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[Objective] Cobalt stands as a critical metal in the transition toward green, low-carbon energy. Japan, a significant consumer and trading hub for global cobalt resources, plays a pivotal role in elucidating the flow and evolutionary traits of global cobalt resources across the lifecycle, as well as the dynamic shifts in trade patterns. [Methods] This study employed the dynamic material flow analysis method to construct a framework analyzing the flow of cobalt within Japan’s trade network across its life cycle. It examined the evolution of cobalt material flow in Japan from 2000 to 2020. [Results] The flow analysis showed that Japan’s cobalt consumption totaled 272000 tons, showcasing notable alterations in flow and direction. The production of cobalt salt surged in the refining stages, witnessing a transition from consumer electronics batteries to electric vehicle batteries in manufacturing. Cobalt resource consumption during the usage stage demonstrated an initial increase followed by a subsequent decline, consistently led by consumer electronics batteries. With full recycling of waste in the waste management stage, the domestic demand of Japan could be met. The stock analysis showed that conventional applications experienced an initial rise followed by a decline, while emerging applications steadily grew. Consumer electronics batteries continued to dominate the stock structure, with electric vehicle batteries surpassing superalloys to secure the second position. The trade pattern analysis showed that despite a diversification of Japan’s import sources, material reliance on China surged significantly. Simultaneously, Japan’s cobalt-containing terminal product export market shifted from Asia to the United States and Europe. [Conclusion] Japan’s cobalt industry established a comprehensive processing model of “upper-middle stream in-flow and lower stream out-flow”. Driven by transportation energy shifts and industrial policies, electric vehicle batteries emerged as the primary driver for cobalt resource consumption in manufacturing. Japan ensures cobalt supply chain stability through resource diplomacy, substitution, and research and development in reduction technologies. On the one hand, the relevant conclusions can lay the foundation for global systematic and dynamic research on fine-grained country-scale cobalt material flows. On the other hand, this analysis of Japan’s cobalt material flow serves as a reference for China to accurately examine and evaluate the evolution of Japan’s cobalt supply and industrial chain. This knowledge may foster the improvement of strategic mineral security, particularly concerning cobalt.

In this paper, macroporous high‐entropy spinel oxide (HESO) (Fe0.2Ni0.2Co0.2Mn0.2Zn0.2)3O4 monoliths were successfully fabricated via a sol–gel method followed by calcination. Appropriate polyacrylic acid and propylene oxide contents allow the formation of three‐dimensional co‐continuous xerogel monoliths, and the water/glycerol ratio controls the macropore size of monoliths. Subsequent calcination achieves the precipitation of HESO (Fe0.2Ni0.2Co0.2Mn0.2Zn0.2)3O4 with a singular phase and exceptional structural stability. The macroporous HESO (Fe0.2Ni0.2Co0.2Mn0.2Zn0.2)3O4 demonstrates remarkable performance in the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) with an overpotential of 333 mV at 100 mA cm−2 and a Tafel slope of 43.2 mV dec–1, surpassing that of RuO2 (391 mV) under identical conditions. Furthermore, the catalytic stability of the HESO catalyst remains superior even after 24 h of testing. This process offers a promising avenue for the development of macroporous high‐entropy oxide OER catalysts for overall water splitting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atherosclerosis is a complex pathological process, which causes diseases that threaten the health of an increasing number of people. Studies have found that the original view of lipid accumulation is not comprehensive because the use of lipid-lowering drugs alone cannot effectively treat atherosclerosis. As the study of the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis develops in-depth, the impact of immune-inflammatory response on atherosclerosis has garnered a great deal of attention. Some new advances have been made in the role of regulatory T cells (Tregs) and macrophages with unique immunomodulatory functions in atherosclerosis. Herein, the role of Tregs, macrophages, the mechanisms of Tregs-regulated macrophages, and the effects of potential factors on Tregs and macrophages in atherosclerosis are overviewed. Targeting Tregs and macrophages may provide new research strategies for the treatment of atherosclerosis in the clinic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four new lactones, including hypomonacid A (1) and hypomonone A–C (4–6), as well as nine known polyketide analogues (2–3 and 7–13) were obtained from endophytic fungus Hypomontagnella sp. TX-09 derived from Santalum album. Their planar structures were extensively established by analysing HRESIMS and NMR spectroscopic data. Stereochemistry of new compounds was determined by X-ray diffraction analysis and modified Mosher’s method in combination with quantum-chemical ECD calculation. In addition, compounds 1 and 2 showed anti-inflammatory activity by inhibition of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced NO production in RAW264.7 cells at 50 μmol/L without cytotoxicity. Among them, compound 1 inhibited the production of LPS-stimulated inflammation in mouse macrophage RAW264.7 cells by suppressing the expression of iNOS, TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

