 24 with the non-inferiority of chiglitazar over sitagliptin. Both chiglitazar and sitagliptin significantly reduced HbA1c at week 24 with values of −1.40%, −1.47%, and −1.39% for chiglitazar 32 mg, chiglitazar 48 mg, and sitagliptin 100 mg, respectively. Chiglitazar 32 and 48 mg were both non-inferior to sitagliptin 100 mg, with mean differences of −0.04% (95% confidential interval (CI) −0.22 to 0.15) and −0.08% (95% CI −0.27 to 0.10), respectively. Compared with sitagliptin, greater reduction in fasting and 2-h postprandial plasma glucose and fasting insulin was observed with chiglitazar. Overall adverse event rates were similar between the groups. A small increase in mild edema in the chiglitazar 48 mg group and slight weight gain in both chiglitazar groups were reported. The overall results demonstrated that chiglitazar possesses good efficacy and safety profile in patients with type 2 diabetes inadequately controlled with lifestyle interventions, thereby providing adequate supporting evidence for using this PPAR pan-agonist as a treatment option for type 2 diabetes.

Chiglitazar (Carfloglitazar) is a novel non-thiazolidinedione (TZD) structured peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) pan-agonist that has shown promising effects on glycemic control and lipid regulation in patients with type 2 diabetes in previous clinical studies. This randomized phase 3 trial aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of chiglitazar with placebo in patients with type 2 diabetes with insufficient glycemic control by strict diet and exercise alone. Eligible patients were randomly assigned to receive chiglitazar 32 mg (n = 167), chiglitazar 48 mg (n = 166), or placebo (n = 202) once daily. The primary endpoint was the change in glycosylated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) at week 24 with superiority of chiglitazar over placebo. The results showed that both chiglitazar 32 and 48 mg resulted in significant and clinically meaningful reductions in HbA1c, and placebo-adjusted estimated treatment differences at week 24 for chiglitazar 32 and 48 mg were −0.87% (95% confidential interval (CI): −1.10 to −0.65; P

A new optimization algorithm is proposed, since a huge problem that many algorithms faced was not being able to effectively balance the global and local search ability. Matter exists in three states: solid, liquid, and gas, which presents different motion characteristics. Inspired by multi- states of matter, individuals of optimization algorithm have different motion characteristics of matter, which could present different search ability. The Finite Element Analysis (FEA) approach can simulate multi- states of matter, which can be adopted to effectively balance the global search ability and local search ability in new optimization algorithm. The new algorithm is creative application of Finite Element Analysis at optimization algorithm field. Artificial Physics Optimization (APO) and Gravitational Search Algorithm (GSA) belongs to the algorithm types defined by force and mass. According to FEA approach, node displacement caused by force and stiffness could be equivalent to motion caused by force and mass of APO and GSA. In the new algorithm framework, stiffness replaces mass of APO and GSA algorithm. This paper performs research on two different algorithms based on APO and GSA respectively. The individuals of new optimization algorithm are divided into solid state, liquid state, and gas state. The effects of main parameters on the performance were studied through experiments of 6 static test functions. The performance is compared with PSO, basic APO, or GSA for four complex models which made up of solid individual, liquid individual, and gas individual in iterative process. The reasonable complex model can be confirmed experimentally. Based on the reasonable complex model, the article conducted complete experiments against Enhancing artificial bee colony algorithm with multi-elite guidance (MGABC), Artificial bee colony algorithm with an adaptive greedy position update strategy (AABC), Multi-strategy ensemble artificial bee colony (MEABC), Self-adaptive heterogeneous PSO (fk-PSO), and APO with 28 CEC2013 test problem. Experimental results show that the proposed method achieves a good performance in comparison to its counterparts as a consequence of its better exploration– exploitation balance. The algorithm supplies a new method to improve physics optimization algorithm.

In this study, it was researched that the extraction of Co(II) from CoCl2 aqueous solutions using Cyanex 272 (bis(2,4,4-trimethylpentyl) phosphonic acid) in kerosene and determined the effects of the equilibrium pH value, extractant concentration and chloride ion concentration on the extraction of cobalt at different temperatures. The results indicate that the distribution ratio of cobalt increases as the equilibrium pH value, extractant concentration and extraction temperature increase. However, the cobalt distribution ratio decreases as the chloride ion concentration increases. We calculated the equilibrium constants (AH9, AG9, and AS9) for a range of temperatures and investigated the relationship between AG9 and T. The extraction reaction of cobalt was determined to be an endothermic reaction; thus, raising the temperature was beneficial to the reaction.

