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Hydrogels are widely used as sensors in the field of wearable devices. However, the hydrogels were rarely designed to endure the harsh outdoor environment in winter, including extremely low temperature, ultraviolet (UV) radiation and variable humidity. In addition, physical damage is also a challenge for hydrogels. In this study, a self-healing hydrogel with adhesion was prepared as a sensor for winter sports using a one-pot method. Polyvinyl alcohol was used as the hydrogel matrix, providing the hydrogel preferable self-healing properties and adhesion to various surfaces such as porcine skin, metal, glass, and plastic. Lithium chloride was used for the chain entanglement of polyvinyl alcohol, forming a hydrogel with excellent ionic conductivity (24.29 S m

Single crystal of Sulphamic acid Lithium chloride (SALC), the inorganic nonlinear optical material was synthesized by slow solvent evaporation technique. PXRD analysis confirmed the grown crystal belong to orthorhombic structure to space group of Pbca. The vibrationally assigned frequencies of FTIR were obtained experimentally and compared with theoretical assigned values were calculated by DFT/B3LYP with 6–311++G(d,p) basis set by Gaussian 09 W software. The Vickers micro hardness study led to the evaluation of crystal belongs to hard category. The calculated FMO energy values indicate the charge transfer occurs within the molecule. The hyperpolarizability values of the grown molecule have been computed.

Semiorganic single crystals of L-Threonine Lithium Chloride were wealthy developed by slow evaporation method at ambient circumstances. The structure was illuminated by single crystal XRD technique and the structure be owned by orthorhombic system. Density functional theory computations using B3LYP/6-311++ G(d,p) base set gives optimized structural parameters of title compound. The Theoretically identified hyperconjugative molecular interactions are accountable for the stabilization of compound are obtain by NBO analysis. Besides, Mulliken atomic charges and molecular electrostatic potential were also executed.

A lithium ion conducting solid biopolymer membrane (SBE) has been prepared by incorporating lithium chloride salt (LiCl) with the biopolymer K- Carrageenan (Kappa Carrageenan) using solution casting technique. One gram Kappa Carrageenan with 0.5 g LiCl yields ionic conductivity value of 1.15 × 10-2 Scm−1 which has been found by using Ac impedance analysis. The highest conducting biopolymer membrane possesses high amorphous nature among all the prepared biopolymer membranes, and XRD analysis confirms it. Highest conducting biopolymer possesses low crystallinity percentage of 8.18. Transference number analysis by Wagner’s polarization technique provides information that the major contribution for the conductivity is given by ions whereas minor contribution has been given by electrons. Transference number of ions is found to be 0.96 whereas transference number of electrons is 0.04. By using the using highest conducting composition (one gram Kappa Carrageenan: 0.5 g LiCl) as electrolyte, LiFePO4 as cathode and activated charcoal/graphite as anode, rechargeable lithium-ion conducting battery has been constructed and its voltage is found as 3.25 V. The performance of the battery has been studied by connecting a load (100 kΩ).

The administration of lithium chloride (LiCl) for cardiac output (CO) measurement via a peripheral instead of a central vein has been described previously as a valid alternative route in pigs and dogs. The aim of the study was to compare CO measurements after administration of LiCl using two peripheral veins, cephalic or jugular, in goats. Ten adult, female, experimental goats undergoing bilateral stifle arthrotomy were recruited for the study. Paired CO measurements were taken two minutes apart during stable conditions in isoflurane-anaesthetised goats. Forty-two paired CO measurements were taken in total, and the median (range) of paired CO measurement per goat were 4.5 (3–6). The mean (SD) CO using the cephalic and jugular vein for injection of LiCl was 5.28 (1.29) L min−1 and 5.20 (1.24) L min−1 respectively. The Bland-Altman analysis showed an acceptable agreement with a mean bias of 1.33% with limits of agreement (LoA) of −18.43 to 21.09%. The percentage of error was 25%. The four-quadrant plot analysis showed a poor agreement (71%) between the two routes. The polar plot showed a poor trending ability. An 86% inclusion rate (18/21 points) was reached with a ± 35° radial sector size. The findings revealed that the agreement between the two routes is not as precise as the authors expected, however the results are comparable with studies published previously.

Lithium chloride (LiCl) is an important mood-stabilizing therapeutic agent for bipolar disorders, which has also been shown to inhibit cancer cell metastasis. Investigations of LiCl-induced signaling have focused mainly on extracellular signal regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) and glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK-3). However, little is known about the differences in cellular activities resulting from specific signaling via each of these pathways. In this study, we investigated the difference in responses between the Wnt/β-catenin and ERK pathways by LiCl or epidermal growth factor (EGF) treatment of osteosarcoma cells. In particular, we analyzed the mechanisms responsible for differences in cell mobility and cell proliferation when pERK or β-catenin is activated. In osteosarcoma cells treated with LiCl or EGF, active β-catenin and p-ERK protein levels were significantly increased compared to those in the control group. However, in wound healing and transwell invasion assays, U2OS and SaOS2 cell migration was significantly reduced by LiCl treatment but increased by EGF treatment. In addition, the proliferation of U2OS cells was reduced by LiCl treatment but increased by EGF treatment. Using immunofluorescence microscopy, we observed nuclear accumulation of phosphorylated ERK (pERK) with EGF treatment, but pERK was restricted to the perinuclear area with LiCl treatment. These results were confirmed using immunoblot assays after subcellular fractionation. Together, these data suggest that LiCl interferes with the translocation of pERK from the cytoplasm to the nucleus.

Osteoporosis is a widely distributed disease that may cause complications such as accelerated tooth movement, bone resorption, and tooth loss during orthodontic treatment. Promoting bone formation and reducing bone resorption are strategies for controlling these complications. For several decades, the autophagy inducer lithium chloride (LiCl) has been explored for bipolar . In this study, we investigated the autophagy-promoting effect of LiCl on bone remodeling under osteoporotic conditions during tooth movement. Ovariectomy was used to induce osteoporosis status in vivo. The results showed that LiCl rejuvenated autophagy, decreased apoptosis, and promoted bone formation, thus protecting tooth movement in osteoporotic mice. Furthermore, in vitro experiments showed that LiCl reversed the effects of ovariectomy on bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) extracted from ovariectomized mice, promoting osteogenesis and suppressing apoptosis by positively regulating autophagy. These findings suggest that LiCl can significantly decrease adverse effects of osteoporosis on bone remodeling, and that it has great potential significance in the field of bone formation during tooth movement in osteoporosis patients., Graphical abstract Image 1, Highlights • Lithium chloride was shown for the first time to promotes bone formation in ovariectomized mice during orthodontic tooth movement. • The osteogenesis of lithium chloride in orthodontic tooth movement is through promoting autophagy and inhibiting apoptosis. • The effect of lithium chloride on autophagy and osteogenesis could be blocked by 3-MA. • Our study provides a clue and cue for effective OTM in patients with osteoporosis.

