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• The interfacial water in the NaOL system is more strongly hydrogen bonded than for the DDA and mixed collector systems. • The alignment of interfacial water molecules in the DDA system was more disrupted. • The COO– group stretches deeper into water than NH 4 + groups. • It is hard for DDA to form a stable compact and DDA has a tendency to form a bilayer. The molecular structure and orientation of collectors and water molecules on bubble surfaces in ore pulp is a fundamental phenomenon in the process of froth flotation. Considering the adsorption behavior and orientation of collectors and water molecules at the air/solution interface is of particular significance. In this study, the molecular structure and orientation of an aqueous solution of mixed dodecylamine hydrochloride (DDA) and sodium oleate (NaOL) with different molar ratios, and water molecules were examined at the air/solution interface and characterized using a combination of surface pressure measurements, sum frequency vibrational spectroscopy (SFVS) and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Both individual NaOL and DDA collectors were observed to be well ordered at the interface, while gauche defects appeared in some mixed collector systems. The ordering of interfacial water molecules in the presence of collectors with increasing molar ratios of NaOL to DDA is manifested by an enhancement of OH symmetric stretch from tetrahedrally coordinated water and a decreased bond disorder in the molecular arrangement or a "liquid-like" structure. In these mixed collector systems, the COO– group from NaOL stretches deeper into water than NH 3 + groups from DDA, and Na cations originating from NaOL distribute closer to COO– groups compared with the Cl originating from DDA to NH 3 + groups. The interfacial water in the single NaOL system is more strongly hydrogen bonded than those in the DDA and mixed collector systems. Conversely, the alignment of interfacial water molecules in the DDA system was more disrupted. These results provide a better understanding of the ordering of mixed NaOL/DDA collectors, as well as the orientation of water molecules at the air/water interface. This might therefore provide valuable insight into the relationship between the flotation phenomena and molecular characteristics of collectors at the air/water interface and should help to improve the froth flotation technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Ethnopharmacological relevance Shenfu injection is a popular Chinese herbal formula that has been widely used in the treatment of shock in China. Aim of the study To investigate the effect of Shenfu injection on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced septic shock in rabbits. Materials and methods We established a septic shock model in rabbits by administering an intravenous injection of 0.6 mg/kg LPS to anesthetized rabbit, and 15 min after LPS challenge, the rabbits were intravenously administered the Shenfu injection. In these in vivo experiments, the jugular vein of the rabbits was cannulated for LPS and drug administration, and the right common carotid artery was cannulated to record the mean arterial pressure (MAP) over a 6-h period. In addition, various serum biochemical parameters, including lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), glutamate transaminase (ALT), creatinine (Cre), and urea nitrogen (Urea), were measured at 0, 3, and 6 h. Serum LPS levels at 6 h were determined by the test kit. And histological changes in the heart, liver and kidney tissues were observed by HE staining. Furthermore, some related small molecules in the heart tissues were detected by MALDI-TOF-MSI. Results We found that Shenfu injection can increase the MAP, decrease the serum LPS, LDH and AST levels, and improve the tissue morphology of the heart, liver and kidney in rabbits with LPS-induced septic shock. In addition, Shenfu injection can increase the contents of ATP and taurine while reducing the content of AMP in the heart tissue during septic shock. Conclusions These results indicate that Shenfu injection exerts a protective effect on LPS-induced septic shock in rabbits. Graphical abstract fx1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carthamus tinctorius L., or safflower, is an annual herbaceous crop belonging to the family Asteraceae, which is cultivated throughout China and used as a traditional Chinese medicine. Our previous study revealed anti-Parkinson's disease effects of an isolated standardized safflower flavonoid extract (SAFE). The purpose of this study is to evaluate the potential sub-chronic toxicity of SAFE. Male and female Sprague Dawley rats received three doses of SAFE (100, 300, and 500 mg/kg) q.d. by gavage for four weeks. Body weights were measured during the experiment, and blood samples were collected once per week for hematological and serum biochemical parameters. Major organs were examined after execution and histopathological analyses were performed. Body weight gain in the administration groups showed no decline compared to the control group. However, there were changes in values of aspartate transaminase ( p < 0.05), alanine transaminase ( p < 0.05), and blood glucose ( p < 0.05) between treatments. SAFE influenced parameters related to platelets in rats receiving SAFE for both sexes under different dosages ( p < 0.05). No histopathological changes were observed. SAFE might have influence on conglomeration of platelets, transaminases, and blood glucose. SAFE caused no significant toxicity and further studies may be needed to ensure safety of SAFE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that occurs after Alzheimer's disease. Rotenone is a neurotoxin commonly used in creating PD models. Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) contains some flavonoids that are effective against neurodegenerative diseases, and it has long been used in the treatment of cerebrovascular diseases in China. In this study, we investigated the preventive effect of safflower standardized flavonoid extract (SAFE) on a rotenone-induced PD rat model. The results showed that SAFE (17.5, 35, or 70 mg kg−1·day−1) treatment modified the progressive loss in body weight, alleviated behavioral deficits, and promoted survival, especially in the middle-dose SAFE (35 mg kg−1·day−1) group. SAFE treatment significantly modifies the progressive decrease in the level of DA and its metabolites, DOPAC and HVA, 5-HT and its metabolite 5-HIAA in the St, and levels of TH-positive DA-ergic neurons in the SNpc. SAFE also inhibited the decrease in TH and DA levels and increase in Ach content in the St. SAFE (35 mg kg−1·day−1) group treatment modifying the rotenone-induced downregulation of JAK2, STAT3, and ɑ7-nAChR, and also modifying the increase in ACh in the hippocampus. SAFE preventive treatment can also partially inhibit changes in the ECS parameters associated with PD. The marker components of SAFE such as Kaempferol 3-O-rutinoside or anhydrosafflor yellow B can bind with TH, JAK2, STAT3, and ɑ7-nAChR based on molecular docking analyses. Current studies have shown that SAFE is a potential candidate for the prevention of PD. [Display omitted] • SAFE modified the rotenone exposed motor dysfunction, and neurodegeneration-associated parameters in the rats. Also modified progressive decrease in the level of DA and its metabolites, DOPAC and HVA, 5-HT and its metabolite 5-HIAA. • SAFE-modified progressive decreases the levels of TH-positive DA-ergic neurons in the SNpc. Also modified the down-regulation of JAK2, STAT3, and ɑ7-nAChR in the hippocampus and increase ACh in the hippocampus. • SAFE treatment also led to partial inhibition of PD-associated changes in extracellular space diffusion parameters t 1/2 , k′, and λ. • The marker components of SAFE can bind with TH, JAK2, STAT3, ɑ7-nAChR based on molecular docking analyses. SAFE also can bind with BBB-related proteins, including MMP-9, ALOX12, ALOX15, etc. based on molecular docking analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reliable maps of species distributions are fundamental for biodiversity research and conservation. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) range maps are widely recognized as authoritative representations of species' geographic limits, yet they might not always align with actual occurrence data. In recent area of habitat (AOH) maps, areas that are not habitat have been removed from IUCN ranges to reduce commission errors, but their concordance with actual species occurrence also remains untested. We tested concordance between occurrences recorded in camera trap surveys and predicted occurrences from the IUCN and AOH maps for 510 medium‐ to large‐bodied mammalian species in 80 camera trap sampling areas. Across all areas, cameras detected only 39% of species expected to occur based on IUCN ranges and AOH maps; 85% of the IUCN only mismatches occurred within 200 km of range edges. Only 4% of species occurrences were detected by cameras outside IUCN ranges. The probability of mismatches between cameras and the IUCN range was significantly higher for smaller‐bodied mammals and habitat specialists in the Neotropics and Indomalaya and in areas with shorter canopy forests. Our findings suggest that range and AOH maps rarely underrepresent areas where species occur, but they may more often overrepresent ranges by including areas where a species may be absent, particularly at range edges. We suggest that combining range maps with data from ground‐based biodiversity sensors, such as camera traps, provides a richer knowledge base for conservation mapping and planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Complement factor H expression was upregulated in the hippocampus of methamphetamine induced behavioral sensitization mice. • C1q expression decreased in mossy fiber of hippocampus in behavioral sensitization mice. • We detected the changes and distribution of various small molecules by MALDI-MS imaging in brain regions of behavioral sensitization mice. Abstract Background At present, the harm of new-type drug, methamphetamine (METH), has gradually exceeded that of the traditional opioid drugs, and METH abuse has become a serious public health and social problem. In our previous study, complement factor H (CFH) was found to be upregulated in the sera of METH-addicted patients and rats and in certain brain regions in the rats. Methods We used ELISA and immunofluorescence to confirm the changes in CFH in the serum and hippocampus of a METH behavioral sensitization mouse model, and C1q expression was also detected by immunofluorescence in the hippocampus. We aimed to elucidate the involvement of CFH and C1q in the mechanism of METH addiction. We also detected the distribution of various small molecules by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI-MSI) in select brain regions: the nucleus accumbens, the hippocampus and the ventral tegmental area. Results The expression of CFH was upregulated in the serum and hippocampus of METH behavioral sensitization model mice, consistent with our previous