Cadmium exposure induced neuronal ferroptosis and cognitive deficits via the mtROS-ferritinophagy pathway.

Exposure to environmental cadmium (Cd) is known to cause neuronal death and cognitive decline in humans. Ferroptosis, a novel iron-dependent type of regulated cell death, is involved in various neurological disorders. In the present study, Cd exposure triggered ferroptosis in the mouse hippocampus and in the HT22 murine hippocampal neuronal cell line, as indicated by significant increases in ferroptotic marker expression, intracellular iron levels, and lipid peroxidation. Interestingly, ferroptosis of hippocampal neurons in response to Cd exposure relied on the induction of autophagy since the suppression of autophagy by 3-methyladenine (3-MA) and chloroquine (CQ) substantially ameliorated Cd-induced ferroptosis. Furthermore, nuclear receptor coactivator 4 (NCOA4)-mediated degradation of ferritin was required for the Cd-induced ferroptosis of hippocampal neurons, demonstrating that NCOA4 knockdown decreased intracellular iron levels and lipid peroxidation and increased cell survival, following Cd exposure. Moreover, Cd-induced mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mtROS) generation was essential for the ferritinophagy-mediated ferroptosis of hippocampal neurons. Importantly, pretreatment with the ferroptosis inhibitor ferrostatin-1 (Fer-1) effectively attenuated Cd-induced hippocampal neuronal death and cognitive impairment in mice. Taken together, these findings indicate that ferroptosis is a novel mechanism underlying Cd-induced neurotoxicity and cognitive impairment and that the mtROS-ferritinophagy axis modulates Cd-induced neuronal ferroptosis.

Machine learning-based prediction model for distant metastasis of breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the most prevalent malignancy in women. Advanced breast cancer can develop distant metastases, posing a severe threat to the life of patients. Because the clinical warning signs of distant metastasis are manifested in the late stage of the disease, there is a need for better methods of predicting metastasis. METHODS: First, we screened breast cancer distant metastasis target genes by performing difference analysis and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) on the selected datasets, and performed analyses such as GO enrichment analysis on these target genes. Secondly, we screened breast cancer distant metastasis target genes by LASSO regression analysis and performed correlation analysis and other analyses on these biomarkers. Finally, we constructed several breast cancer distant metastasis prediction models based on Logistic Regression (LR) model, Random Forest (RF) model, Support Vector Machine (SVM) model, Gradient Boosting Decision Tree (GBDT) model and eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) model, and selected the optimal model from them. RESULTS: Several 21-gene breast cancer distant metastasis prediction models were constructed, with the best performance of the model constructed based on the random forest model. This model accurately predicted the emergence of distant metastases from breast cancer, with an accuracy of 93.6 %, an F1-score of 88.9 % and an AUC value of 91.3 % on the validation set. CONCLUSION: Our findings have the potential to be translated into a point-of-care prognostic analysis to reduce breast cancer mortality.

A flexible omnidirectional rotating magnetic array for MRI-safe transdermal wireless energy harvesting through flexible electronics.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-safe implantable wireless energy harvester offers substantial benefits to patients suffering from brain disorders, hearing impairment, and arrhythmias. However, rigid magnets in cutting-edge systems with limited numbers of rotation axis impose high risk of device dislodgement and magnet failure. Here, a flexible omnidirectional rotating magnetic array (FORMA) and a flexible MRI-safe implantable wireless energy-harvesting system have been developed. Miniaturized flexible magnetic balls 1 millimeter in diameter achieved by molding three-dimensional printed templates can rotate freely in elastomer cavities and supply a magnetic force of 2.14 Newtons at a distance of 1 millimeter between an implantable receiver and a wearable transceiver. The system can work stably under an acceleration of 9g and obtain a power output of 15.62 decibel milliwatts at a transmission frequency of 8 megahertz. The development of the FORMA may lead to life-long flexible and batteryless implantable systems and offers the potential to promote techniques for monitoring and treating acute and chronic diseases.

Fully printed and self-compensated bioresorbable electrochemical devices based on galvanic coupling for continuous glucose monitoring.

