Urgent needs for second life using and recycling design of wasted electric vehicles (EVs) lithium-ion battery: a scientometric analysis.

Currently, lithium-ion batteries are increasingly widely used and generate waste due to the rapid development of the EV industry. Meanwhile, how to reuse "second life" and recycle "extracting of valuable metals" of these wasted EVBs has been a hot research topic. The 4810 relevant articles from SCI and SSCI Scopus databases were obtained. Scientometric analysis about second life using and recycling methodologies of wasted EVBs was conducted by VOSviewer, Pajek, and Netdraw. According to analytical results, the research of second life using and recycling mythologies has been growing and the expected achievement will continue to increase. China, Germany, the USA, Italy, and the UK are the most active countries in this field. Tsinghua University in China, "Fraunhofer ISI, Karlsruhe" in Germany, and "Polytechnic di Torino" in Italy are the most productive single and collaborative institutions. The journals SAE technical papers and World Electric Vehicle Journal have the highest publication and citations than other journals. Chinese author "Li Y" has the highest number of 36 publications, and his papers were cited 589 times by other authors. By analyzing the co-occurrence and keywords, energy analysis, second life (stationary using, small industry), and treatment methods, (hydrometallurgy and pyrometallurgical, electrochemical, bio-metallurgical) were the hot research topics. The S-curve from the article indicates hydrometallurgical and bio-metallurgical methods are attached with great potential in the near future. Further, different treatment methodologies are observed especially advanced techniques in hydrometallurgical, and spent medium bioleaching techniques in bio-metallurgical are good, economically cheap, has low CO2 emission, environmentally friendly, and has high recovery rate. Finally, this research provides information on second life use and top recycling methodology opportunities for future research direction for researchers and decision-makers who are interested in this research.

Colonization Dynamics of Multidrug-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae Are Dictated by Microbiota-Cluster Group Behavior over Individual Antibiotic Susceptibility: A Metataxonomic Analysis.

Gastrointestinal carriage of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria is one of the main risk factors for developing serious, difficult-to-treat infections. Given that there is currently no all-round solution to eliminate colonization with MDR bacteria, it is particularly important to understand the dynamic process of colonization to aid the development of novel decolonization strategies. The aim of our present study was to perform metataxonomic analyses of gut microbiota dynamics during colonization with an extended-spectrum ß-lactamase (ESBL)- and carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (ECKP) strain in mice; additionally, to ascertain the effects of antibiotic administration (ampicillin, ceftazidime, and ciprofloxacin) on the establishment and elimination of ECKP intestinal colonization. We have found that the phyla Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes were most dominant in all of the treatment groups; however, Bacteroidetes was more common in the groups treated with antibiotics compared to the control group. Significant differences were observed among the different antibiotic-treated groups in beta but not alpha diversity, implying that the difference is the relative abundance of some bacterial community members. Bacteria from the Lachnospiraceae family (including Agathobacter, Anaerostipes, Lachnoclostridium 11308, Lachnospiraceae UCG-004, Lachnospiraceae NK3A20 group 11318, Lachnospiraceae NK4A136 group 11319, Roseburia, and Tyzzerella) showed an inverse relationship with the carriage rate of the ECKP strain, whereas members of Enterobacteriaceae and the ECKP strain have shown a correlational relationship. Our results suggest that the composition of the microbial community plays a primary role in the MDR-colonization rate, whereas the antibiotic susceptibility of individual MDR strains affects this process to a lesser extent. Distinct bacterial families have associated into microbial clusters, collecting taxonomically close species to produce survival benefits in the gut. These associations do not develop at random, as they may be attributed to the presence of specific metabolomic networks. A new concept should be introduced in designing future endeavors for MDR decolonization, supplemented by knowledge of the composition of the host bacterial community and the identification of bacterial clusters capable of suppressing or enhancing the invader species.

The influence of antibiotics on transitory resistome during gut colonization with CTX-M-15 and OXA-162 producing Klebsiella pneumoniae ST15.

