Search

ABSTRACTHuman metapneumovirus (HMPV) is one of the main pathogens causing severe respiratory infections in children, as a common cause of immunodeficiency-related deaths in children and elderly individuals, the prevalence of HMPV has been showing an increasing trend during the last years. However, no vaccines or effective treatment plans are available currently. In this present, based on candidate proteins highly associated with viral virulence and has promising protective potential, we screened for immunodominant cytotoxic T cells, helper T cells, and Linear B-cell epitopes from the most promising candidate Fusion protein, together with G, SH, M, and M2. All epitopes were predicted to have strong antigenicity by Vaxijen and pose no potential toxicity, allergenicity, or hormonology to human proteins by Toxinpred, Allerpred, and Blast analysis, meanwhile, high conservancy is demanded to cover different subtypes. adjuvants β-defensin II and Pam2Cys was attached with EAAAK linkers to improve vaccine’s efficiency. Then, calculation of physicochemical properties proved the protein vaccine as a product can stably exist in the human body. Besides, we assessed the docking between the vaccine and immune receptors to evaluate its ability to stimulate immune responses, and the dynamic simulation further confirmed that the vaccine can tightly bind with immune receptors, which approved that the construction has the potential to induce strong humoral and cellular immune response. Finally, the vaccine was constructed into a multi-epitope mRNA vaccine, the immune simulations suggest that this is a vaccine candidate for controlling HMPV infection.

Electronic waste (e-waste) contains valuable rare earth elements (REEs) essential for various high-tech applications, making their recovery crucial for sustainable resource management. This review provides an overview of the occurrence of REEs in e-waste and discusses both conventional and emerging green technologies for their recovery. Conventional methods include physical separation, hydrometallurgy, and pyrometallurgy, while innovative approaches such as bioleaching, supercritical fluid extraction, ionic liquid extraction, and lanmodulin-derived peptides offer improved environmental sustainability and efficiency. The article presents case studies on the extraction of REEs from waste permanent magnets and fluorescent powders, highlighting the specific processes involved. Future research should focus on developing eco-friendly leaching agents, separation materials, and process optimization to enhance the overall sustainability and efficiency of REE recovery from e-waste, addressing both resource recovery and environmental concerns effectively.

Mesoporous silica SBA-15 has emerged as a promising adsorbent and separation material due to its unique structural and physicochemical properties. To further enhance its performance, various surface modification strategies, including metal oxide and noble metal incorporation for improved catalytic activity and stability, organic functionalization with amino and thiol groups for enhanced adsorption capacity and selectivity, and inorganic–organic composite modification for synergistic effects, have been extensively explored. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the recent advances in the surface modification of SBA-15 for adsorption and separation applications. The synthesis methods, structural properties, and advantages of SBA-15 are discussed, followed by a detailed analysis of the different modification strategies and their structure–performance relationships. The adsorption and separation performance of functionalized SBA-15 materials in the removal of organic pollutants, heavy metal ions, gases, and biomolecules, as well as in chromatographic and solid–liquid separation, is critically evaluated. Despite the significant progress, challenges and opportunities for future research are identified, including the development of low-cost and sustainable synthesis routes, rational design of SBA-15-based materials with tailored properties, and integration into practical applications. This review aims to guide future research efforts in developing advanced SBA-15-based materials for sustainable environmental and industrial applications, with an emphasis on green and scalable modification strategies.

The effect of microwave treatment on the grinding and flotation performance of a typical copper–nickel sulfide ore was evaluated, based on the determination of its microwave absorption capability, grinding and flotation indexes such as crack percentage, mineral liberation degree, particle size distribution, relative work index (RWI), metal enrichment ratio and recovery. There were obvious differences between the microwave absorption capabilities of the main minerals in the ore, as demonstrated by their different microwave penetration depths. They also induced temperature differences between sulfide minerals and gangue minerals which could reach 418 °C after microwave treatment for 20 s. It was shown that microwave treatment could effectively improve the grindability of the ore, as proven by the increase in fine particles smaller than 0.074 mm and the decrease in RWI after grinding due to the higher crack percentage and mineral liberation degree. Moreover, microwave treatment affected the ore floatability because of the generation of cuprite, retgersite, and rozenite with poor floatability when the treatment time was extended. By microwave treatment for a proper time, 20 s, an optimal balance between the grindability and flotation performance could be achieved. Compared with the untreated ore, the RWI of the ore decreased by 11.5%. After flotation, the Cu and Ni enrichment ratios of the flotation concentrate increased by 0.3 and 0.2, respectively. Meanwhile, their corresponding recoveries increased by 4.2% and 3.1%. This study provides new insights for the treatment of copper–nickel sulfide ore to enhance the grinding and flotation process.