Real-time glucose monitoring conventionally involves non-bioresorbable semi-implantable glucose sensors, causing infection and pain during removal. Despite bioresorbable electronics serves as excellent alternatives, the bioresorbable sensor dissolves in aqueous environments with interferential biomolecules. Here, the theories to achieve stable electrode potential and accurate electrochemical detection using bioresorbable materials have been proposed, resulting in a fully printed bioresorbable electrochemical device. The adverse effect caused by material degradation has been overcome by a molybdenum-tungsten reference electrode that offers stable potential through galvanic-coupling and self-compensation modules. In vitro and in vivo glucose monitoring has been conducted for 7 and 5 days, respectively, followed by full degradation within 2 months. The device offers a glucose detection range of 0 to 25 millimolars and a sensitivity of 0.2458 microamperes per millimolar with anti-interference capability and biocompatibility, indicating the possibility of mass manufacturing high-performance bioresorbable electrochemical devices using printing and low-temperature water-sintering techniques. The mechanisms may be implemented developing more comprehensive bioresorbable sensors for chronic diseases.

In Situ Formation of Conductive Epidermal Electrodes Using a Fully Integrated Flexible System and Injectable Photocurable Ink.

In situ fabrication of wearable devices through coating approaches is a promising solution for the fast deployment of wearable devices and more adaptable devices for different sensing demands. However, heat, solvent, and mechanical sensitivity of biological tissues, along with personal compliance, pose strict requirements for coating materials and methods. To address this, a biocompatible and biodegradable light-curable conductive ink and an all-in-one flexible system that conducts in situ injection and photonic curing of the ink as well as monitoring of biophysiological information have been developed. The ink can be solidified through spontaneous phase changes and photonic cured to achieve a high mechanical strength of 7.48 MPa and an excellent electrical conductivity of 3.57 × 105 S/m. The flexible system contains elastic injection chambers embedded with specially designed optical waveguides to uniformly dissipate visible LED light throughout the chambers and rapidly cure the ink in 5 min. The resulting conductive electrodes offer intimate skin contact even with the existence of hair and work stably even under an acceleration of 8 g, leading to a robust wearable system capable of working under intense motion, heavy sweating, and varied surface morphology. Similar concepts may lead to various rapidly deployable wearable systems that offer excellent adaptability to different monitoring demands for the health tracking of large populations.

A flexible wearable device coupled with injectable Fe3O4 nanoparticles for capturing circulating tumor cells and triggering their deaths.

Elimination of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in the blood can be an effective therapeutic approach to disrupt metastasis. Here, a strategy is proposed to implement flexible wearable electronics and injectable nanomaterials to disrupt the hematogenous transport of CTCs. A flexible device containing an origami magnetic membrane is used to attract Fe3O4@Au nanoparticles (NPs) that are surface modified with specific aptamers and intravenously injected into blood vessels, forming an invisible hand and fishing line/bait configuration to specifically capture CTCs through bonding with aptamers. Thereafter, thinned flexible AlGaAs LEDs in the device offer an average fluence of 15.75 mW mm-2 at a skin penetration depth of 1.5 mm, causing a rapid rise of temperature to 48 °C in the NPs and triggering CTC death in 10 min. The flexible device has been demonstrated for intravascular isolation and enrichment of CTCs with a capture efficiency of 72.31% after 10 cycles in a simulated blood circulation system based on a prosthetic upper limb. The fusion of nanomaterials and flexible electronics reveals an emerging field that utilizes wearable and flexible stimulators to activate biological effects offered by nanomaterials, leading to improved therapeutical effects and postoperative outcomes of diseases.

Improved MR temperature imaging at 0.5 T using view-sharing accelerated multiecho thermometry for MR-guided laser interstitial thermal therapy.