A highly sensitive differential Helmholtz photoacoustic sensor with active noise reduction was reported. Coupled to one cavity of the photoacoustic cell, an intensity-modulated excitation light would reflect multiple times to produce photoacoustic signal, and meanwhile cause the solid-state photoacoustic effect forming differential mode noise with the frequency same as the photoacoustic signal, which could not be suppressed by conventional differential technology. Wavelength modulation technology is a splendid method to restrain this effect, which is not suitable for light sources with not adjustable wavelength. To suppress this kind of noise, an intensity-modulated compensation light was coupled to another cavity, whose central wavelength was at the non-absorption line of the measured gas. The compensation light was of the same frequency, phase, and power as the excitation light, by which the solid-state photoacoustic effects were produced to form destructive interference called active noise reduction. The experiment results showed that the active noise reduction significantly improved the signal-to-noise ratio and signal-to-background ratio. Compared with the differential, the differential with active noise reduction improved signal-to- noise ratio by about 1.2 times and signal-to-background ratio by about 9.4 times. When low-power near-infrared lasers were employed as the two light sources, the minimum detection limits for acetylene and methane reached 21 and 200 ppb, respectively.

Objective Chidamide is an oral histone deacetylase subtype-selective inhibitor approved for relapsed or refractory peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL). This phase 1b study evaluated the safety, pharmacokinetics, and preliminary efficacy of chidamide in combination with cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone (CHOP) for treatment-naive PTCL patients. Methods This study was an open-label, multicenter trial composed of dose escalation and dose expansion. Patients received CHOP for six 21-d cycles and chidamide on d 1, 4, 8 and 11 in each cycle. Four dose levels of chidamide (20, 25, 30 and 35 mg) were evaluated. The primary objective was to evaluate the safety and tolerability of the combination regimen. Results A total of 30 patients were evaluated in this study: 15 in the dose-escalation part and 15 in the dose-expansion part. In the dose-escalation study, three patients were enrolled in the 35 mg chidamide cohort. One had dose-limiting toxicity with grade 3 vascular access complications, and one had grade 2 neutropenia with a sustained temperature >38 °C. Dose escalation was stopped at this chidamide dose level. The most common (≥10%) grade 3 or 4 adverse events (AEs) were leukopenia (90.0%), neutropenia (83.3%), vomiting (13.3%), thrombocytopenia (10.0%) and febrile neutropenia (10.0%). No significant changes in chidamide pharmacokinetic properties were observed before and after combination treatment. The objective response rate for the 28 patients evaluable for preliminary efficacy was 89.3% (25/28), with 16 (57.1%) achieving complete response or unconfirmed complete response. The estimated median progression-free survival was 14.0 months. In summary, we chose chidamide 30 mg as the recommended dose for phase 2. Conclusions The addition of chidamide to standard CHOP chemotherapy was tolerable with promising preliminary efficacy in previously untreated PTCL patients, which supports further clinical studies with this combination regimen for the frontline treatment of PTCL.

Nickel leaching from low-grade nickel matte (LGNM) using aqueous ferric chloride solution was studied. The influence of factors such as leaching temperature and concentration of ferric chloride on the nickel leaching ratio was investigated. The results show that increasing leaching temperature and concentration of ferric chloride increases the nickel leaching ratio. The overall nickel leaching process follows the unreacted shrinking core model, and the surface chemical reaction is the rate-controlling step. The activation energy and the reaction order of the nickel leaching process, controlled by the surface chemical reaction, were calculated to be 52.96 kJ·mol−1 and 0.5, respectively. Therefore, the kinetics equation for the nickel leaching was found to be 1 − (1 − α)1/3 = 7.18 × 104C0.5exp[− 52,960/(RT)]t.