A facile and environmentally-friendly strategy for increasing antioxidant activity is a crucial issue for value-added lignin and lignin-carbohydrate complex (LCC) as alternative antioxidants. However, the antioxidant activities of lignin and LCC by the traditional solid-liquid extraction (SLE) methods were restricted by the relatively lower solubility induced from high molecular weight (Mw), and the less functional groups including, phenolic hydroxyl and carboxyl. To improve the antioxidantion of lignin and LCC, lithium chloride/dimethyl sulfoxide (LiCl/DMSO) solvent fractionation (LDSF) was conducted to increase the functional groups and reduce Mw, in which LiCl/DMSO acted triple roles as solvent, acid, and metal chloride catalyst for the depolymerization reaction synchronously. The β-O-4′ linkages were cleaved to release the phenolic hydroxyl, resulting in decreasing Mw; the hydroxyl of the side-chain of lignin was oxidized into carboxyl. Thus, the lignin (LD-RL) and LCC (LD-LCC) samples from LDSF had a higher syringyl (S)/guaiacyl (G) ratio, phenolic hydroxyl, and carboxyl contents, but less Mw than control groups from SLE. Consequently, they presented more excellent scavenging rates toward DPPH and ABTS radicals, up to 90%. This work provided panoramic perspectives and basics of the green and convenient approach to isolate and modify lignin and LCC for great antioxidantion with LDSF.

Liquid desiccant dehumidification is promising as it could be driven by renewable energy. In the present study, it newly investigated the dehumidification characteristics of KCOOH solution in an internally cooled dehumidifier. To select suitable concentration range, the vapor pressure of KCOOH solution with different solution concentration and temperature was measured with static method firstly. Then comparative experimental study was conducted to identify the dehumidification performance of KCOOH and LiCl solution under different solution and air flow rate, temperature and air humidity. Experimental results indicated that 70.3% KCOOH solution had almost the same vapor pressure as 35% LiCl solution. Under the same experimental conditions, the absolute moisture removal of 70.3% KCOOH solution was slightly higher than that of 35% LiCl solution as a result of the increased wetting area. It was found that the mass transfer coefficients of the two liquid desiccants were almost the same. An empirical correlation of S h number was obtained to predict the mass transfer coefficient of KCOOH solution for dehumidification with a mean absolute relative deviation of 7.81%.

Geoffroea decorticans (chanar) is commonly used for culinary and medicinal purposes in rural communities. The aim of this work was to chemically characterize three Geoffroea decorticans extracts and determine their capacity to modulate the wnt/β-catenin pathway. This signaling pathway plays a key role in embryonic development but its overactivation leads to cancer cell growth. Phytochemical analysis of extracts showed presence of major classes of phytochemicals. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry results revealed the presence of acids, esters and furanic compounds. Using Xenopus embryos as in vivo model organisms, we found that the extracts modulated dorso-ventral axis formation and rescued hyperdorsalized phenotypes produced by LiCl treatment. In agreement with these findings, Geoffroea decorticans extracts decreased β-catenin levels and suppressed the expression of wnt target genes such as xnr3 and chordin, thus demonstrating an inhibitory regulation of the wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. All these results support a new role for Geoffroea decorticans fruit derivatives with possible anti-carcinogenic actions.

A novel functional ceramic or glass pigment of monoclinic holmium molybdate (Ho2MoO6) with ‘allochroic effect’ was synthesized via co-precipitation and subsequent low-temperature sintering with different mineralizers (i.e., lithium chloride, sodium fluoride and boric acid). Effects of solution pH value and mineralizer type/content on Ho2MoO6 formation at different sintering temperatures and time were investigated. The results reveal that the solution pH value in co-precipitation reaction has an influence on the element ratio of Mo and Ho in the precursor and the pigment purity. The sintering temperature of forming sole Ho2MoO6 phase is decreased by 200 °C and the sintering duration is reduced in the presence of 5 wt % lithium chloride due to the decreased crystallization activation energy. Meanwhile, Ho2MoO6 pigment as powder or coating on ceramic tile and glass exhibits various colors (i.e., pale yellow, salmon, mustard and coral) under different illuminants (i.e., incandescent lamp A, solar-light D65, cool white fluorescent lamp F2 and three-band fluorescent lamp F11).

This paper reviews the preparation of hydrogel based on cellulose and its derivatives. Cellulose is the most abundant natural organic polymer on earth. To date, the exploitation of cellulose has been studied in various applications. However, cellulose has low solubility in water and most organic solvents. Thus, specific solvent systems such as NaOH/urea, NaOH/thiourea, lithium chloride, and ionic liquids need to be employed to vary cellulose application. The hydrogel is a 3D network structure that can retain a tremendous amount of water and highly dependent on the crosslinking property. It is important to use a compatible technique for a specific purpose. The paper discusses the materials and crosslinking techniques via chemical, physical, and polymerization, to produce hydrogels from dissolved cellulose and its derivatives.

In this research, well-crystallized lithium chloride (LiCl) intercalated graphite carbonitride (g-C3N4) nanotubes (LiCl–CN) as ceramic films have been rationally designed and fabricated through the molten salt preparation. The as-synthetic material exhibited nanotube morphology and showed significantly enhanced photocatalytic performance on the degradation of bisphenol A (BPA) compared with g-C3N4 in the presence of simulated solar light. The catalytic performance of LiCl–CN was remarkably improved due to the structural alteration of g-C3N4. The results demonstrated 100% BPA could be effectively removed with 0.3 g/L LiCl–CN at pH 5.0 in this investigated reactive system, and the degradation behavior was consistent with pseudo first order reaction kinetic model. Besides, LiCl–CN photocatalyst exhibited excellent photostability and recyclability for BPA photolysis. Mechanistic study revealed that both superoxide radicals (·O2-) and photogenerated holes (h+) were the dominant activated species for the degradation of BPA by LiCl–CN. The findings of this work further open an avenue for the application of g-C3N4 based ceramics materials for organic pollutant removal from wastewater.