research on conditioned place preference rats. In contrast, C1q decreased dramatically in the mossy fibers of the hippocampus. The results of small-molecule imaging by MALDI-MSI showed that the levels of K+, antioxidants, neurotransmitters, and ATP metabolism-related molecules were altered in different regions. Conclusions These results indicate the involvement of the complement system in the mechanism of METH addiction and validate the presence of oxidative stress, energy metabolism changes during addiction. This suggests the utility of further investigation into the above aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is a common acquired autoimmune disease, and thrombopoietin (TPO) is an important cytokine that regulates the production of megakaryocytes and platelets. We have identified a biologically active component, icaritin, from a Chinese herba epimedii extract. Icaritin promotes platelet production and regulates T cell polarization, but its mechanism is not clear. In this study, the BALB/c mouse model of ITP was established by injection of an antiplatelet antibody every other day for seven total times. The antiplatelet sera were derived from guinea pigs immunized with the platelets of BALB/c mice. Mice with ITP were treated with icaritin at low, moderate, or high doses of 4.73, 9.45, and 18.90 mg/kg, respectively, for fourteen consecutive days. The present study shows that icaritin can significantly increase peripheral blood platelet counts and thrombocytocrit, increase the TPO level in serum, attenuate splenomegaly, and reduce the abnormal proliferation of megakaryocytes in the spleen and bone marrow. Icaritin can also downregulate the expression of bone marrow TPO, myeloproliferative leukemia virus oncogene (MPL), and p-Stat3. Our results suggest that icaritin can significantly improve the health of mice with ITP via possible downregulation of p-Stat3 expression in the JAK2/Stat3 phosphorylation signaling pathway and regulation of bone marrow TPO/MPL metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ionic self-assembly, the combination of the building blocks with opposite charge by electrostatic association, has many merits, such as simple, cheap and easy to get, flexible reversible and wide range of applications. In this paper, fibres were synthesized by combining surfactant N, N-dimethylferrocenylmethyl hexadecyl-ammonium bromide (Fc16AB) and fluorescent dye methyl orange (MO) using ionic self-assembly techniques. The morphology of self-assemblies with different concentration are measured and characterized by optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results show that the concentration of Fc16AB and MO has great effects on the morphology of obtained microfibers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The establishment of protected areas (PAs) is a central strategy for global biodiversity conservation. While the role of PAs in protecting habitat has been highlighted, their effectiveness at protecting mammal communities remains unclear. We analyzed a global dataset from over 8671 camera traps in 23 countries on four continents that detected 321 medium‐ to large‐bodied mammal species. We found a strong positive correlation between mammal taxonomic diversity and the proportion of a surveyed area covered by PAs at a global scale (β = 0.39, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.19–0.60) and in Indomalaya (β = 0.69, 95% CI = 0.19–1.2), as well as between functional diversity and PA coverage in the Nearctic (β = 0.47, 95% CI = 0.09–0.85), after controlling for human disturbances and environmental variation. Functional diversity was only weakly (and insignificantly) correlated with PA coverage at the global scale (β = 0.22, 95% CI = −0.02–0.46), pointing to a need to better understand the functional response of mammal communities to protection. Our study provides important evidence of the global effectiveness of PAs in conserving terrestrial mammals and emphasizes the critical role of area‐based conservation in a post‐2020 biodiversity framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dealing with waste acid generated in phosphoric acid (H 3 PO 4) production has always been a problem due to the lack of cost-effective and environment-friendly disposal technology. This study introduces a novel method of utilizing the waste acid as a depressant in collophane flotation aiming at reusing waste acid and reducing the consumption of sulfuric acid (H 2 SO 4) in flotation plants. Its effectiveness was confirmed by flotation test in lab- and industrial-scale test. The depression mechanism is investigated via solution chemistry calculation and scanning electron microscope analysis. Laboratory-scale flotation results indicate that the utilization of waste acid coupled with H 2 SO 4 can strengthen depression performance on collophane, improving recovery efficiency compared with the use of H 2 SO 4 alone as depressant. Results demonstrate that H 2 PO 4 − is the effective species in waste acid. It depresses the flotation of collophane by reacting with active Ca sites on the surface to form CaHPO 4 and Ca(H 2 PO 4) 2 , thus preventing collector adsorption and reducing collophane surface hydrophobicity. The application of waste acid in industrial test shows the flotation recovery increases by 1% accompanied with the reduced consumption of H 2 SO 4 by 30.03% (from 15.5 kg/t to 10.8 kg/t). An increased profit of 890,043 RMB in a month is achieved due to the application of waste acid. Notably, approximately 197,000 t waste acid is consumed for a month, which