The aim of the current study was to improve temperature-monitoring precision using multiecho proton resonance frequency shift-based thermometry with view-sharing acceleration for MR-guided laser interstitial thermal therapy (MRgLITT) on a 0.5-T low-field MR system. Both precision and speed of the temperature measurement for clinical MRgLITT treatments suffer at low field, due to reduced image signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), decreased temperature-induced phase changes, and limited RF receiver channels. In this work, a bipolar multiecho gradient-recalled echo sequence with a temperature-to-noise ratio optimal weighted echo combination is applied to improve the temperature precision. A view-sharing-based approach is utilized to accelerate signal acquisitions while preserving image SNRs. The method was evaluated using ex vivo (pork and pig brain) LITT heating experiments and in vivo (human brain) nonheating experiments on a high-performance 0.5-T scanner. In terms of results, (1) after echo combination, multiecho thermometry (i.e., ~7.5-40.5 ms, 7 TEs) provides ~1.5-1.9 times higher temperature precision than the no echo combination case (i.e., TE7 = 40.5 ms) within the same readout bandwidth. Additionally, echo registration is necessary for the bipolar multiecho sequence; (2) for a threefold acceleration, the view-sharing approach with variable-density subsampling shows around 1.8 times lower temperature errors than the GRAPPA method. Particularly for view-sharing, variable-density subsampling performs better than Interleave subsampling; and (3) ex vivo heating and in vivo nonheating experiments demonstrated that the temperature accuracy was less than 0.5 ° C and that the temperature precision was less than 0.6 ° C using the proposed 0.5-T thermometry. It was concluded that view-sharing accelerated multiecho thermometry is a practical temperature measurement approach for MRgLITT at 0.5 T.

Stable and Dynamic Multiparameter Monitoring on Chests Using Flexible Skin Patches with Self-Adhesive Electrodes and a Synchronous Correlation Peak Extraction Algorithm.

Advances in wearable bioelectronics interfacing directly with skin offer important tools for non-invasive measurements of physiological parameters. However, wearable monitoring devices majorly conduct static sensing to avoid signal disturbance and unreliable contact with the skin. Dynamic multiparameter sensing is challenging even with the advanced flexible skin patches. This epidermal electronics system with self-adhesive conductive electrodes to supply stable skin contact and a unique synchronous correlation peak extraction (SCPE) algorithm to minimize motion artifacts in the photoplethysmogram (PPG) signals. The skin patch system can simultaneously and precisely monitor electrocardiogram (ECG), PPG, body temperature, and acceleration on chests undergoing daily activities. The low latency between the ECG and the PPG signals enables the SCPE algorithm that leads to reduced errors in deduced heart rates and improved performance in oxygen level determination than conventional adaptive filtering and wavelet transformation approaches. Dynamic multiparameter recording over 24 h by the system can reflect the circadian patterns of the wearers with low disturbance from motion artifacts. This demonstrated system may be applied for health monitoring in large populations to alleviate pressure on medical systems and assist management of public health crisis.

Radiofrequency coil design for improving human liver fat quantification in a portable single-side magnetic resonance system.

Earlier diagnosis of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is important to prevent progression of the disease. Recently, a low-cost portable magnetic resonance (MR) system was developed as a point-of-care screening tool for in vivo liver fat quantification. However, subcutaneous fat may confound the liver fat quantification, particularly in the NAFLD population. In this work, we propose a novel radiofrequency (RF) coil design composed of a set of "saturation" coils sandwiching a main coil to improve human liver fat quantification. By comparison with conventional MR imaging, we demonstrate the capability and effectiveness of the novel RF coil design in phantom experiments as well as in vivo liver scans. In the phantom experiment, the saturation coil reduced the error in the measured proton density fat fraction (PDFF) results from 28.9% to 4.0%, and in the in vivo experiment, it reduced the discrepancy in the PDFF results from 13.2% to 4.0%. The novel coil design, together with the adapted Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill-based sequence, improves the practicability and robustness of the portable single-side MR system.

A two-stage super learner for healthcare expenditures.

Objective: To improve the estimation of healthcare expenditures by introducing a novel method that is well-suited to situations where data exhibit strong skewness and zero-inflation. Data Sources: Simulations, and two real-world datasets: the 2016-2017 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS); the Back Pain Outcomes using Longitudinal Data (BOLD). Study Design: Super learner is an ensemble machine learning approach that can combine several algorithms to improve estimation. We propose a two-stage super learner that is well suited for healthcare expenditure data by separately estimating the probability of any healthcare expenditure and the mean amount of healthcare expenditure conditional on having healthcare expenditures. These estimates can then be combined to yield a single estimate of expenditures for each observation. The analytical strategy can flexibly incorporate a range of individual estimation approaches for each stage of estimation, including both regression-based approaches and machine learning algorithms such as random forests. We compare the performance of the two-stage super learner with a one-stage super learner, and with multiple individual algorithms for estimation of healthcare cost under a broad range of data settings in simulated and real data. The predictive performance was compared using Mean Squared Error and R2. Conclusions: Our results indicate that the two-stage super learner has better performance compared with a one-stage super learner and individual algorithms, for healthcare cost estimation under a wide variety of settings in simulations and in empirical analyses. The improvement of the two-stage super learner over the one-stage super learner was particularly evident in settings when zero-inflation is high.