Pure and lithium (Li) doped ZnO films have been grown on soda lime glass substrates by chemical spray pyrolysis technique. Zinc chloride (ZnCl2) and lithium chloride (LiCl), resoluble in deionized water, were used in the process. The growth mechanism of the films as a function of Li content, resulting texture and topography were discussed in detail by X-ray diffraction method (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Obtained films exhibited single phase with polycyrstalline nature. At the same time, changes in crystal quality due to lithium addition were observed and these changes were explained as the presence of lithium atoms in the ZnO's crystal structure as interstitial atoms and the replacement of Li+ and Zn2+ions. Topographical features of the films were confirmed by SEM images. In SEM photographs, it was observed that the crystallite size of the films varied as a result of an increase in the lithium doping concentration. Thus, a significant correlation was found between the structural and morphological properties of the films due to Li contribution. Optical properties of the films were evaluated by UV-VIS-NIR spectroscopy and found that the optical band gap of ZnO films exhibit increasing tendency up to 4 at.%Li content and decrease for further Li content. Elemental composition and presence of Li were approved by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Li 1s peak were observed in 55.6 eV in 5 at.% Li doped ZnO films.

Composite solid electrolytes LiClO4 – CND, where CND is the nanodiamonds powder, were prepared and their properties studied in the concentration range from 0 to 0.95 M fraction of CND at temperatures from 25 to 200 °C. Composites were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, thermal analysis (TG/DSC). According to the XRD data, in the temperature range of 30–200 °C, only phases of anhydrous, hydrated lithium perchlorate and nanodiamonds are present in the composites. According to TG data, the amount of possible lithium chloride resulting from the decomposition reaction on the surface of nanodiamonds was estimated, which corresponds to 83% of the coverage with a monolayer of LiCl. The first experiments on electrical conductivity showed an increase in electrical conductivity by 3 orders of magnitude for a composition with × = 0.7 compared to pure LiClO4 (σ = 1∙10-4 S/cm at T = 150 °C).

Organic 4-Dimethylaminopyridine inorganic Lithium chloride (4-DMAPLC) has been taken in stoichiometric ratio and synthesized 4-dmethylaminopyridine lithium chloride crystal by slow evaporation solution growth technique using water as a solvent. Customizable size 4-DMAPLC crystals were harvested at room temperature. The obtained customizable crystal was subjected to various characterization processes. Powder XRD studies performed to identify the crystalline nature of the sample. Single crystal XRD studies establish the crystalline system of the sample which denoted that monoclinic system with cell parameter values a = 9.88 Å, b = 8.94 Å and c = 13.53 Å with volume V = 1191 Å3. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy identifies the various modes of functional groups available in the sample. UV–Vis-NIR transmittance spectrum shows that the lower cut-off wavelength at 190 nm possesses material for nonlinear optical application. High dielectric constant values at low frequency region were identified from dielectric constant studies. Vickers micro hardness studies reveal the mechanical strength and behaviors of the crystal and calculated work hardening co-efficient to be n = 1.43305. Energy dispersive X-ray diffraction analysis (EDAX) carried out and confirms the synthesized chlorides of lithium, nitrogen and carbon of 4-Dmethylaminopyridine molecules in the grown sample. Second harmonic generation (SHG) efficiency of has grown 4-DMAPLC crystal were investigated using 1064 nm of Nd: YAG laser and the SHG efficiency were found to be 1.29 times greater than KDP. Keywords: Solution growth, Semi-organic NLO crystal, Band gap energy, Electrical properties, Yield strength, Mechanical properties

Here we review the effects of immune activation primarily via lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a cell wall component of Gram-negative bacteria, on hippocampal and non-hippocampal-dependent learning and memory. Rodent studies have found that LPS alters both the acquisition and consolidation of aversive learning and memory, such as those evoking evolutionarily adaptive responses like fear and disgust. The inhibitory effects of LPS on the acquisition and consolidation of contextual fear memory are discussed. LPS-induced alterations in the acquisition of taste and place-related conditioned disgust memory within bottle preference tasks and taste reactivity tests (taste-related), in addition to conditioned context avoidance tasks and the anticipatory nausea paradigm (place-related), are highlighted. Further, conditioned disgust memory consolidation may also be influenced by LPS-induced effects. Growing evidence suggests a central role of immune activation, especially pro-inflammatory cytokine activity, in eliciting the effects described here. Understanding how infection-induced immune activation alters learning and memory is increasingly important as bacterial and viral infections are found to present a risk of learning and memory impairment.

Pseudorabies virus (PRV) is a swine herpesvirus with a broad host range that causes significant economic losses worldwide. The Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway is reportedly involved in multiple viruses' proliferation. In this study, we demonstrated that PRV infection significantly activated the Wnt/β-catenin signaling and promoted the nuclear translocation of β-catenin. Applying specific chemical inhibitors (FH535 and iCRT14) caused a remarkable decrease in PRV titers in various cell lines. Knockdown of β-catenin by siRNA also reduced the proliferation of PRV. On the contrary, treatment with lithium chloride (LiCl), an inhibitor of GSK3β, stimulated the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway and enhanced the PRV proliferation. Similarly, overexpression of β-catenin promoted PRV proliferation and reversed the antiviral effect of FH535. Moreover, LiCl promoted PRV-induced autophagy, whereas FH535 and iCRT14 showed converse effects. These findings suggest that PRV infection stimulates the canonical Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, facilitating PRV proliferation and regulating virus-induced autophagy. These data also provide potential targets for developing antiviral agents against PRV.

Synthesis possibility of cellulose sulfates with a low and high degree of substitution (DS) by direct homogenous sulfation of cotton cellulose in N,N-dimethylacetamide/lithium chloride (DMA/LiCl) using SO3/pyridine (Py) complex was studied comprehensively. The sulfation reactions were carried at different temperatures, time durations, amount of the sulfating reagent and celluloses with varying weight average degree of polymerization (DPw). It was found that the method is very appropriate to prepare sodium cellulose sulfate (SCS) with low and high DS from celluloses having wide range DPw. Completely water-soluble SCS samples with regulable DS values from 0.23 to 2.56 were obtained. Suitable conditions were proposed to gain high sulfate content and the samples with DS values of 2.16–2.32, and yield of 69.4–77.8% could be prepared in these conditions. Celluloses with low and high DPw values exhibited similar reactivity for sulfation. Precipitation of the product and drastic depolymerization in the polymer chain have not occurred during the reaction.