As a novel orally active multitarget small molecule inhibitor, CS2164 has shown broad antitumor activities against several human tumor xenograft models in immune-compromised mice. However, the ability of CS2164 to modulate antitumor immunity in an immune-competent mouse tumor model remains undefined, although antiangiogenic treatment has been reported to affect immune cell infiltration and remodel the tumor immune microenvironment. In the present study, the subcutaneous and ascites hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) models in syngeneic Balb/c mice established by inoculation of an H22 hepatoma cell line were utilized to investigate the antitumor and immunomodulatory effects of CS2164. Although the antitumor effects of CS2164 were validated in both subcutaneous and ascites HCC models in syngeneic mice, CS2164 treatment consistently modulated immune cell populations, both in the periphery and in tumor microenvironments, with upregulation of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in the spleen, but downregulation of immunosuppressive populations including regulatory T cells, myeloid-derived suppressor cells, and tumor-associated macrophages in the spleen and tumor tissues. Furthermore, CS2164 increased the relative gene expression and protein production of several proinflammatory cytokines in tumor-related ascites. These results indicate that CS2164 exerts an antitumor effect associated with its immunomodulatory activities in mouse HCC models, and may also provide evidence for the immunotherapy potentiation of CS2164 in future cancer treatment.

Molten salts can provide a high-temperature and oxygen-water-free environment, and the electrochemical polarization is able to reduce the oxide scale on the surface of Ti and Ni particles in molten salts and, thereby, enhance the sintering and accelerating atom diffusion between Ti and Ni. Thus, an electro-assisted powder metallurgical (EPM) approach was developed to prepare porous Ti and NiTi from metal powders in molten salts, where the porous pellet cathode made of the mixture of Ni and Ti powders is electrochemically polarized to facilitate the generation of the porous Ti and NiTi at a temperature lower than 1000 °C. The electrolytic product obtained under a cell voltage of 3 V for 12 hours is nearly pure NiTi with a tiny amount of undesired Ni3Ti and NiTi2 phases. Overall, the EPM route could be a straightforward and general way to prepare porous Ti and Ti-alloys for implants and other applications.

Molten salt is an indispensable electrolyte for electrochemically extracting reactive metals that cannot be obtained by a carbothermic reduction or a low-cost metallothermic reduction route. The choice of the molten salt is highly related to its thermodynamic properties, electrode materials, and the interactions of oxides/sulfides with the molten salts. Herein, thermodynamic properties of molten chlorides fitted with a solid oxide/sulfide cathode are systematically studied in terms of the electrochemical window, the exchange reactions between the oxides/sulfides and the electrolytes, and the role of cations/anions governing the deposition potential of various species in a unary molten salt or a molten-salt mixture. Thermodynamically, the choice of a molten salt for electrolysis should combine the electrochemical window of a molten salt and the in situ formed most stable oxides/sulfides possessing cations from the molten salt itself. This paper sets a guideline for screening molten salts for electrochemical reduction of solid oxides/sulfides and sheds light on the design of an appropriate salt melt for material synthesis.

Aiming at the problem that many algorithms could not effectively balance the global search ability and local search ability, a new optimization algorithm is proposed. Inspired by Finite Element Analysis (FEA) approach, a relationship of mapping between Finite Element Analysis approach and a population-based optimization algorithm is constructed through comparing the similarities and differences of FEA node and ideal particle. In algorithm framework, the stiffness coefficient corresponds to a user-defined function of the value of an objective function to be optimized, and the node forces among individuals are defined and an attraction-repulsion rule is established among them. The FEA approach that can simulate multi- states of matter is adopted to balance the global search ability and local search ability in the novel optimization algorithm. A theoretical analysis is made for algorithm parallelism. The conditions for convergence are deduced through analyzing the algorithm based on discrete-time linear system theory. In addition, the performance of the algorithm is compared with PSO for five states which include free state, diffusion state, solid state, entirely solid state, synthesis state. The simulation results of six benchmark functions show that the algorithm is effective. The algorithm supplies a new method to solve optimization problem.

Extraction of metals from their sulfide minerals without emitting SO2 could realize an environment-friendly metallurgical route. Here we demonstrate an electrochemical pathway to reduce solid copper sulfide to copper powder in a 50 wt.% NaOH solution. Unlike oxides, most sulfides are semiconductors or electrical conductors and have less formation energy than that of oxides, resulting in a small polarization during electrolysis and less theoretical dissociation potentials. The use of the strongly alkaline solution suppresses the generation of H2, and the electrolyte could dissolve S2− and then shuttle the S2− between cathode and anode. Moreover, a transparent cell was assembled to directly observe the reduction process of solid copper sulfide. On the anode side, the irreversibility of anodic reactions prevents the parasitic reactions, thereby ensuring a current efficiency over 90%. This electrochemical pathway could be employed for extracting various metals from their sulfides without SO2 emissions. Keywords: Electro-desulfurization, Copper sulfide, Alkaline solution, Copper, Inert anode