Ultrasonic-assisted extraction, fatty acids identification of the seeds oil and isolation of chemical constituent from oil residue of Belamcanda chinensis.

Belamcanda chinensis is a common garden herb. The extraction technology of B. chinensis seed oil (BSO) was optimized by ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE) method, the composition, relative content of main fatty acids and physicochemical properties of BSO were determined, and the isolation, identification and determination of chemical constituent in BSO residue (BSOR) were also investigated. The optimum process conditions of BSO by UAE were optimized as ultrasound time 14 min, extraction temperature 42℃, the ultrasound power 413 W and the liquid-solid ratio 27:1 mL/g. Under this condition, the extraction yield was 22.32 % with the high contents of linoleic acid and oleic acid in BSO. Ten compounds were isolated and identified from BSOR, and belamcandaoid P (9) was a new compound. The contents of the determined compounds were all at high level in B. chinensis seed. The study provided a certain scientific reference for the comprehensive development and utilization of B. chinensis seeds.

Susceptibility-weighted imaging at high-performance 0.5T magnetic resonance imaging system: Protocol considerations and experimental results.

The high-performance low-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system, equipped with modern hardware and contemporary imaging capabilities, has garnered interest within the MRI community in recent years. It has also been proven to have unique advantages over high-field MRI in both physical and cost aspects. However, for susceptibility weighted imaging (SWI), the low signal-to-noise ratio and the long echo time inherent at low field hinder the SWI from being applied to clinical applications. This work optimized the imaging protocol to select suitable parameters such as the values of time of echo (TE), repetition time (TR), and the flip angle (FA) of the RF pulse according to the signal simulations for low-field SWI. To improve the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) performance, averaging multi-echo magnitude images and BM4D phase denoising were proposed. A comparison of the SWI in 0.5T and 1.5T was carried out, demonstrating the capability to identify magnetic susceptibility differences between variable tissues, especially, the blood veins. This would open the possibility to extend SWI applications in the high-performance low field MRI.

Continuously Quantifying Oral Chemicals Based on Flexible Hybrid Electronics for Clinical Diagnosis and Pathogenetic Study.

Simultaneous monitoring of diverse salivary parameters can reveal underlying mechanisms of intraoral biological processes and offer profound insights into the evolution of oral diseases. However, conventional analytical devices with bulky volumes, rigid formats, and discrete sensing mechanisms deviate from the requirements of continuous biophysiological quantification, resulting in huge difficulty in precise clinical diagnosis and pathogenetic study. Here, we present a flexible hybrid electronic system integrated with functional nanomaterials to continuously sense Ca2+, pH, and temperature for wireless real-time oral health monitoring. The miniaturized system with an island-bridge structure that is designed specifically to fit the teeth is only 0.4 g in weight and 31.5 × 8.5 × 1.35 mm3 in dimension, allowing effective integration with customized dental braces and comfort attachment on teeth. Characterization results indicate high sensitivities of 30.3 and 60.6 mV/decade for Ca2+ and pH with low potential drifts. The system has been applied in clinical studies to conduct Ca2+ and pH mappings on carious teeth, biophysiological monitoring for up to 12 h, and outcome evaluation of dental restoration, providing quantitative data to assist in the diagnosis and understanding of oral diseases. Notably, caries risk assessment of 10 human subjects using the flexible system validates the important role of saliva buffering capacity in caries pathogenesis. The proposed flexible system may offer an open platform to carry diverse components to support both clinical diagnosis and treatment as well as fundamental research for oral diseases and induced systemic diseases.

Hydrogen-Induced Dislocation Nucleation and Plastic Deformation of 〈001〉 and 〈11¯0〉 Grain Boundaries in Nickel.