Autophagy, a mechanism of recycling intracellular constituents, favors plant growth, especially under nutrient starvation. However, autophagy’s role in regulating postharvest fruit senescence is unclear. Here, effects of the autophagy inhibitor hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and activator LiCl on postharvest jujube fruit senescence were investigated. HCQ significantly reduced weight loss and decay incidence, and enhanced firmness compared with those of the control. LiCl had the opposite effects. Protein oxidation and H2O2 increased significantly in LiCl-treated compared with HCQ-treated fruit. The contents of vitamin C, total thiol, and phenolics, and total antioxidant capacity and DPPH-radical scavenging capacity, followed the order: HCQ > control > LiCl. The HCQ-mediated reduction in fruit respiration was significantly enhanced by ATP and partly reversed by 2,4-dinitrophenol, a mitochondrial uncoupler. Thus, jujube fruit senescence may be regulated by autophagy and the antioxidant capacity. A mechanism of autophagy-mediated postharvest fruit senescence involving mitochondrial biogenesis and respiration was proposed.

For diamond/metal composite fabrication, coating diamond particles with metal carbide provides improved wettability between the diamond particles and the matrix. In this study, diamond particles were coated with chromium (Cr) using a molten salt method. Diamond and Cr powders were heated at 600–950 °C in molten salts of lithium chloride (LiCl), potassium chloride (KCl), and sodium chloride (NaCl) to create a chromium carbide (here Cr7C3) coating on the diamond particles. Carbide formation was influenced by the diffusion rate and eutectic point of the molten salt mixture. The resulting Cr7C3 coating surface and microstructure were characterized by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. Coating layer thickness was determined using particle size analysis and confirmed by energy dispersive spectroscopy results. A uniform Cr7C3 layer formed on the surface of the diamond particles at a relatively low temperature, at which the graphitization of diamond is avoided. Compared with a mixture of LiCl, KCl, and calcium chloride (CaCl2), which had been used in our previous study, the LiCl–KCl–NaCl mixture increased the reaction rate and initiated coating at a much lower temperature. The differences between the two molten salt mixtures for coating diamond are discussed in terms of the diffusion parameters.

Previous study reported that either selective GSK-3β inhibitor or up-regulating autophagy can alleviate cisplatin-induced ototoxicity. Other studies indicate that the activity of GSK-3β is closely associated with the autophagy level. The purpose of this study is to primarily explore the role of autophagy in the alleviation effect of GSK-3β inhibition on cisplatin-induced ototoxicity in vivo and in vitro. We observed the autophagy changes induced by GSK-3β inhibitor in outer hair cells (OHCs) in a cisplatin-induced ototoxicity rat model. In addition, autophagy inhibitor 3-MA was used in vitro experiments to observe the influence of autophagy inhibition on the cell protection effect due to GSK-3β inactivation. The relationship among autophagy, GSK-3β and cell damage were inferred. Negative regulation of GSK-3β significantly enhanced autophagy and alleviated cisplatin-induced hearing loss, OHC death in vivo and apoptosis in vitro. The autophagy inhibitor 3-MA inverted the protective effect of negative regulation of GSK-3β. These results indicated that enhancing autophagy may be a key downstream effect of GSK-3β inhibition in the alleviation of cisplatin-induced ototoxicity both in vivo and in vitro.

Here we investigate the involvement of the ventral pallidum (VP) in the anti-nausea effect of fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) inhibition with PF-3845, and examine the pharmacological mechanism of such an effect. We explored the potential of intra-VP PF-3845 to reduce the establishment of lithium chloride (LiCl)-induced conditioned gaping (a model of acute nausea) in male Sprague-Dawley rats. As well, the role of the cannabinoid 1 (CB1) receptors and the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors-α (PPARα) in the anti-nausea effect of PF-3845 was examined. Finally, the potential of intra-VP GW7647, a PPARα agonist, to reduce acute nausea was also evaluated. Intra-VP PF-3845 dose-dependently reduced acute nausea by a PPARα mechanism (and not a CB1 receptor mechanism). Intra-VP administration of GW7647, similarly attenuated acute nausea. These findings suggest that the anti-nausea action of FAAH inhibition may occur in the VP, and may involve activation of PPARα to suppress acute nausea.

Dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) present in the tissues of DSS-treated laboratory animals inhibits quantitative real-time qPCR (RT-qPCR) and thus may be source of experimental errors. A recent systematic review concluded that the reporting of experimental method was insufficient in a majority of DSS studies and contributed to the poor reproducibility of experiments. Here we compared two DSS cleanup protocols applied to mouse tissue RNA preparations based on silica membrane spin column and lithium chloride precipitation. In absence of cleanup, exogenous DSS significantly inhibited reverse transcription and cDNA amplification at concentrations of 5 × 10−3 g/L and above during the quantification of IL8 mRNA levels in THP-1 macrophages. Silica membrane spin columns removed DSS from mouse RNA preparations and eliminated DSS-induced inhibition of qPCR. Mouse RNA isolated from DSS-treated tissues and purified with silica membrane spin columns was suitable for RT-qPCR and assessment of inflammatory biomarkers.

Lithium chloride LiCl is widely used as a prototype system to study the strongly dissociated 1-1 electrolyte solution. Here, we combined experimental measurements and classical molecular dynamics simulations to study the ion conduction in this system. Ionic conductivities were reported at both 20$^\circ$C and 50$^\circ$C from experiments and compared to results from molecular dynamics simulations. The main finding of this work is that transference numbers of Li$^+$ and Cl$^-$ become comparable at high concentration. This phenomenon is independent of the force fields employed in the simulation and may be resulted from the ion-specific concentration dependence of mobility.

International audience; Pure nanocrystalline chromium disilicide (CrSi2) were synthesized for the first time by a fast Chlorine-Transfer-Reaction between chromium chloride and silicon with the support of thermodynamics calculation. The use of sodium and lithium chloride diluent enables to decrease the aggregates size from ∼2000 nm to ∼500 nm and to reach a nanocrystallite size ranging from 50 to 200 nm suitable for new applications

Hypoglycemia is the most common complication in the treatment of diabetes mellitus. Accumulating evidence indicated that severe hypoglycemia could induce cognitive impairment. However, the molecular mechanism of regulating this progress is largely unknown.We established a model of insulin-induced recurrent hypoglycemia in adult male Wistar rats (n = 40). Lithium chloride was injected after hypoglycemia once a day for consecutive 30 days. The loss of cognition function was evaluated by water maze test in these hypoglycemic rats. Glial cells activation and Wnt and inflammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-6, IL-4, IL-10, TGFβ and TNFα expression were further examined to determine the mechanism of cognitive function impairment.Hypoglycemia could induce impairment of cognitive function in rats and administration of lithium chloride could partly attenuate cognitive impairment compared to the control (p 0.05). Lithium chloride could significantly up-regulate Wnt signaling and reduce hypoglycemia-induced neuronal death, glial cells activation and inflammatory response in the hippocampus of rats compared to the control (p 0.05). The efficacy of lithium chloride could be reversed by injecting canonical Wnt signaling antagonist the dickkopf homolog 1.Lithium chloride attenuated hypoglycemia-induced cognitive function impairment in rats; and it was associated with Wnt signaling up-regulation and reduction of inflammatory response. Our results suggested that activating Wnt signaling pathways and inhibiting inflammatory response were the therapeutic potential to prevent hypoglycemia-induced neurological damage.