Great efforts have been made to limit the transmission of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE), however, the intestinal reservoir of these strains and its modulation by various antibiotics remain largely unexplored. Our aim was to assess the effects of antibiotic administration (ampicillin, ceftazidime, ciprofloxacin) on the establishment and elimination of intestinal colonization with a CTX-M-15 ESBL and OXA-162 carbapenemase producing Klebsiella pneumoniae ST15 (KP5825) in a murine (C57BL/6 male mice) model. Whole genome sequencing of KP5825 strain was performed on an Illumina MiSeq platform. Conjugation assays were carried out by broth mating method. In colonization experiments, 5 × 106 CFU of KP5825 was administered to the animals by orogastric gavage, and antibiotics were administered in their drinking water for two weeks and were changed every day. The gut colonization rates with KP5825 were assessed by cultivation and qPCR. In each of the stool samples, the gene copy number of blaOXA-162 and blaCTX-M-15 were determined by qPCR. Antibiotic concentrations in the stool were determined by high pressure liquid chromatography and a bioanalytical method. The KP5825 contained four different plasmid replicon types, namely IncFII(K), IncL, IncFIB and ColpVC. IncL (containing the blaOXA-162 resistance gene within a Tn1991.2 genetic element) and IncFII(K) (containing the blaCTX-M-15 resistance gene) plasmids were successfully conjugated. During ampicillin and ceftazidime treatments, colonization rate of KP5825 increased, while, ciprofloxacin treatments in both concentrations (0.1 g/L and 0.5 g/L) led to significantly decreased colonization rates. The gene copy number blaOXA-162 correlated with K. pneumoniae in vivo, while a major elevation was observed in the copy number of blaCTX-M-15 from the first day to the fifteenth day in the 0.5 g/L dose ceftazidime treatment group. Our results demonstrate that commonly used antibiotics may have diverse impacts on the colonization rates of intestinally-carried CPE, in addition to affecting the gene copy number of their resistance genes, thus facilitating their stable persistance and dissemination.

Developing an Animal Counting Game in Second Life for a Young Adult with Down Syndrome.

Down syndrome is caused by trisomy of all or part of human chromosome 21 (HSA21) and is the most common genetic cause of significant intellectual disability. It is the most common chromosome abnormality in humans, occurring in about one per 1000 babies born each year. It is typically associated with physical growth delays, characteristic facial features, and mild to moderate intellectual disability [1]. The average IQ of a young adult with Down syndrome is 50, equivalent to the mental age of an 8- or 9-year-old child, but this varies widely [2]. The purpose of this study is to create a tool in the virtual world Second Life [3] to develop basic counting skills for young adults with Down syndrome. Following an international literature review, our project explored and used pre-programmed equipment, Linden Scripting Language, tables and intellectual interfaces with educational intentions. The study suggests that the product will not only aid the development of counting skills for young adults with Down syndrome, but will also create an entertaining environment for all visitors, furthermore promoting imagination and motivation within a virtual community.

Synthesis and enantioselective rearrangement of (Z)-4-triphenylmethoxy-2,3-epoxybutan-1-ol enantiomers.

Efficient enzyme catalyzed kinetic resolutions of a synthetically useful chiral building block, (Z)-4-triphenylmethoxy-2,3-epoxybutan-1-ol, are reported. The highest selectivities were achieved by Lipozyme TL IM and Amano Lipase PS enzymes in the presence of vinyl acetate. Enantiomeric enrichment of the optically active acetate isomer was accomplished by selective crystallization of the racemic part of the enantiomeric mixture. Enzyme catalyzed hydrolysis of the acetate also provided an optically pure epoxybutanol derivative. O-Benzylation of (+)-(Z)-1-hydroxy-4-triphenylmethoxy-2,3-epoxybutane followed by super base promoted diastereo- and enantio-selective rearrangement resulted in (+)-(2R,3R,1'R)-3-[1-hydroxy-2-(triphenylmethoxy)ethyl]-2-phenyloxetane in >98% ee and de. Configurations of the new optically active products were determined by chemical correlation.

Relative efficacy of intrinsic and extant parameters for modeling biodegradation of synthetic organic compounds in activated sludge: dynamic systems.

The utility of intrinsic and extant kinetic parameters for simulating the dynamic behavior of a biotreatment system coupled with a distributed, unstructured, balanced microbial growth model were evaluated against the observed response of test reactors to transient loads of synthetic organic compounds (SOCs). Biomass from a completely mixed activated-sludge (CMAS) system was tested in fed-batch reactors, while a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) was tested by measuring SOC concentrations during the fill and react period. Both the CMAS system and the SBR were acclimated to a feed containing biogenic substrates and several SOCs, and the transient loading tests were conducted with biogenic substrates along with one or more SOCs. Extant parameters more closely reflect the steady-state degradative capacity of activated-sludge biomass than intrinsic parameters and, hence, were expected to be better predictors of system performance. However, neither extant nor intrinsic parameters accurately predicted system response and neither parameter set was consistently superior to the other. Factors that may have contributed to the inability of the model to predict system response were identified and discussed. These factors included the role of abiotic processes in SOC removal, disparity in the bases used to evaluate parameter estimates (substrate mineralization) and reactor performance (substrate disappearance), inhibitory substrate interactions under the severe loading conditions of the SBR, changes in the physiological state of the biomass during the transient loading tests, and the presumed correlation between the competent biomass concentration and the influent SOC concentration.