Cr-rich electroplating sludge (CRES) is a complicated solid waste with high contents of chromium and iron. It can be used as a main feed of the FINEX ironmaking process, which requires gas-based reduction before smelting reduction to produce molten iron with the proper addition of iron ore powder. In this study, the CO–H2 gas-based reduction behavior of CRES mixed with iron ore powder was evaluated between 700 °C and 850 °C, with a focus on the variations of key components containing Fe, Cr, and S with reduction temperature and time. It was found that the iron oxides in CRES had stepwise conversions to metallic iron as the reduction reaction proceeded. The iron metallization degree of the mixture of CRES and iron ore powder increased obviously below 750 °C and then grew minorly with the further increase of temperature. Moreover, this index varied similarly with an extension of reduction time up to 80 min. After reduction at 750 °C for 60 min with the volume concentration of H2 of 30% and flow rate of 160 mL/min, the iron metallization degree reached 79.08%. The rate in the process was limited by a chemical reaction with an activation energy of 41.32 kJ/mol. Along with the stepwise reduction of iron oxides to metallic iron, the chromium hydroxide and sulfates in CRES were reduced to Cr2O3 and sulfites and sulfides, respectively.

BackgroundNocardia genus, a complex group of species classified to be aerobic actinomycete, can lead to severe concurrent infection as well as disseminated infection, typically in immunocompromised patients. With the expansion of the susceptible population, the incidence of Nocardia has been gradually growing, accompanied by increased resistance of the pathogen to existing therapeutics. However, there is no effective vaccine against this pathogen yet. In this study, a multi-epitope vaccine was designed against the Nocardia infection using reverse vaccinology combined with immunoinformatics approaches.MethodsFirst, the proteomes of 6 Nocardia subspecies Nocardia subspecies (Nocardia farcinica, Nocardia cyriacigeorgica, Nocardia abscessus, Nocardia otitidiscaviarum, Nocardia brasiliensis and Nocardia nova) were download NCBI (National Center for Biotechnology Information) database on May 1st, 2022 for the target proteins selection. The essential, virulent-associated or resistant-associated, surface-exposed, antigenic, non-toxic, and non-homologous with the human proteome proteins were selected for epitope identification. The shortlisted T-cell and B-cell epitopes were fused with appropriate adjuvants and linkers to construct vaccines. The physicochemical properties of the designed vaccine were predicted using multiple online servers. The Molecular docking and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation were performed to understand the binding pattern and binding stability between the vaccine candidate and Toll-like receptors (TLRs). The immunogenicity of the designed vaccines was evaluated via immune simulation.Results3 proteins that are essential, virulent-associated or resistant-associated, surface-exposed, antigenic, non-toxic, and non-homologous with the human proteome were selected from 218 complete proteome sequences of the 6 Nocardia subspecies epitope identification. After screening, only 4 cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) epitopes, 6 helper T lymphocyte (HTL) epitopes, and 8 B cell epitopes that were antigenic, non-allergenic, and non-toxic were included in the final vaccine construct. The results of molecular docking and MD simulation showed that the vaccine candidate has a strong affinity for TLR2 and TLR4 of the host and the vaccine-TLR complexes were dynamically stable in the natural environment. The results of the immune simulation indicated that the designed vaccine had the potential to induce strong protective immune responses in the host. The codon optimization and cloned analysis showed that the vaccine was available for mass production.ConclusionThe designed vaccine has the potential to stimulate long-lasting immunity in the host, but further studies are required to validate its safety and efficacy.

This study reported the extraction of vanadium from low-vanadium grade magnetite concentrate pellets using sodium salt. 71.1% of vanadium can be extracted under the following optimal conditions: pelletizing with 5 wt% Na2CO3, preheating at 1050 °C for 10 min, roasting at 1250 °C for 10 min, and water leaching at 120 °C for 120 min with a liquid:solid ratio of 5:1 (mL/g) in the bench-scale experiment. XPS and SEM-EDS results showed that part of trivalent vanadium was not oxidized completely during the sodium salt roasting and still occurred in the iron mineral phase; consequently, this part of vanadium was retained in the leached iron ore. The sodium salt roasting parameters are consistent with those of the iron ore oxidized pellets produced by grate-kiln or straight-grate methods; thus, the production efficiency of sodium salt roasting for vanadium extraction can be improved significantly. Pilot-scale experiment was further performed to verify the feasibility of the recommended method in a traveling grate, a better vanadium extraction ratio of 79.1% was achieved.

