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Systematic and comprehensive understanding of stakeholder relationships is the key component for achieving social sustainability of brownfield regeneration (BR), which has not been recognized by existing researches. Based on the widely acknowledged idea of social networks, this paper proposes a systematic research framework for the analysis of stakeholder relationships, with a focus on the dynamic and networked nature of relationships. The relationship network of stakeholders in BR is considered from three aspects: identifying the stakeholders and relationships among them, quantifying stakeholder relationships, and analyzing relationships network structure. The proposed stakeholder relationships analysis framework uses empirical methods (i.e., interviews and surveys), rationalistic methods (i.e., fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) and social network analysis (SNA)) to analyze stakeholder relationships. To demonstrate the usability of the proposed framework, we apply it to the BR in China. The results show that: (1) it is feasible to mine the relationships of stakeholders from the social network perspective; (2) from the individual network aspect, the government, developers, government are at the core of the network with the highest network centrality during the recycling and contamination treatment stage, the construction stage and the use stage, respectively; (3) from the local network aspect, different cohesive subgroups with strong linkages are formed throughout the life cycle of BR; (4) from the overall network aspect, the highest density of the use stage means that there is good cohesion among stakeholders at this stage; the centralization of the construction stage is the highest, indicating that the stakeholders have relatively concentrated network power and loose relationships. The paper puts forward suggestions for improving the network structure of stakeholder relationships, including strengthening the network relationship between the government and environmental non-government organizations (ENGOs), improving the monitoring efficiency and network status of news media, establishing a construction consulting platform that effectively serves the public and end-users, forming the alliances among end-users, the public and ENGOs and enhancing the relationship network stability. Overall, this study helps to clarify stakeholder relationships by providing a systematic framework to encourage better stakeholder engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The patterns of communication among different chondrocyte subtypes in human cartilage degeneration and regeneration help us understand the microenvironment of osteoarthritis and optimize cell-targeted therapies. Here, a single-cell transcriptome dataset of chondrocytes is used to explore the synergistic and communicative patterns of different chondrocyte subtypes. We collected 1600 chondrocytes from 10 patients with osteoarthritis and analyzed the active communication patterns for the first time based on network analysis and pattern recognition at the single-cell level. Manifold learning and quantitative contrasts were performed to analyze conserved and specific communication pathways. We found that ProCs (Proliferative chondrocytes), ECs (Effector chondrocytes), preHTCs (Prehypertrophic chondrocytes), HTCs (Hypertrophic chondrocytes), and FCs (Fibrocartilage chondrocytes) are more active in incoming and outgoing signaling patterns, which is consistent with studies on their close functional cooperation. Among them, preHTCs play multiple roles in chondrocyte communication, and ProCs and preHTCs have many overlapping pathways. These two subtypes are the most active among all chondrocyte subtypes. Interestingly, ECs and FCs are a pair of "mutually exclusive" subtypes, of which ECs are predominant in incoming patterns and FCs in outgoing patterns. The active signaling pathways of ECs and FCs largely do not overlap. COLLAGEN and LAMININ are the main pivotal pathways, which means they are very important in the repair and expansion of joint homeostasis. Notably, only preHTCs assume multiple roles (including sender, receiver, mediator, and influencer) and are involved in multiple communication pathways. We have examined their communication patterns from the perspective of cellular interactions, revealed the relationships among different chondrocyte subtypes, and, in particular, identified a number of active subtypes and pathways that are important for targeted therapy in the osteoarthritic microenvironment. Our findings provide a new research paradigm and new insights into understanding chondrocyte activity patterns in the osteoarthritic microenvironment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The change of soil water content in crop root system is the basis for the designing of water-saving irrigation scheduling. In order to explore the dynamic changes of soil water content, our study carried out long-term monitoring on the soil content at different depths in a typical citrus orchard. In this concern, water contents, salinities, and nitrate concentrations were measured weakly and were compared with the model predictions. One of the important perspectives is the growth restricting factor in the soil water, yield, and fruit quality of citrus. Combined with the meteorological data, the changing characters of soil water content and its responses to evapotranspiration and precipitation during the whole growth period were investigated. And then the changing process of soil moisture was