Recovery of Pure Lead-Tin Alloy from Recycling Spent Lead-Acid Batteries.

Spent lead-acid batteries have become the primary raw material for global lead production. In the current lead refining process, the tin oxidizes to slag, making its recovery problematic and expensive. This paper aims to present an innovative method for the fire refining of lead, which enables the retention of tin contained in lead from recycled lead-acid batteries. The proposed method uses aluminium scrap to remove impurities from the lead, virtually leaving all of the tin in it. The results of the conducted experiments indicate the high efficiency of the proposed method, which obtained a pure Pb-Sn alloy. This alloy is an ideal base material for the production of battery grids. This research was carried out on an industrial scale, which confirms the possibility of facile implementation of the method in almost every lead-acid battery recycling plant in the world.

Spatial Distributions, Compositional Profiles, Potential Sources, and Intfluencing Factors of Microplastics in Soils from Different Agricultural Farmlands in China: A National Perspective.

More attention has been paid to ubiquitous microplastics (MPs). As a major food producer, the situation of MPs in China's farmland is of even greater concern. Spatial distributions, characteristics, and compositions of MPs in five types of agricultural lands with representative crops were investigated by collecting 477 soil samples from 109 cities in 31 administrative regions of mainland China. To better control MPs in farmland, nearly 400 field questionnaires were obtained, and meteorological conditions, soil properties, and other statistics were collected to quantify potential sources and determine influencing factors. The average abundances of MPs was 2462 ± 3767 items/kg in the agricultural soils, and MP abundance in the greenhouses, farmlands with film mulching, and blank farmlands from four integrated physical geographic regions were determined. The contributions of agricultural films, livestock and poultry manures, irrigation water, and air deposition to MPs in farmlands have been calculated. Influencing factors, such as recovery method, plowing frequency, meteorological conditions, and part of soil properties, were significantly correlated with the abundances of MPs in the agricultural soils (p < 0.05), while mulching age mainly affected MPs in the greenhouses (p < 0.05). This study provides basic scientific data for decision-making and further analysis.

Unleashing the Furr-Recovery Method: Interacting with Pets in Teleworking Replenishes the Self's Regulatory Resources: Evidence from a Daily-Diary Study.

This study is based on the conservation of resources theory and the recovery step model in order to further explore the furr-recovery method-a mechanism through which workers break their routine by taking micro-moments to interact with their "furry co-workers," thus relieving their fatigue and tension or other negative affective states. Based on this, we argue that this method not only serves the purpose of restoring self-regulatory resources but also ameliorates mental health. Accordingly, this study aims to analyze how daily human-animal interactions during teleworking positively influence teleworkers' mental health, via recovering their self-regulatory resources, at the within-person level. Full-time teleworkers completed multiple online surveys for 5 consecutive workdays (N = 211 × 5 = 1055 daily observations). Multilevel path analysis results showed that on days on which employees had more micro-moments to interact with their "furry co-workers" during the day, they experienced a higher self-regulatory capacity and felt better while working. In sum, the findings give support for the theoretical resource perspective of interacting with pets as an effective energy management strategy while at work. This research extends the theoretical understanding of regulatory resources as a cognitive mechanism that links HAIs to employee mental health. Moreover, the findings outlined here offer practical implications by highlighting the furr-recovery method, a method that teleworkers who own pets may use as a strategy during the working day to restore resources needed to be healthier.

Waveform feature extraction and signal recovery in single-channel TVEP based on Fitzhugh-Nagumo stochastic resonance.

Objective. Transient visual evoked potential (TVEP) can reflect the condition of the visual pathway and has been widely used in brain-computer interface. TVEP signals are typically obtained by averaging the time-locked brain responses across dozens or even hundreds of stimulations, in order to remove different kinds of interferences. However, this procedure increases the time needed to detect the brain status in realistic applications. Meanwhile, long repeated stimuli can vary the evoked potentials and discomfort the subjects. Therefore, a novel unsupervised framework was developed in this study to realize the fast extraction of single-channel TVEP signals with a high signal-to-noise ratio.Approach.Using the principle of nonlinear aperiodic FitzHugh-Nagumo (FHN) model, a fast extraction and signal restoration technology of TVEP waveform based on FHN stochastic resonance is proposed to achieve high-quality acquisition of signal features with less average times.Results:A synergistic effect produced by noise, aperiodic signal and nonlinear system can force the energy of noise to be transferred into TVEP and hence amplifying the useful P100 feature while suppressing multi-scale noise.Significance. Compared with the conventional average and average-singular spectrum analysis-independent component analysis(average-SSA-ICA) method, the average-FHN method has a shorter stimulation time which can greatly improve the comfort of patients in clinical TVEP detection and a better performance of TVEP waveform i.e. a higher accuracy of P100 latency. The FHN recovery method is not only highly correlated with the original signal, but also can better highlight the P100 amplitude, which has high clinical application value.

Optimization of CUT&Tag product recovery and library construction method.