Recently, a package unit of liquid desiccant and an indirect and a direct evaporative cooling-assisted 100% outdoor air system (LD-IDECOAS) has been proposed. In this system, the amount of heating energy consumed to regenerate the desiccant solution is significant and should be reduced to achieve better energy conservation than that of a conventional air handling unit. The purpose of this research is to empirically investigate the optimum regeneration temperature of a lithium chloride (LiCl) desiccant solution, balancing the regeneration performance and solution heating energy consumption in the LD-IDECOAS package unit. The adiabatic cross-flow regenerator was tested in a test facility at desiccant solution temperatures of 50–90 °C. The measurement results were compared with the predicted data in the regenerator to assess the reliability of the experimental results. By balancing the regeneration performance with the solution heating energy consumption, the recommended temperature to regenerate the desiccant solution was 65 °C.

Due to lithium’s high energy along with other exceptional characteristics, lithium demand across many industries is rising, specifically for Li-batteries. Therefore, a sufficient supply of high purity lithium is vital in order for these significant technologies to develop. In the current work, industrial grade lithium chloride has been successfully treated with four simple precipitation steps to obtain a high purity battery grade lithium carbonate of >99.95%. The LiCl starting solutions contained K, Na, Mg, Ca, Cu, Ni, and Fe chloride contaminants and solutions of 2.5 to 10 M were simulated. The heavier metals and the majority of Mg were removed in a single step with an increase in pH. The removal of Ca and remaining Mg was executed by sodium oxalate addition where the calcium levels of the 10 M were able to be reduced to 5–6 ppm in solution. It appeared that the higher molarity and ionic strength of the LiCl solution aided in obtained higher degrees of impurity removal. Finally, high purity Li2CO3 was obtained by first precipitating from brine solution, followed by a second purification step with pressurized CO2. The second step allowed for the removal of entrapped Na and K after the first precipitation, resulting in >99.95 wt% purity Li2CO3.

Bipolar illness is characterized by periods of “mania” — high energy, irritability, and increased psychomotor activation. While the neurobiological investigation of mania has been limited by the lack of reliable animal models, researchers have recently reported that daily subanesthetic doses of ketamine produce a lithium-reversible increase in rodent locomotor activity. Such studies have typically employed short-term (2 week) exposure to daily intraperitoneal-injected lithium and extremely brief (i.e., 5-min) open-field tests of hyperactivity. To increase the translational utility of the model, the effects of 70-days of orally administered lithium were examined on ketamine-induced hyperlocomotion during 30-min test sessions. Rats consumed 2.0 mEq/kg lithium chloride (LiCl) presented daily in a high incentive food (10 g of peanut butter). Control animals ingested peanut butter infused with an equimolar concentration of sodium chloride (NaCl). After 60 days of treatment, a 30-min baseline revealed no differences in the locomotor activity of LiCl and NaCl animals. During the next 10 days, animals received single daily supplemental injections of 25 mg/kg IP ketamine. A subset of animals was injected daily with saline and served as non-ketamine controls. Behavioral testing on the final two days of treatment confirmed that ketamine administration produced a profound increase in locomotor activity that was significantly attenuated in the LiCl group. Additionally, blood plasma levels of lithium were found to be comparable to low-moderate human therapeutic levels. These data confirm the viability and utility of ketamine-induced hyperlocomotion as a rodent model of mania.

Mood and anxiety disorders, as well as memory impairments, are important factors affecting quality of life in patients with epilepsy and can influence the antiepileptic therapy. Clinical studies of psychiatric comorbidities are quite complicated to design and interpret, so animal studies of behavioral impairments associated with seizures can be of use. We investigated the effect of early administration of endocannabinoid receptor agonist WIN-55,212-2 on the development of spontaneous seizures, long-term behavioral and memory impairments, and neurodegeneration in the hippocampus on the lithium–pilocarpine model of status epilepticus (SE). We also studied the role of spontaneous seizures in the development of pathologic consequences of the SE. Our results showed that behavioral impairments found in the elevated plus maze test depended mostly on the consequences of SE itself and not on the development of spontaneous seizures while hyperactivity in the open-field test and light–dark chamber was more prominent in rats with spontaneous seizures. Administration of WIN-55,212-2 decreased emotional behavior in the elevated plus maze but did not affect hyperactive behavior in the open-field test. Spatial memory impairment developed both in the presence or absence of spontaneous seizures and was not affected by administration of WIN-55,212-2. Both administration of endocannabinoid receptor agonist WIN-55,212-2 and the presence of spontaneous seizures affected SE-induced neuronal loss in the hippocampus.

A rapid and efficient lithium-ion recovery from seawater established by employing calix[4]arene derivatives as extraction reagents in a microreactor system. A tripropyl-monoacetic acid derivative of calix[4]arene (1Ac) exhibited a very high extraction ability for lithium-ion within 2.00 s by using a microreactor system. The complete stripping of the lithium ions achieved with 1.0 M HCl as a stripping reagent. In a competitive metal system containing lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium, cesium, magnesium, calcium, strontium and barium ions; lithium-ion selectively loaded on 1Ac. Further, lithium recovery from seawater was carried out without any pretreatment or pH adjustment in the three-step process. In the first step of the process, 1Ac extracted 100% lithium and 2.56% sodium ions from the seawater. Both lithium and sodium ions stripped with HCl in the second step and then sodium in the stripped solution selectively re-extracted with monopropyl-triacetic acid calix[4]arene derivative (3Ac) thus yielding pure lithium chloride in the aqueous phase. Both 1Ac and 3Ac calix[4]arene derivatives regenerated after the stripping process.