simulated through the soil water balance model. The results showed that during the whole growth period of the citrus, the soil water content buried at 40 cm depth had the best correlation with that in the main active layer of citrus root system (0–60 cm), between which the correlation coefficient reached 0.988. Therefore, the depth of 40 cm could be used as the representative depth of soil water content monitoring. Under the combined effects of precipitation and evapotranspiration, soil depth could influence the changing process of soil water content, of which the effect weakened with the increase in depth. The water balance model within 1-week timescale was appropriate to simulate the changing process of soil water content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We aimed to investigate whether exosomes (Exo) affected chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) by influencing ferroptosis of bronchial epithelial cells (BECs) and the mechanisms involved. Here we took the peripheral blood samples of normal subjects and COPD patients, extracted and identified endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) and EPC-Exo. An animal model of COPD was established. Then human BECs were taken and treated with cigarette smoke extract (CSE) for 24 h to construct a COPD cell model. Next, we screened differentially expressed ferroptosis-related genes in COPD patients by bioinformatics. Bioinformatics predicted the miRNA targeting PTGS2. Then, the mechanism of action of miR-26a-5p and Exo-miR-26a-5p was investigated in vitro. We successfully isolated and identified EPC and Exo. In vitro, EPC alleviated CSE-induced ferroptosis in BECs by transporting Exo. In vivo, Exo alleviated cigarette smoke-induced ferroptosis and airway remodeling in mice. Through further validation, we found that CSE-induced ferroptosis promoted the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of BECs. Bioinformatics analysis and validation showed that PTGS2/PGE2 pathway affected CSE-induced ferroptosis in BECs. Meanwhile, miR-26a-5p targeting PTGS2 affected CSE-induced ferroptosis in BECs. Additionally, we found that miR-26a-5p affected CSE-induced BECs EMT. Exo-miR-26a-5p alleviated CSE-induced ferroptosis and EMT. In conclusion, EPC-exosomal miR-26a-5p improved airway remodeling in COPD by inhibiting ferroptosis of BECs via the PTGS2/PGE2 pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reverse electrodialysis (RED) is an emerging membrane-based technology for the production of renewable energy from mixing waters with different salinities. Herein, the impact of the stack configuration on the Ohmic and non-Ohmic resistances as well as the performance of RED were systematically studied by using in situ electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Three different parameters (membrane type, number of cell pairs and spacer design) were controlled. The Ohmic and non-Ohmic resistances were evaluated for RED stacks equipped with two types of commercial membranes (Type I and Type II) supplied by Fujifilm Manufacturing Europe B.V: Type I Fuji membranes displayed higher Ohmic and non-Ohmic resistances than Type II membranes, which was mainly attributed to the difference in fixed charge density. The output power of the stack was observed to decrease with the increasing number of cell pairs mainly due to the increase in ionic shortcut currents. With the reduction in spacer thickness from 750 to 200 µm, the permselectivity of membranes in the stack decreased from 0.86 to 0.79 whereas the energy efficiency losses increased from 31% to 49%. Overall, the output of the present study provides a basis for understanding the impact of stack design on internal losses during the scaling-up of RED. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wandering is a significant indicator in the clinical diagnosis of dementia and other related diseases for elders. Reliable monitoring of long-term continuous movement in indoor setting for detection of wandering movement is challenging because most elders are prone to forget to carry or wear sensors that collect motion information daily due to their declining memory. Wi-Fi as an emerging sensing modality has been widely used to monitor human indoor movement in a non-invasive manner. In order to continuously monitor individuals’ indoor motion and reliably identify wandering movement in a non-invasive manner, in this work, we develop a LSTM-based deep classification method that is able to differentiate the wandering-caused Wi-Fi signal change from the others. Specifically, we first use the off-the-shelf Wi-Fi devices to capture a resident’s indoor motion information, enabling to collect a group of Wi-Fi signal streams, which will be split into variable-size segments. Second, the deep network LSTM is adopted to develop wandering detection method that is able to classify every variable-size segment of Wi-Fi signals into categories according to the well-known wandering spatiotemporal patterns. Last, experimental evaluation conducted on a group of real-world Wi-Fi signal streams shows that our proposed LSTM-based detection method is workable and effective to identify indoor wandering behavior, obtaining an average value of 0.9286, 0.9618, 0.9634 and 0.9619 for accuracy, precision, recall and F-1 score, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wheat is a major staple food crop worldwide because of the unique properties of wheat flour. High molecular weight glutenin subunits (HMW-GSs), which are among the most critical determinants of wheat flour quality, are responsible for the formation