The grain boundary (GB) plays a crucial role in dominating hydrogen-induced plastic deformation and intergranular failure in polycrystal metals. In the present study, molecular dynamics simulations were employed to study the effects of hydrogen segregation on dislocation plasticity of a series of symmetrical tilt grain boundaries (STGBs) with various hydrogen concentrations. Our study shows that hydrogen both enhances and reduces dislocation nucleation events from STGBs, depending on different GB structures. Specifically, for ⟨001⟩ STGBs, hydrogen does not affect the mode of heterogeneous dislocation nucleation (HDN), but facilitates nucleation events as a consequence of hydrogen disordering the GB structure. Conversely, hydrogen retards dislocation nucleation due to the fact that hydrogen segregation disrupts the transformation of boundary structure such as Σ9 (2 2 1¯) ⟨11¯0⟩ STGB. These results are helpful for deepening our understanding of GB-mediated hydrogen embrittlement (HE) mechanisms.

Magnetically Levitated Flexible Vibration Sensors with Surficial Micropyramid Arrays for Magnetism Enhancement.

Magnetically levitated vibration sensors possess wide frequency response ranges and high sensitivity. Compared with springs and cantilevers, the levitated magnet suffers no mechanical abrasion, allowing minimized mechanical fatigue after prolonged exposure to vibration. However, magnetic levitated sensors are mostly based on fully rigid components, which are difficult to match the soft and curvilinear surface of the biological tissues and machines. Here, an innovative vibration sensor based on magnetic levitation has been developed. The proposed sensor contains two parallel magnetic membranes, one of which is levitated by magnetic force and connected to a specially designed sensor package. The surfaces of the membranes are modified with micropyramid arrays to enhance the magnetism and integrated with flexible coil arrays to maximize the changes in magnetic flux during vibration. The sensor exhibits a wide frequency response ranging from 1 Hz to 20 kHz and high sensitivity of 0.82 mV/µm at an operating frequency of 120 Hz. Various applications have been demonstrated through bone-conducted speech acquisition, sound recording, human motion detection, and machine condition evaluation. The sensor is one of the first flexible vibration sensors based on magnetic levitation. Its innovative levitated sensing structures may inspire development of novel flexible sensors with soft mechanical moving structures for force and displacement sensing in healthcare and industrial monitoring.

Thermal Transfer-Enabled Rapid Printing of Liquid Metal Circuits on Multiple Substrates.

Low-cost, rapid patterning of liquid metal on various substrates is a key processing step for liquid metal-based soft electronics. Current patterning methods rely on expensive equipment and specific substrates, which severely limit their widespread applications. Based on surface adhesion adjustment of liquid metal through thermal transferring toner patterns, we present a universal printing technique of liquid metal circuits. Without using any expensive processing steps or equipment, the circuit patterns can be printed quickly on thermal transfer paper using a desktop laser printer, and a toner on the thermal transfer paper can be transferred to various smooth substrates and polymer-coated rough substrates. The technique has yielded liquid metal circuits with a minimum linewidth of 50 µm fabricated on various smooth, rough, and three-dimensional substrates with complex morphology. The liquid metal circuits can maintain their functions even under an extreme strain of 800%. Various circuits such as LED arrays, multiple sensors, a flexible display, a heating circuit, a radiofrequency identification circuit, and a 12-lead electrocardiogram circuit on various substrates have been demonstrated, indicating the great potential of such a technique to rapidly achieve large-area flexible circuits for wearable health monitoring, internet of things, and consumer electronics at low cost and high efficiency.

Study on the Hydrogen Embrittlement of Nanograined Materials with Different Grain Sizes by Atomistic Simulation.

Although hydrogen embrittlement (HE) behavior has been extensively studied in bulk materials, little is known about H-related deformation and the fracture of nanograined materials. In this study, H segregation and HE mechanisms of nanograined Fe with different grain sizes are unveiled, following the employment of classical molecular dynamics simulations. The H segregation ratio increased, but the local H concentration at the grain boundaries (GBs) decreased with decreases in the grain size at a given bulk H concentration. The results demonstrate that H atoms increased the yield stress of nanograined models irrespective of the grain size. Furthermore, it is revealed that brittle fractures were inhibited, and the resistance to HE increased as the grain size decreased, due to the fact that the small-grain models had a lower local H concentration at the GBs and an enhanced GB-mediated intergranular deformation. These results are a clear indication of the utility of grain refinement to resist H-induced brittle failure.