Abstract In the sintering of iron ores, the partial substitution of anthracite for coke breeze has been considered to be an effective way of reducing pollutant emissions and production cost. In this study, the basic characteristics of anthracite and coke breeze were compared and the sintering performance at different substitution ratios of anthracite for coke breeze was investigated. The porosity of anthracite is lower than that of coke breeze, but its density and combustion reactivity are higher. The substitution of anthracite for coke breeze has no influence on the granulation effect of the sintering blend. As the anthracite proportion increased, the sintering speed and productivity increased and the sintering yield and tumbler index decreased. As the substitution ratio increased from 0 to 60%, the melting temperature duration and the melt quantity index decreased from 2.59 to 2.03 min and from 3218.28 to 2405.75 °C·min, respectively, leading to insufficient sintering mineralization and bad sintering indexes. For an anthracite substitution ratio of 40%, the sintering speed, sintering productivity, sintering yield and tumbler index were 22.34 mm min−1, 1.49 t·(m2 h)−1, 71.65% and 63.59%, respectively, which entirely satisfies the production requirements. Furthermore, hematite (Fe2O3), calcium ferrite (CaO–Fe2O3), and compound calcium ferrite (CaO–SiO2–Fe2O3) were the major mineral phases, which were embedded with an interwoven structure.

Objective: Mcl-1 overexpression confers acquired resistance to Bcl-2 inhibitors in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but no direct Mcl-1 inhibitor is currently available for clinical use. Thus, novel therapeutic strategies are urgently needed to target Mcl-1 and sensitize the anti-NSCLC activity of Bcl-2 inhibitors. Methods: Cell proliferation was measured using sulforhodamine B and colony formation assays, and apoptosis was detected with Annexin V-FITC staining. Gene expression was manipulated using siRNAs and plasmids. Real-time PCR and Western blot were used to measure mRNA and protein levels. Immunoprecipitation and immunofluorescence were used to analyze co-localization of dual specificity tyrosine-phosphorylation-regulated kinase 1A (DYRK1A) and Mcl-1. Results: Suppression of DYRK1A resulted in reduced Mcl-1 expression in NSCLC cells, whereas overexpression of DYRK1A significantly increased Mcl-1 expression. Suppression of DYRK1A did not alter Mcl-1 mRNA levels, but did result in an accelerated degradation of Mcl-1 protein in NSCLC cells. Furthermore, DYRK1A mediated proteasome-dependent degradation of Mcl-1 in NSCLC cells, and DYRK1A co-localized with Mcl-1 in NSCLC cells and was co-expressed with Mcl-1 in tumor samples from lung cancer patients, suggesting that Mcl-1 may be a novel DYRK1A substrate. We showed that combined therapy with harmine and Bcl-2 antagonists significantly inhibited cell proliferation and induced apoptosis in NSCLC cell lines as well as primary NSCLC cells. Conclusions: Mcl-1 is a novel DYRK1A substrate, and the role of DYRK1A in promoting Mcl-1 stability makes it an attractive target for decreasing Bcl-2 inhibitor resistance.

Chromium-rich electroplating sludge (CRES) is a hazardous solid waste with a high content of moisture requiring efficient drying before subsequent treatment. In this study, the microwave drying kinetics of CRES were examined. The results showed that CRES had good microwave absorptivity, contributing to a much shorter drying time and better drying performance compared with conventional drying. In comparison with conventional drying at 105 °C, the time of microwave drying at 600 W for total moisture removal was reduced by 98.5%. Compared to load mass and particle size, microwave power played a more important role in microwave drying. Based on the kinetics analysis, the microwave drying process of CRES could be divided into three successive stages, in which the drying rates were limited by external diffusion (before 110 s), both external diffusion and chemical reaction (between 110 s and 160 s), and chemical reaction (after 160 s), respectively. The Danish model was found to have the best fit with the microwave drying process of CRES.

Ferroptosis has recently been associated with immunological changes in sepsis. However, the clinical significance of ferroptosis-associated genes (FAGs) remains unknown. In this paper, a FAG-based prognostic model was constructed for sepsis patients using an integrated machine learning approach. The prognosis model was composed of 14 FAGs that classify the patients as high or low risk. Based on immunological study, it was found that the immune status differed between the high-risk and low-risk clusters. Cox regression analysis revealed that FAGs were independent risk factors for the overall survival of sepsis patients. ROC curves and nomograms revealed that the FAG-based model was robust for prognosis prediction. Lastly, NEDD4L was identified from the 14 FAGs as a potential hub gene for sepsis prediction.