WSGP has demonstrated significant potential for various bioactive effects. However, limited research has explored their anti-ulcerative colitis (UC) effects and mechanism on the colonic system and gut microbial metabolites. We evaluated the ameliorative effects of WSGP on the UC mice model. Using H&E to assess histological injury of colon morphology, AB-PAS staining to detect mucin secretion from goblet cells and the mucous layer, IF to evaluate the expression of intercellular tight junction proteins, ELISA to measure inflammatory factors, WB analysis to measure protein expression of inflammatory signaling pathways, RT-qPCR to quantify gene transcription of inflammatory factors, and LC-MS to analyze metabolites in mouse cecum contents. WSGP supplementation increased food intake, body weight, and colon length while reducing disease activity and histological scores in colitis-afflicted mice. WSGP mitigated colonic tissue damage and restored intestinal barrier integrity by suppressing NF-κB/STAT3 signaling, thereby decreasing gene transcription, protein expression of proinflammatory factors, and nitric oxide production. Additionally, WSGP improved UC by altering the variety of intestinal microbial metabolites. This study demonstrates that WSGP supplementation attenuates UC mice by suppressing the NF-κB/STAT3 signaling pathway, enhancing mucosal barrier function, reducing pro-inflammatory cytokines, and modulating gut microbial metabolites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the transportation of hydrogen-blended natural gas (HBNG) through the natural gas pipeline network, the accuracy of the physical property model for real gas greatly influences the reliability of aerodynamic performance of compressor systems and the hydrothermal characteristics of pipeline networks. In this study, the adaptability of various equations of state (EOS) in predicting physical property parameters including compressibility factor, enthalpy difference, entropy difference, specific heat capacity, specific heat ratio and viscosity of natural gas (NG) and HBNG is evaluated based on the experimental data and NIST REFPROP firstly. The properties calculated using NIST REFPROP are compared with those from the EOSs, such as cubic EOSs (Redlich–Kwong EOS (RK), Soave–Redlich–Kwong EOS (SRK), Peng–Robinson EOS (PR)) and Soave-Benedict-Webb-Rubin (BWRS) EOS. After confirming the reliability of NIST REFPROP as the calculation benchmark, the accuracy of the four EOSs in calculating the physical properties of HBNG is assessed within the temperature range of 250∼350 K, pressure range of 1∼25 MPa, and hydrogen doping ratio of 0%–30%. Besides, the mixing rules of different equations of state (EOSs) are compared based on the NIST REFPROP calculation results. The results indicate that, except for specific heat capacity calculation, the mixing rule has little influence on the prediction accuracy of cubic EOS models, and the maximum calculation error between different mixing rules of the same EOS model does not exceed 0.5%. Under specific conditions, the traditional mixing rule exhibits better prediction accuracy and can be prioritized due to its simplicity. Furthermore, the pressure has a significant impact on the accuracy of EOS models, with the prediction accuracy decreasing as the pressure increased. The influence of temperature on the prediction accuracy is less significant than that of pressure. Generally, lower temperatures exhibit lower prediction accuracy, while higher temperatures show higher prediction accuracy. Among the cubic EOS models, the RK equation performs better than the SRK and PR EOS models. While the cubic EOSs show minimal differences in predicting specific heat ratio with an average relative error below 1%, the RK EOS shows significant advantages in predicting other physical parameters. The simple structure of RK EOS meets the calculation requirements for HBNG engineering. The comprehensive comparisons reveal that, the BWRS EOS has higher accuracy in predicting various physical properties parameters, with the maximum average relative error not exceeding 5% for each physical property parameter, and its stability is also better compared to the cubic EOSs. The further analysis shows that, the calculation of viscosity is influenced not only by the EOS but also by the viscosity model. When calculating viscosity using the LU-Model, the PR EOS provides the most accurate results. In contrast, when utilizing the LGE-Model or LBC-Model, the BWRS EOS demonstrates superior accuracy compared to other EOSs. • Mixing rules slightly effect state equations' accuracy across different x-H2, besides heat capacity calculations. • Unlike other parameters, the viscosity calculation depends on both the viscosity model and the equations. • Apart from viscosity calculations, Redlich-Kwong equation performs the best among the cubic state equations. • The Benedict-Webb-Rubin-Starling equation is more accurate than the cubic state equations overall. • The impact of pressure on equations' accuracy for hydrogen-blended natural gas is more obvious than that of temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]