The present work mainly deals with the efficacy of the waste medical grade cotton (MGC) used for the sustainable self-reinforced composite (SRC). MGC waste was exposed in the autoclave for destroying all microorganisms including infected bacteria's and virus followed by scoured and bleached for removing blood stains and foreign materials. SRC film was prepared by selective dissolved fibre surface of waste MGC into a dissolved microcrystalline cellulose (DMCC) matrix solution prepared by lithium chloride/N,N-dimethylacetamide (LiCl/DMAc) solvent system. The tensile strength of SRC films was significantly improved up to 252 MPa, and it was higher than that of the DMCC film. In the FTIR study, no peak was found in 1620 cm−1 in SRC confirming that the LiCl/DMAc has been completely removed. SEM study also revealed the presence of partial dissolution of the surface of MGC which merged with DMCC matrix in the SRC. The XRD results displayed higher crystallinity SRC than DMCC film. The thermal stability of SRC as determined by TGA improved compared to the DMCC film from 225 °C for DMCC to 250–283 °C for SRC films. Therefore, these prominent results revealed the potential utilization of a sustainable resource, waste MGC in producing environmentally friendly SRC films with high-performance properties.

The liquid desiccant cooling system (LDCS) is regarded as a promising alternative for the traditional vapor compression cooling system due to its energy saving potential and accurate control ability of both temperature and humidity. However, metal corrosion of mass exchanger plate caused by the liquid desiccant greatly restricts the application of LDCS. The present study developed a new kind of mixed liquid desiccant to reduce the corrodibility, and the corrodibility of new mixed solution was examined as well as the dehumidification performance. The vapor pressure of the mixed solution was measured by static method firstly, and the corrosion characteristics were tested by electrochemical method and compared with the ones of normal lithium chloride (LiCl) solution. Comparative investigations were also conducted to study the dehumidification performance under various operating conditions. The experimental results indicate that the corrodibility of new mixed solution is far smaller than that of normal LiCl solution, and the dehumidification performance in terms of absolute moisture change and effectiveness has a significant improvement of 8.7–14.3% and 5.8–15.2% for the newly mixed solution compared with LiCl solution because of the excellent wettability of mixed solution on dehumidifier. The wetting area increases from 0.172 m2 for LiCl solution to 0.184 m2 for mixed solution. In addition, a correlation to predict the dehumidification effectiveness of the mixed solution was also proposed with the average mean absolute relative deviation of 4.51%. The newly developed mixed liquid desiccant is a promising alternative for the commercial application of LDCS with small corrodibility and better dehumidification performance.

The conventional vapor-compression air-conditioner operates with low efficiency because of the intrinsic coupling between sensible and latent cooling. Its efficiency can be improved via employing solid desiccant coated heat exchangers (DCHEs). Dehumidification performance of a DCHE is influenced by the nature of the selected desiccant material. The key attributes of a desiccating material include higher sorption capacity and faster kinetics coupled with its ability to regenerate at a low temperature. In this paper, we developed different concentrations of composite polymer desiccant with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and lithium chloride (LiCl). Experiments on isotherms indicated that the composite PVA with a greater concentration of LiCl displayed superior sorption capacity; however, due to the occurrence of deliquescence phenomenon, the most effective concentration of LiCl was observed to be 50w%. The equilibrium sorption capacity of PVA-LiCl (50w%) was 177.2% in contrast to only 28% for silica gel. Further, kinetics revealed that silica gel would take twice the time to adsorb an equivalent amount of water vapor as absorbed by composite polymer desiccant. Our experimental findings on dehumidification performance and process efficacy revealed that the use of composite PVA on DCHEs yielded about 20–60% improvement in moisture removal capacity and thermal coefficient of performance. Lastly, energy analysis indicated that the novel composite polymer DCHE enabled high moisture removal rate even at lower regeneration temperature and recorded a significant saving of 54% in specific power consumption.

Commercial lithium/thionyl chloride (Li/SOCl2) batteries cannot meet the 3.15 V platform required for most instruments. A hovenia acerba-like assembly constructed with cobalt tetrapyridinoporphyrazine of thickness of 5–15 nm is anchored on acid-functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CoTAP/MWCNTs), which were prepared using an in situ solid synthesis process. The discharge time of Li/SOCl2 batteries with a voltage greater than 3.15 V catalyzed by CoTAP/MWCNTs is found to be 11 min longer than batteries without catalysts and 4 min longer than those catalyzed by CoTAP alone. The energy of Li/SOCl2 batteries with a voltage greater than 3.15 V catalyzed by CoTAP/MWCNTs is discovered to be 11.44-times higher than batteries with AF-MWCNTs and 6.17-times higher than those catalyzed by bulk CoTAP. This is due to the fact that more CoTAP ultrafine nanoparticulates are anchored on the AF-MWCNTs. These nanoparticulates provide more active sites for the catalytic reaction of SOCl2. The assemblies are shown to have an adsorption-coordination effect on Li ions and to delay the deposition of lithium chloride passive films enhancing battery voltage platforms.

In this study, the effect of corn cob (CC) content and 2-ethylhexyl acrylate (EHA) as chemical modifier was studied. Biocomposite films on regenerated cellulose (RC) incorporated with CC at different loading were prepared by dissolving microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) and corn cob in N,N-dimethylacetamide/lithium chloride (DMAc/LiCl) using solution casting method. The effect of CC loading and EHA on tensile properties, crystallinity (CrI) and morphology of RC/CC were investigated. Tensile properties and crystallinity index (CrI) increases with the addition of corn cob. At similar CC loading, treated RC/CC films with EHA exhibit higher tensile properties and CrI than untreated RC/CC biocomposite films. The significant reinforcing effect of CC and improves interfacial interaction by EHA yielded better mechanical properties and crystallinity index of biocomposite films. The fracture surfaces and enhancement of RC/CC biocomposites films were inspected and revealed by morphological studies.

Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) have emerged as superior alternatives to ionic liquids. Lithium salt-added DES mixtures may possess favorable properties as novel electrolyte media for Li-ion batteries. Densities and dynamic viscosities of LiCl-added DES reline (constituted of salt choline chloride and H-bond donor urea in 1:2 mol ratio) mixtures up to ∼0.2 molal LiCl [m(LiCl)] in the temperature range (303.15–358.15) K are presented. Decrease in density with increasing temperature is found to follow a simple linear expression. The density of LiCl-added reline also increases linearly with increasing m(LiCl) in the investigated temperature range. The temperature dependence of the dynamic viscosity of the (reline + LiCl) mixtures follows simple Arrhenius-type expression. The dynamic viscosity of LiCl-added reline mixture at a given temperature increases exponentially with increasing m(LiCl); the exponential increase being more prominent at lower temperatures. The trends in density and dynamic viscosity with temperature and m(LiCl) for LiCl-added DES reline are rather simplistic in comparison to Li salt-added ionic liquid mixtures.