of glutenin polymeric structures via interchain disulfide bonds. We herein describe the identification of a new HMW-GS Dy10 allele (Dy10-m619SN). The amino acid substitution (serine-to-asparagine) encoded in this allele resulted in a partial post-translational cleavage that produced two new peptides. These new peptides disrupted the interactions among gluten proteins because of the associated changes to the number of available cysteine residues for interchain disulfide bonds. Consequently, Dy10-m619SN expression decreased the size of glutenin polymers and weakened glutens, which resulted in wheat dough with improved cookie-making quality, without changes to the glutenin-to-gliadin ratio. In this study, we clarified the post-translational processing of HMW-GSs and revealed a new genetic resource useful for wheat breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An outbreak of canine distemper in 2017 in mink breeding farms (Shandong province, China) caused severe pneumonia, hardened footpads, and death in more than 5000 vaccinated animals. Sequencing of the hemagglutinin and fusion protein genes from the WH2 canine distemper virus (CDV) strain we isolated from the infected minks were clustered into the recently isolated CDV Asia-1 genotype group. The WH2 strain was distinct from the current vaccine strains, containing a novel potential N-glycosylation site in its hemagglutinin protein. It also contained amino acid mutations in the fusion protein gene (I87N, T110P and L386I), and the T110P mutation results in N-glycosylation site silencing. WH2 was highly virulent in both unvaccinated and vaccinated animals in our pathogenesis experiments. Immunohistochemistry results revealed positive staining of different organs in unvaccinated and vaccinated animals. The serum in vitro neutralizing antibody titers for the vaccinated mink group and a dog were higher for the WH2 strain than those of the HNly150520B strain (isolated from a dog). These findings indicate that the current commercial vaccines provide incomplete protection against WH2 challenge infections. Thus, a new vaccine strain is urgently needed to protect against variant CDV strains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mink enteritis virus (MEV) is a parvovirus that causes acute enteritis in mink. The capsid protein VP2 of MEV is a major immunogenicity that is important for disease prevention. In this study, this protein was expressed in Spodoptera frugiperda 9 cells using a recombinant baculovirus system and was observed to self-assemble into virus-like particles (VLPs) with a high hemagglutination (HA) titer (1:216). A single-dose injection of VLPs (HA titer, 1:256) resulted in complete protection of mink against virulent MEV challenge for at least 180 days. These data suggest that these MEV VLPs could be used as a vaccine for the prevention of viral enteritis in mink. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The neurotoxicity of Aβ peptides has been well documented, but effective neuroprotective approaches against Aβ neurotoxicity are unavailable. In the present study, we investigated effects of 1-Methylnicotinamide (MNA), known as a main metabolite of nicotinamide (NA), on the impairment of learning and memory induced by Aβ and the underlying mechanisms. We found that intragastric administration of MNA at 100 or 200 mg/kg for 3 weeks significantly reversed bilateral intrahippocampal injection of Aβ1–42-induced cognitive impairments in the Morris water maze (MWM), Y-maze and Novel object recognition tests. Furthermore, MNA suppressed Aβ1–42-induced neuroinflammation, characterized by suppressed activation of microglia, decreased the expression of IL-6, TNF-α and nuclear translocation of NF-κB p65, as well as attenuated neuronal apoptosis as indicated by decreased TUNEL-positive cells and ratio of caspase-3 fragment to procaspase-3, and increased ratio of Bcl-2/Bax in the hippocampus. Our results show that MNA may ameliorate Aβ1–42-induced cognition deficits, which is involved in inhibition of neuroinflammation and apoptosis mediated by NF-κB signaling, suggesting that MNA could have potential therapeutic value for AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eighteen canine distemper virus (CDV) isolates were obtained from clinical samples in Henan province, China, between 2012 and 2016. These viruses could not be recognized by 1A4, a monoclonal antibody specific for the H protein of CDV vaccine strains. The complete haemagglutinin (H) genes of all 18 isolates were sequenced, and phylogenetic analysis showed that they segregated into two clusters within the Asia-1 genotype. Moreover, the H genes of four viruses were found to lack a potential N-glycosylation site at position 309, which is the most conserved site within the Asia-1 genotype of CDV, and a novel potential N-glycosylation site (amino acids 517–519) was found in strain HL013, which has not been reported previously. These results will help in achieving a better understanding of the evolution of CDV in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flexible supercapacitors (FSCs) with a high areal capacitance are essential for future wearable energy-storage devices due to the limitation of available area on the surface of the human body (< 2 m2). To achieve the performance with high areal capacitance, the surface structure of electrodes should be designed carefully. In this paper, a hierarchical composite electrode based on coaxial-nanostructured polypyrrole (PPy) and multiwall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) was electrochemical co-deposited