Existing nano-Mo2C preparation methods suffer from expensive raw materials, subtle operation demands and complex synthesis steps. Herein, both theoretical and experimental studies were performed to develop a more efficient and economical method for nano-Mo2C preparation. Reaction thermodynamics of gas-vapor system of CH4-MoO3-N2 indicates that high-proportion inert gas significantly increases the required carbonization potential (CO/CO2) for Mo2C formation, but surplus carbon produced from methane decomposition can trigger water gas producing reaction and Boudouard reaction to help meet the requirement. Nano-Mo2C was then synthesized by mixing N2-carried MoO3 vapor with CH4 under varying conditions including temperature, gas flowrate and vapor concentration. It is found that MoO3 vapor experienced conversions to monoclinic MoO2 to cubic Mo to hexagonal Mo2C, and all these stages could be finished in as short as about 6 s at 1100 °C with initial molar ratio of CH4 to MoO3 over 3.5. The final products were present as porous plate-like single crystals or chain-like polycrystals, which are determined by initial vapor concentration and gas flowrate. Furtherly, electrocatalytic properties of Mo2C nanocrystals for hydrogen evolution reaction were measured, and the sample with the largest specific surface area and cleaner surface showed competitive performance over reported nano-Mo2C.

Ludwigite ore is a typical intergrown mineral resource found in China. Reductive soda-ash roasting followed by water leaching is an innovative process for the high-efficiency separation and recovery of boron and iron. In this study, the co-conversion mechanism of boron activation and iron reduction during soda-ash reductive roasting for boron-bearing iron concentrate was clarified. When the boron-bearing iron concentrate was reduced in the presence of Na2CO3, szaibelyite (Mg2(OH)(B2O4) (OH)) was activated to sodium metaborate (NaBO2) and, meanwhile, magnetite (Fe3O4) was reduced to metallic iron (MFe). Boron activation promoted iron-oxide reduction effectively, while the latter could only slightly influence the former. The promotion occurred through (1) a facilitated generation of sodium magnesium silicate (Na2MgSiO4) and a hindering of the formation of olivine (MgxFe2-x(SiO4)). (2) The newly generated NaBO2 promoted iron-oxide reduction. (3) The low melting point of the NaBO2 (966 °C) favored particle migration, which accelerated metallic iron particle aggregation.

An alternative process of pre-roasting, phosphoric acid leaching followed by solvent extraction of a limonitic laterite ore was described in this work, with emphasis on the solvent extraction of Ni and Co from the phosphoric acid leaching solution by P204 and P507. First, the pH value of the leaching solution was adjusted using ammonia to reduce the content of Al3+ and Fe3+ by precipitation, then the content of Al3+, Fe3+ and Mn2+ were further decreased by extraction using P204. At last, Ni2+ and Co2+ were separated by three-stage extraction using P507. After extraction, the extraction ratio of Co2+ was 96.61%, while that of Ni2+ was 12.32%, and the selective extraction of Ni2+ and Co2+ could be realized.

The composite agglomeration process (CAP) aims at sintering a pelletized feed and a matrix feed together to produce a high-quality burden for a blast furnace. The pelletized feed is balled from fine iron concentrate or refractory iron-bearing resources, while the matrix feed is granulated from iron ore fines, fuels, fluxes and so on. Through mathematical calculation, heat accumulation regularity and heat-homogenizing of the sinter bed are acquired in CAP when pelletized feed is uniformly distributed. Then they are studied in the composite agglomeration process with optimized pelletized feed distribution, which is a novel and perfect sinter bed structure. Results show that large heat input gaps exist in the sinter bed under condition of even sinter mixture distribution, and it is very difficult to realize bed heat-homogenization by directly varying the solid fuel dosage among each layer. An optimized pelletized feed distribution realizes more heat in the upper layer together with heat-homogenization of the middle-lower layer when the proportions of pellets increase first in the middle-upper layer and then decrease in the middle-lower layer of the sinter bed. Under these circumstances, the sinter bed has much better available accumulation ratios with a maximum value of 78.29%, and possesses a greater total heat input of 6754.27 MJ when the coke breeze remains at the original dosage. To make full use of the available heat accumulation and adjust the pellet distribution, a good energy saving effect is obtained because the coke breeze mass declines by 13.91 kg/t-sinter. The current gross heat inputs of each unit are reduced remarkably, leading to a total heat input decrease of 25.95%. In pot tests of CAP, the differences of thermal parameters in whole bed are obviously reduced with the optimized pelletized feed distribution, which contributes to sinter homogeneity and energy savings.