Lithium chloride (LiCl) and 2,2‘-(1,4-phenylene)bis(2-oxazoline) (PBO) were first used as the modifier and chain extender to decrease the melting temperature and increase the molecular weight (Mη) of polyamide 6 (PA6), respectively. Then, poplar wood fiber reinforced composites based on PA6 were prepared via hot pressing. The results showed a decrease in the melting point of PA6 (from 220 °C to 190 °C) and the processing temperature (from 240 °C to 210 °C). Thereby, the thermal degradation and discoloration of the composites were significantly restricted. The molecular weight of PA6 could be increased from 33000 to 72800 by PBO. LiCl and PBO increased the impact strength by 50% and 43%, respectively, as well as enhanced the interfacial compatibility between PA6 and poplar wood fiber. Poplar wood fiber improved the flexural strength and modulus by 17% and 122%, respectively.

An increasing number of observations have indicated that the activation of inflammatory processes is involved in the pathogenesis of epilepsy. As an effective adjunctive therapy for medically intractable seizures, vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is thought to interact with the inflammatory process to play an antiepileptic role. In this study, we examined the levels of multiple cytokine in focal brain tissue and peripheral blood to determine whether the antiepileptic effect of chronic VNS is related to the expression of cytokines. We observed that the frequency and duration of seizures significantly decreased in epileptic rats after two weeks of chronic VNS treatment. Pathological staining showed that the number of neural cells in the hippocampus was higher in the Epi + VNS group than in the Epi group, indicating that chronic VNS had a significant neuroprotective effect on epileptic rats. After comparing the expression of 9 cytokines, we found that the levels of the proinflammatory cytokines IL-6, IL-1β and CXCL-1 in the hippocampus were significantly increased in the Epi group, while these cytokines were significantly decreased in the Epi + VNS group. Moreover, the level of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-13 was found to be reduced in Epi rats, while its levels were increased after VNS treatment. However, these changes in cytokine expression were not found in the hypothalamus or peripheral blood. These results suggest that the antiepileptic mechanism of VNS may work by inhibiting the activation of inflammatory processes in the epileptogenic focus.

The research efforts on the development of ideal forward osmosis membranes with high water flux and low reverse salt flux have been devoted in the recent years. In this study, thin film composite polyamide forward osmosis membranes were prepared. The porous polysulfone (PSU), polyphenylsulfone (PPSU), and polyethersulfone (PESU) substrates used in this study were prepared by the phase inversion process, and the active rejection layer was prepared by interfacial polymerization. All the membranes showed highly asymmetric porous structures with a top dense upper layers and finger-like porous substrates with macro voids in the bottom layer. The addition of 3 % lithium chloride (LiCl) to the membrane substrates resulted in an increase in both the water flux and reverse salt flux. PSU and PESU showed the highest water flux when the active layer faced the feed solution (AL-FS), while the largest water flux was obtained when the active layer faced the draw solution (AL-DS). For all the membranes, the water flux under the AL-DS orientation was higher than that under the AL-FS orientation.

Membrane fouling is a major challenge of membrane distillation when employed as a regenerator in liquid desiccant air-conditioning systems. The present work investigated the impacts of feed temperature and flow velocity on the occurrence of membrane fouling using a bench-scale direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) system to regenerate a 27.5 wt% of lithium chloride (LiCl) solution. The membranes used at different operating conditions were characterized and compared by scanning electron microscopy and water contact angle measurement. The results showed that increasing feed inlet temperature significantly improved the DCMD regeneration capacity but reduced the membrane hydrophobicity. The DCMD operated at a higher cross flow velocity exhibited a higher propensity of membrane fouling. Membrane fouling tended to accumulate from loose LiCl crystals to a dense scaling layer with an increase in both feed inlet temperature and cross flow velocity. Membrane cleaning with deionized water was an effective mitigation strategy to remove the LiCl deposition from the membrane surface. It can effectively restore the DCMD regeneration performance and increase the hydrophobicity of the fouled membrane by 10.6%. However, using the post-cleaning membrane increased the risk of membrane wetting in the DCMD regeneration process.

This study first fabricated a new mixed liquid desiccant solution via the addition of hydroxyethyl urea to lithium chloride solution to reduce its causticity in a metal-based regenerator. The formula of the new solution—25% LiCl, 39% hydroxyethyl urea, and 36% water—was determined according to the vapor pressure measured with the static method. Accordingly, its basic thermal properties (e.g., density, viscosity, and conductivity) were measured and compared with those of a 35% LiCl solution. The corrosion characteristics of the mixed solution and the LiCl solution were analyzed with an electrochemical testing method. The regeneration performances of the solutions were experimentally studied, and the results show that the new solution significantly reduced causticity due to the addition of hydroxyethyl urea and a reduction in LiCl concentration. The regeneration effectiveness showed an average relative increase of 14.1% because of the larger wetting ratio and greater fluctuation of falling film. The wetting ratio increased from 81.5% to 87.8%, and the standard deviation of the film thickness increased from 25.441 μm to 31.672 μm with more rigorous fluctuations. Finally, an empirical equation for regeneration effectiveness was developed with an average absolute relative deviation of 4.01%, which provides a useful guide for the design of regenerators.

Synaptic vesicle protein 2A (SV2A) has become an attractive target of investigation because of its role in the pathophysiology of epilepsy; SV2A is expressed ubiquitously throughout the brain in all nerve terminals independently of their neurotransmitter content and plays an important but poorly defined role in neurotransmission. Previous studies have shown that modifications in the SV2A protein expression could be a direct consequence of disease severity. Furthermore, these SV2A modifications may depend on specific changes in the nerve tissue following the induction of epilepsy and might be present in both excitatory and inhibitory terminals. Thus, we evaluated SV2A protein expression throughout the hippocampi of lithium-pilocarpine rats after status epilepticus (SE) and during early and late epilepsy. In addition, we determined the γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic or glutamatergic nature associated with SV2A modifications. Wistar rats were treated with lithium-pilocarpine to induce SE and subsequently were shown to present spontaneous recurrent seizures (SRS). Later, we conducted an exhaustive semi-quantitative analysis of SV2A optical density (OD) throughout the hippocampus by immunohistochemistry. Levels of the SV2A protein were substantially increased in layers formed by principal neurons after SE, mainly because of GABAergic activity. No changes were observed in the early stage of epilepsy. In the late stage of epilepsy, there were minor changes in SV2A OD compared with the robust modifications of SE; however, SV2A protein expression generally showed an increment reaching significant differences in two dendritic layers and hilus, without clear modifications of GABAergic or glutamatergic systems. Our results suggest that the SV2A variations may depend on several factors, such as neuronal activity, and might appear in both excitatory and inhibitory systems depending on the epilepsy stage.