on the surface of the MWCNT-coated cotton fabric (MCF) by a facile pulse potential method. The pulse potential co-deposition conditions-lower potential (EL), the number of cycles (NC) and EL duration time (tL)-played crucial roles in the uniform distribution of MWCNT within PPy/MWCNT composites, thickness of PPy shell and porous morphology. The three-dimension porous networks of PPy/MWCNT/MCF electrodes not only enhanced the efficiency of faradaic redox reactions but also facilitated the accessibility of the electrolyte to electrode surface, accordingly presenting an ultrahigh areal specific capacitance of 5.05 F cm−2 (0.001 V s−1) and unexceptionable cycling stability of 129.20% specific capacitance retention (1000 cycles, 0.02 V s−1). This work provides a new route to develop FSCs electrodes and shows a promising application in wearable energy-storage technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Granular activated carbon (GAC) has been proved to accelerate the formation of aerobic granules during wastewater treatment. However, there has never been a study on the extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) or structural stability of the GAC aerobic granules. Thus, this study evaluated the impact of GAC on these characteristics. With GAC addition, granules matured 12 days earlier than those of the control group. Scanning electron microscopy showed the surface of aerobic granules enhanced by GAC to be denser and smoother than the surface of control granules, which could be the first line of defense against external selection pressure. After granules matured, there was no difference in contamination removal between the two types of granules. The protein content in EPS of GAC aerobic granules was higher than that of the control group; however, there was no difference in the polysaccharide content. EPS fluorescence in situ staining demonstrated that inside the aerobic granules, a high concentration of protein encapsulated the GAC. In addition, integrity coefficients indicated that GAC significantly improved the ability of aerobic granules to resist hydraulic shear. The result of hydrolase treatment proved that the outer layer structure of the GAC aerobic granules was maintained by β-polysaccharide, and the inner layer structure was maintained by protein. The ability of GAC-enhanced aerobic granules to resist single hydrolase was stronger than that of the control group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Flexible electrodes made of cotton textile, polypyrrole (PPy) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) composites were synthesized via a facile in situ chemical deposition method. This method involves a series of successive steps by immersing the cotton fabric in various MWCNT suspensions; adding monomers and p-toluene sulfonic acid (TsOH) as dopant under ultrasonic condition; and then initiating the polymerization by drop-in the oxidant. The fabricated electrodes exhibited a specific capacitance of 597 F g−1 with good cycle stability (maintaining 96.8% after 1000 cycles). Symmetric all-solid-state supercapacitors based on cotton/PPy/MWCNT electrodes and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/H3PO4 gel electrolytes were fabricated and tested. The electrochemical measurements showed that assembled supercapacitors had a specific capacitance of 206.8 F g−1 at a current density of 1 mA cm−2. The supercapacitors were flexible enough to bend and twist with constant capacitance performance and exhibit 72% capacitance retention after 400 charge-discharge cycles.Graphical Abstract: [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the mercury (Hg) contaminations in soil and foodstuffs along the artisanal gold mining areas, Gilgit-Baltistan Province, Pakistan. For this purpose, soils were analyzed for Hg concentrations and evaluated for the enrichment/contamination using enrichment factor or contamination factors (CF). The CF values ranged from 18.9 to 153 showed multifold higher levels of Hg contamination as compared to background or reference site. Foodstuffs including vegetables, seeds or grains and fish muscles showed Hg accumulation. Results revealed that Hg concentrations in foodstuffs were higher than the critical human health value set by European Union. The Hg in foodstuffs was consumed and, therefore, evaluated for the risk assessment indices using the daily intake (DI) and health risk index (HRI) for the exposed human population both children and adults. Results of this study revealed that cumulative HRI values through foodstuffs consumption were <1 (within safe limit), but if the current practices continued, then the Hg contamination could pose potential threat to exposed population in near future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A canine parainfluenza virus type 5 strain was isolated from a lung sample from a diseased dog. The genome sequene of this isolate, named HeN0718, was determined and compared tho those of other previously reported canine parainfluenza viruses. Unlike previously reported viruses, the HeN0718 strain contained several nucleotide mutations in the SH gene that led to a frame shift in the open reading frame. Phylogenetic analysis based on the complete virus genome and the P, F, and HN genes showed that HeN0718 was genetically closest to D277, a Korean strain that was isolated in 2008. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To advance commercial application of forward osmosis (FO), we investigated the effects of two additives on the performance of polysulfone (PSf) based FO membranes: one is poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), and another is PSf grafted with PEG methyl ether methacrylate (PSf-g-PEGMA). PSf blended with PEG or PSf-g-PEGMA was used to form a substrate layer, and then polyamide was formed on a support layer by interfacial polymerization. In this study, NaCl (1 mol∙L) and deionized water were used as the draw solution and the feed solution, respectively. With the increase of PEG content from 0 to 15 wt-%, FO water flux declined by 23.4% to 59.3% compared to a PSf TFC FO membrane. With the increase of PSf-g-PEGMA from 0 to 15 wt-%, the membrane flux showed almost no change at first and then declined by about 52.0% and 50.4%. The PSf with 5 wt-% PSf-g-PEGMA FO membrane showed a higher pure water flux of 8.74 L∙m∙h than the commercial HTI membranes (6-8 L∙m∙h) under the FO mode. Our study suggests that hydrophobic interface is very important for the formation of polyamide, and a small amount of PSfg-PEGMA can maintain a good condition for the formation of polyamide and reduce internal concentration polarization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A polypyrrole (PPy)/multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)/cotton flexible electrode for high-performance supercapacitors was fabricated by a facile two-step method, including MWCNT-coated cotton prepared by a facile 'dip and dry' method and then subjected to the electro-deposition of PPy by a potentiostatic deposition technique. The effects of deposition potential, time, and molar ratio of p-toluenesulfonic acid to pyrrole (Py) on the properties of textile electrodes were studied. The sheet resistances and surface morphologies of the as-prepared composite fabrics obtained under different conditions were investigated by means of a four-point probe method and field-emission scanning electron microscope and the electrochemical performances of the PPy/MWCNT/cotton electrodes were evaluated by cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge-discharge, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements. These composite fabrics exhibited outstanding flexibility, high conductivity, with sheet resistance of 6.0 ± 0.4 Ω sq, a cauliflower structure with small holes on the surface favoring the contact between the electrode active material, a specific capacitance of 535 F g (maintaining 97.8 % after 100 cycles), and a fitting value of charge-transfer resistance of 13.9 Ω cm, which offers great promise in wearable energy storage device applications because of their low-cost and high-performance features. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copper electrodepostion on polyaniline (PANI)-covered poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) textiles was realized galvanostaticly in a plating solution containing sodium citrate. Electrochemical behaviors of Cu deposition on PANI/PET electrodes in citrate baths were studied by measuring the cathodic polarization curves. Electroplating conditions such as concentrations of copper sulfate, sodium citrate and sodium sulfate, pH value, current density as well as the concentration ratio of oxidation/monomer for PANI formation were determined by comparing the polarization curves and the current efficiency results. The surface morphologies of Cu/PANI/PET formed under the different current density were evidenced by scanning electron microscopy. In addition, the conductivity of the synthesized films was also measured with a four-probe method and the lowest sheet resistance of 100 mΩ/sq was presented at 60-80 mA cm, in which the maximum current efficiency reached up to 85 %. The deposition mechanism that the reductions of copper ions and PANI layers occurred in parallel, and the growth of copper crystals performed at the polymer surface were deduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: microRNAs (miRNAs) have been documented playing a critical role in cancer development and progression. In this study, we investigated the role of miR-548l in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) migration and invasion. Methods: microRNAs microarray analysis was used to detect the differentially expressed miRNAs between various metastatic levels of NSCLC cells and further confirmed by real-time PCR analysis. To facilitate the delineation of the role of selected miR-548l in NSCLC pathology, we detected its expression in 22 NSCLC tissues. Proliferation, apoptosis, invasion and metastasis effects of the miRNA were evaluated using MTT, flow cytometry, wound healing and invasion assay following transfection with mimics and inhibitors. Luciferase assay and Western blot analysis were performed to assess miR-548l binding to AKT1 gene. AKT1 expression in the clinical tissues was evaluated using immunohistochemical staining. Results: The results showed a negative relationship between miR-548l expression and lymph node metastasis of NSCLC. Functional assays showed that over-expression of miR-548l suppressed NSCLC cell migration and invasion. Luciferase assays confirmed that miR-548l could directly bind to the 3′ untranslated region of AKT1. Further data showed that the over-expression of AKT1 could rescue the effects of miR-548l in NSCLC cells, and the miR-548l expression was inversely correlated with AKT1 expression in NSCLC tissues. These results indicated that AKT1 was involved in miR-548l-induced suppression of NSCLC cell migration and invasion. Conclusion: These results suggested that miR-548l may play a causal role through AKT1 in NSCLC invasion and metastasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flame-retarded poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) materials have been prepared by using zinc ferrite (ZnFeO (ZFO)) combined with magnesium hydroxide (Mg(OH) (MH)). The effects of these additives on the combustion and thermal degradation of PVC samples were studied using the limiting oxygen index test, the smoke density rating test, thermogravimetric-differential thermogravimetry, and the cone calorimeter test. The results showed that ZFO and MH were good synergists for improving the flame retardancy and smoke-suppressing of PVC/MH/ZFO blends. ZFO can significantly improve the maximum mass loss velocity in the first stage, and reduce the initial decomposition temperature and the decomposition range in the PVC/MH/ZFO blends. The char yield at 700 °C of flame-retarded PVC clearly decreased below theoretical values due to the cationic cracking reactions in the presence of ZFO. Furthermore, the PVC/10MH/10ZFO showed strong flame-retarding synergism since the decreased average heat release rate value. And the PVC/19MH/1ZFO presented a significant smoke-suppressing effect by the least average specific extinction area, peak smoke production rate, and total smoke produce. Moreover, the CO and CO production was increased because of a large amount of fragment of char residue in contact air in the presence of ZFO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Membrane desalination is a leading technology for treating saline waters to augment fresh water supply. The need for high-performance desalination membranes, particularly with high water/salt selectivity, has stimulated research into the fundamental structure-property-performance relationship of state-of-the-art membranes. In this study, we utilize a facile method for tuning properties of a polymeric desalination membrane to shed light on water and salt transport mechanisms of such membranes. A desalination membrane made of cellulose triacetate is treated in a plasticizer solution, followed by water rinsing. The modified membranes exhibit reduced salt flux without compromising water flux, indicating enhanced water/salt selectivity. An inspection of material characteristics using a model film system reveals a plasticizing-extracting process in changing the polymeric structure, which leads to the reduction of crystallite size in the polymer matrix, consequently affecting the transport properties of the membranes. Our findings highlight the potential of the plasticizing-extracting process in fabricating membranes with desired desalination performance. Increasing the selectivity of desalination membranes is of crucial importance for advancing membrane desalination technologies. Here the authors demonstrate a plasticizing-extracting process for tuning the permselectivity of polymeric membranes and achieving desired desalination performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hydrochemical characteristics of groundwater in Songnen Plain’s agricultural area were analyzed based on aquifer types and topography classification to evaluate irrigation suitability and factors influencing groundwater quality. Samples of different groundwater types and topographical conditions within the research area were collected and chemical indices, such as sodium adsorption ratio, %Na+, residual sodium carbonate, and magnesium hazard values, were calculated to assess the groundwater suitability for irrigation. The results indicated that groundwater was generally neutral, with low total dissolved solids and slightly high hardness; the dominant anion in groundwater was HCO3−, while Ca2+ was the relatively stable primary cation found in water samples from the high plain and river valley plain. The nitrate in groundwater significantly exceeded WHO drinking water standards, especially in the unconfined water of the high plain, which was due to the large-scale agricultural production activities in the eastern regions. The main reactions in the groundwater system were weathering and dissolution of carbonates and sulfates and ion-exchange reactions. Horizontal zoning in water chemical characteristics was prominent; from the high plain to river valley plain and low plain, the hydrochemistry gradually transitioned from HCO3-Ca-Na to HCO3-Na-Ca and HCO3-Na. Based on the chemical indices, the majority of samples were suitable for agricultural irrigation except for some in the western area with high salinity and sodium hazards. Treatment measures to groundwater and soil should be taken to reduce the possibility of soil salinization and promote crop growth in these latter regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We introduce a new concept of hybrid Na-based flow batteries (HNFBs) with a molten Na alloy anode in conjunction with a flowing catholyte separated by a solid Na-ion exchange membrane for grid-scale energy storage. Such HNFBs can operate at ambient temperature, allow catholytes to have multiple electron transfer redox reactions per active ion, offer wide selection of catholyte chemistries with multiple active ions to couple with the highly negative Na alloy anode, and enable the use of both aqueous and non-aqueous catholytes. Further, the molten Na alloy anode permits the decoupled design of power and energy since a large volume of the molten Na alloy can be used with a limited ion-exchange membrane size. In this proof-of-concept study, the feasibility of multi-electron transfer redox reactions per active ion and multiple active ions for catholytes has been demonstrated. The critical barriers to mature this new HNFBs have also been explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]