Comparison of the Efficacy and Safety of Neuroendoscopic Endonasal Transsphenoidal Surgeries and Intracranial Endoscopic Pterional Approach in Resection of Tuberculum Sellae Meningiomas.

Objective: To compare of the efficacy and safety of neuroendoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal surgeries and intracranial endoscopic pterional approach in resection of tuberculum sellae meningioma. Methods: From January 2014 to June 2021, 60 patients with tuberculum sellae meningioma diagnosed and treated in our hospital were enrolled and randomly divided into study group and control group. The tuberculum sellae meningioma was removed by neuroendoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal surgeries in the study group, while the intracranial endoscopic pterional approach was used in the control group. The chi-square test was used to compare the differences of tumor complete resection rate, visual acuity improvement rate, total effective rate at 3 months after operation, and adverse reactions between the two groups. Results: The clinical characteristics of the two groups were comparable (P > 0.05). After surgical treatment, the complete resection rate in the study group was higher than that in the control group (93.3% vs 70.0%), and the difference was statistically significant (P=0.020). After treatment, the visual acuity improvement rate of the study group was 83.3% (25/30), which was significantly higher than that of the control group (60.0%, 18/30), and the difference was statistically significant (χ 2 = 4.022, P=0.045). After surgical treatment, the total effective rate at 3 months after operation was higher in the study group than in the control group (96.7% vs 83.3%), with statistical significance (P=0.041). There was no significant difference in postoperative adverse reactions between the study group and control group (33.3% vs 30.0%, P=0.781). Conclusion: The neuroendoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal surgeries has significant efficacy and can significantly improve the visual acuity of patients without increasing adverse reactions, which is worthy of clinical promotion.

A single-sided magnet for deep-depth fat quantification.

Early detection of fatty-liver disease is important before further aggravations of the disease, such as cirrhosis, can develop. In this study, we developed a low-cost, movable single-sided magnet for in vivo liver fat quantification. A gradient field of 73.5 G/cm and a field strength of 0.0725 T were obtained by structurally optimizing the concave U-shaped magnet, on which the region of interest (ROI) was a curved shape about 0.4 mm thick, 8 cm above the surface of the radiofrequency (RF) coil. We constructed a prototype nuclear magnetic-resonance (NMR) relaxometry system based on this optimized magnet. Subsequent phantom experiments demonstrated the effectiveness of the single-sided magnet in evaluating different proton density fat fraction (PDFF) phantoms. As expected, the results of the six phantoms showed good positive correlation between PDFF and the fitted fat amplitude, which suggested that single-sided NMR relaxometry could be used to quantify liver fat in vivo.

Water-Sintered Transient Nanocomposites Used as Electrical Interconnects for Dissolvable Consumer Electronics.

Rapid development of electronic technology shortens the development time for new products and accelerates the obsolescence of consumer electronics, resulting in the explosive growth of electronic waste that is difficult to recycle and hazardous to the environment and human health. Transient electronics that can dissolve in water may potentially be adopted to tackle the issues of electronic waste; however, promising approaches to yield large-scale and high-performance transient consumer electronics have not yet been developed. Here, the joint effect of galvanic corrosion and redeposition has been utilized to develop bimetallic transient nanocomposites, which can be printed and water-sintered to yield high-performance transient PCB circuits with excellent electrical conductivity and mechanical robustness. The entire sintering process requires no external energy and strict environmental conditions. The achieved PCB circuits offer a conductivity of 307,664.4 S/m that is among the highest in comparison with other printed transient circuits. The supreme performance of the transient circuits eventually leads to the first dissolvable smartwatch that offers the same functions and similar performance as conventional smartwatches and dissolves in water within 40 h. The joint effect of galvanic corrosion and redeposition between two metals with distinct activities leads to novel nanocomposites and processing techniques of transient electronics. The resulting high-performance transient devices may reshape the appearance of consumer electronics and reform the electronics recycling industry by reducing recycling costs and minimizing environmental pollution and health hazard.