Highly concentrated aqueous lithium chloride solutions were investigated by classical molecular dynamics (MD) and reverse Monte Carlo (RMC) simulations. At first MD calculations were carried out applying twenty-nine combinations of ion-water interaction models at four salt concentrations. The structural predictions of the different models were compared, the contributions of different structural motifs to the partial pair correlation functions (PPCF) were determined. Particle configurations obtained from MD simulations were further refined using the RMC method to get better agreement with experimental X-ray and neutron diffraction data. The PPCFs calculated from MD simulations were fitted together with the experimental structure factors to construct structural models that are as consistent as possible with both the experimental results and the results of the MD simulations. The MD models were validated according to the quality of the fits. Although none of the tested MD models can describe the structure perfectly at the highest investigated concentration, their comparison made it possible to determine the main structural properties of that solution as well. It was found that four nearest neighbors (oxygen atoms and chloride ions together) are around a lithium ion at each concentration, while in the surroundings of the chloride ion hydrogen atom pairs are replaced by one lithium ion as the concentration increases. While in pure liquid water four water molecules can be found around a central water molecule, near the solubility limit nearly all water molecules are connected to two chloride ions (via their hydrogen atoms) and one lithium ion (by their oxygen atoms)., 79 pages together with Supplementary informations, submitted to J.Mol.Liq

The electrodeposition of rhenium was studied using a “water-in-salt” type of electrolyte with a superhigh concentration of lithium chloride to suppress the proton activity. Cyclic voltammetry and DC plating were carried out on rotating disc electrodes to characterize the electrolyte and to prepare thin films. Electrolytes without metal cations were also studied, where the cathodic reduction of proton was significantly suppressed when the concentration of supporting salt approached the solubility limit. Film cracks were eliminated for rhenium films deposited from this superhigh ionic strength electrolyte. Keywords: Salt-in-water, Lithium chloride, Rhenium, Electrodeposition

Well-defined methacrylate based amphiphilic block copolymers (BCs) consisting of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate (PPEGMA) were synthesized by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) and used as additives in DMAc casting solution to fabricate poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) ultra-filtration (UF) membranes in non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) process, where the amphiphilic BC additives hydrophilically altered PVDF with PPEGMA block segment by strong interaction with the other PMMA block segment, which reduced water resistance to the PVDF polymer solution during phase separation. FT-IR and XPS studies showed carbonyl groups of BCs in the PVDF membranes, which were not changed even after IPA treatment, indicating that BCs in the membrane were very stable. Obtained PVDF membranes with BCs showed porous surface layer and finger-like pore structures with macrovoids on the sublayers, of which sizes were increased with the increase of BC contents, which were then compared to the pristine PVDF membranes and the PVDF membrane with corresponding other additives such as hydrophobic PMMA, hydrophilic PPEGMA, LiCl and BC/LiCl. Obtained PVDF membranes showed MWCO with 100 K PEO and the best water flux (140 LMH) was achieved in the PVDF membrane with BC/LiCl additive, which was almost 4 times higher than the pristine PVDF membrane. In addition, the PVDF membranes with BC and BC/LiCl additives improved the anti-fouling property for BSA protein, of which reversible fouling resistance ratio was ca. 7 times higher than that of the pristine PVDF membrane.

The functional state of δ-opioid receptor signaling cascade in live cells exposed to a therapeutic concentration of lithium for a prolonged period of time (weeks) is not known because the previous studies of Li interference with OR were oriented to µ-OR only. The same applies to the analysis of the prolonged effect of Li on oxidative stress in context with δ-OR function. HEK293 cells stably expressing δ-OR were cultivated in the presence or absence of 1 mM LiCl for 7 or 21 days, homogenized and the post-nuclear (PNS) and plasma membrane (PM) fractions prepared from all four types of cells. Level of δ-OR in PM was determined by specific radioligand [3H]DADLE binding and immunoblot assays; the functional coupling between δ-OR and G proteins was determined as DADLE-stimulated high-affinity [35S]GTPγS binding. In the whole cells, general oxidative stress was monitored by fluorescent dye 2′,7′-dichlorofluorescein diacetate (DCF) and results verified by analysis of PNS and isolated PM. Generation of 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (4-HNE)-protein adducts and malondialdehyde (MDA) level were determined as products of lipid peroxidation. Li-treated cells exhibited the decreased amount of δ-OR. This was evidenced by both [3H]DADLE binding and immunoblot assays. The δ-OR-G protein coupling efficiency was diminished. Simultaneously, in Li-treated cells, the highly increased oxidative stress measured as DCF fluorescence intensity was noticed. Importantly, this result was detected in live cells as well as PNS and PM. Accordingly, production of 4-HNE-protein adducts and MDA was clearly increased in Li-treated cells. The general significance of our work lies in presentation of novel data indicating that prolonged exposure of live HEK293 cells to the therapeutic concentration of Li results in down-regulation of δ-OR protein level and attenuation of δ-OR function in parallel with increased oxidative stress and increased level of lipid peroxidation products.

Exploring the lithium resources in concentrated seawater/salt lake brine could provide necessary support for the sustainable development in future. Selective-electrodialysis (S-ED, equipped with monovalent selective ion-exchange membranes) is considered as an effective way to reduce the ratio of magnesium to lithium in concentrated seawater/salt lake brines. However, the effectiveness of the prefractionation of lithium chloride from brine is not clearly investigated, because both seawater and salt lake brines are complex mixtures. Nowadays, only simple systems with binary or ternary cations system have been investigated. Based on a clean production process for the utilization of concentrated seawater/salt lake brine, the prefractionation of LiCl from concentrated seawater/salt lake brines by S-ED was investigated in this work. From the concentrated seawater experiments, it is beneficial to improve the RLi (recovery ratio of Li+) at a higher voltage, but an excessively high working voltage is adverse to the preliminary separation between Li+ and Mg2+; a bigger VC/VD (initial volume ratio of concentrating and desalting solution, VD = 2.5 L in this paper) is favorable to increase RLi and reduce ESEC (specific energy consumption of Li+). At the optimal voltage of 7 V and VC/VD of 0.6, the mole ratio of LiCl: MgCl2: MgSO4 increased from 1: 2.227: 2.463 to 1: 1.461: 0.085. For the salt lake brines, the optimal voltage for the LiCl prefractionation in the selected brine system was 10 V, which had a higher RLi of 76.45% and an appropriate ESEC of 0.66 kWh/(mol Li). Finally, the parameters of RLi, ESEC and separation effect of LiCl were discussed for the salt lakes of West Taijinar, East Taijinar and Yiliping in China. It is found that the East Taijinar salt lake brine was more suitable to obtain LiCl at a lower ESEC.