brings considerable environmental benefits. In summary, the application of waste acid in collophane flotation is an efficient, economical, and eco-friendly alternative for the treatment of waste acid. • Waste acid could be applied on collophane flotation as depressant without disposing. • The industrial application indicates waste acid could replace part of H 2 SO 4 steadily. • Consumption of plenty waste acid brings considerable economic environmental benefits. • Depression mechanism was studied by solution chemistry calculation and SEM analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the particle interaction between the fine fluorite and quartz (all less than 10 μm) and its effect on the fluorite flotation were studied mainly by rheological measurements, optical observation and micro-flotation tests. Sodium oleate was used as the fluorite collector. The yield stress, which is a rheology parameter, was utilized to quantify the aggregation degree of the particles and evaluate the strength of the net-work structures in flotation slurry. The yield stress value of fine fluorite slurry as a function of the solid concentration, pH, percentage of the fine quartz and collector concentration was measured. The rheological measurements and the optical observation results show that the fluorite particles could partially aggregate into flocs in the pH range of 5–10 and form net-work structure in suspensions, while quartz particles could not aggregate across the whole pH range tested. When quartz and fluorite particles were mixed in water, the yield stress of the mixed mineral slurry was much higher than that of the single mineral slurry, demonstrating a strong hetero-coagulation between the two minerals. The flotation performance of the fine fluorite particles with different degree of hetero-coagulation (caused by the different percentage of fine quartz) was tested. The hetero-coagulation exhibited a detrimental effect on the fluorite flotation, manifesting as decreased flotation recovery and decreased flotation rate. It was found that the hetero-coagulation deteriorated the fine fluorite flotation by forming strong net-work structures that could interfere with the rising processes of the bubbles carrying valuable mineral particles. The research provides a new way for quantifying the particle interactions and may potentially be used for regulating the flotation operations in the fluorite flotation plants. Unlabelled Image • The yield stress of fluorite, quartz and their mixtures slurry (−10 μm) were measured. • The yield stress was used to quantify the aggregation degree of the mineral slurry. • Fluorite particles partially aggregated in the pH 5–10 while quartz dispersed. • There existed hetero-coagulation between the fluorite and quartz particles in water. • The hetero-coagulation resulted in deteriorated fine fluorite flotation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A gas bubbling method is proved to be effective in removing residual solvents from oil sands gangue. • The removal of residual solvent is highly dependent on operational conditions. • Separation of residual solvent by gas bubbling could be divided into different stages. • The mechanism and kinetic model of gas bubbling method has been revealed. Solvent loss in the residual solids has been considered as a major challenge during the solvent extraction processes of unconventional oil ores (oil sands, asphalt rocks, etc.). Herein, we proposed a gas bubbling method to remove and recover the residual solvents from the extracted gangue for the purpose of solvent reuse and environment remediation. Results show that under the optimal conditions, more than 99.6 wt% of solvent (toluene) in the gangue could be removed and 92.3 wt% of solvent could be directly recovered with the condensation-compression combination process. The effects of water chemistry, gas types (CO 2 or N 2), and mineral types (calcite and quartz) on the removal efficiency have been investigated. The mechanism of solvent removal from residual solids by the gas bubbling process is deduced to contain several sub-processes, including bubble-oil droplet/solid particle colliding and coalescing; solvent droplet spreading on the bubble surface and evaporating into the bubble; droplets coalescing and solvent evaporating to the gas phase. Meanwhile, the kinetic model of the bubbling process is demonstrated, which matches the first order kinetic model. This process would provide insights for other similar situation about oil or solvent removal and recovery from solids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the effect of sodium pyrophosphate (NaPP) on the separation of apatite from dolomite by flotation was systematically investigated. Flotation results revealed that NaPP could selectively depress the flotation of apatite, thus realizing the separation of apatite from dolomite. Further, the selective depression mechanism of NaPP was studied through zeta potential measurements, contact angle measurements, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis. The results demonstrated that the adsorption of sodium oleate (NaOL) onto apatite surface was depressed by the preferential interaction of NaPP with active Ca sites. For dolomite, while the presence of NaPP hindered the interaction of NaOL with active Ca sites, it appeared to enhance the reactivity with active Mg sites. Thus, the adsorption of NaOL onto dolomite surface was hardly influenced. In this way, the separation of apatite from dolomite was achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]