The emerging cleavage under target and tagment (CUT&Tag) technology uses Tn5 transposase to cleavage near the DNA binding site of target protein and study the generated DNA fragments by the next-generation sequencing. It can quickly identify protein-DNA interactions, which greatly simplifies the experimental process of ChIP-Seq. After CUT&Tag tagment reaction, DNA recovery or other post-processing is required to perform library construction PCR. Different recovery methods have significant impact respectively. By establishing Streptavidin beads recovery CUT&Tag(srCUT&Tag), we can quickly and conveniently complete the product recovery of CUT&Tag. We carried out CUT&Tag assay of H3K4me3, RNA Polymerase II (RNA polymerase II, RNAPII), transcription factor CTCF and HMGA1 in K562 cells with different recovery methods, including ethanol precipitation, fragment separation magnetic beads (SPRI) Magnetic bead recovery, direct PCR method, as well as our srCUT&Tag recovery method. The results show that among the CUT&Tag results of four different targets, the SPRI magnetic bead recovery and our srCUT&Tag methods have higher recovery efficiency than the direct PCR method and ethanol precipitation method. All CUT&Tag results showed that the recovery of SPRI magnetic beads would lose most of the product fragments less than 150 bp. In the recovery of CTCF and HMGA1, direct PCR lost most of the fragments larger than 300 bp and has significant difference from result of other recovery method. This enables srCUT&Tag to provide more real and higher-resolution information than other recovery method. In summary, the newly established srCUT&Tag recovery method can improve the efficiency of CUT&Tag library construction and obtain better data quality compared with the existing CUT&Tag product recovery method, providing a better technical choice for epigenetics research.

Rapid nondestructive detection of mixed pesticides residues on fruit surface using SERS combined with self-modeling mixture analysis method.

Mixed pesticides are usually applied to agricultural products to enhance agricultural production. However, their presence in the environment and food poses serious health risks to humans. Therefore, rapid and reliable detection methods for mixed pesticides residues are in need to minimize potential health hazards. Herein, a nondestructive and sensitive strategy was developed to determine thiram and thiabendazole (TBZ) mixture on fruit surface using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) technology coupled with interfacial self-assembly gold nanorods (Au NRs) array substrates together with self-modelling mixture analysis (SMA) method. Firstly, a large area high-density Au NRs array was fabricated by organic-aqueous interfacial self-assembly to serve as a sensitive SERS substrate for simultaneously screening of thiram and TBZ on the fruit surface. Then, an SMA method was employed to identify and separate the Raman spectrum for each pesticide from the Raman spectra of the pesticides mixture on the contaminated fruit surface. Results showed that using SERS technique with the SMA method, qualitative and quantitative analyses of a single component from the spectra of the mixture were simultaneously realized, and the resolved pure spectrum of each pesticide was presented. The limits of detection (LOD) of pesticides on the surface of apple, tomato and pear were 0.041, 0.029 and 0.047 ng/cm2 for thiram, and 0.79, 0.76 and 0.80 ng/cm2 for TBZ, respectively. It was anticipated that the proposed SERS detection approach combined with SMA methods should pave the way for detecting multi-analytes in practical applications for agriculture and food safety inspection.

Efeito da técnica de coleta e do estágio do ciclo estral na recuperação de oócitos de boa qualidade em felinos e caninos domésticos / The effect of recovery technique and stage of estrous cycle on the recoveryof good quality oocytes in domestic felines and canines

A obtenção de oócitos de boa qualidade é essencial para o sucesso de diversas biotécnicas reprodutivas. Objetivou-se determinar o efeito de duas técnicas na recuperação de oócitos de boa qualidade em gatas e cadelas em diferentes estágios reprodutivos. Foram utilizados 43 pares de ovários de gata e 35 de cadela após realização da ovariosalpingohisterectomia eletiva. A fase do ciclo estral foi classificada em inativa, folicular ou luteal. Os ovários da fase folicular foram divididos em três grupos: PUN) punção dos folículos com agulha; PUN+FAT) fatiamento do mesmo ovário já puncionado; e FAT) fatiamento do segundo ovário. Os ovários das fêmeas em fase luteal e inativa foram submetidos ao FAT. Foram obtidos no total 974 oócitos (~23/animal) nas fêmeas felinas e 940 (~27/animal) nas caninas. O fatiamento recuperou número superior (P0,05) entre as técnicas de coleta na qualidade de estruturas recuperadas. A quantidade de oócitos recuperados em cada fase foi similar (P>0,05). Contudo, a fase inativa foi superior à luteal (P<0,05) e semelhante à folicular na quantidade de oócitos de boa qualidade em gatas e não houve diferença em cadelas. Conclui-se que o fatiamento recupera maior quantidade de oócitos, não influenciando em sua qualidade. As fases inativa e folicular recuperam maior quantidade de oócitos de boa qualidade em gatas e não afetam a recuperação em cadelas. Portanto, para otimizar o uso das biotecnologias, deve-se levar em consideração o estágio do ciclo estral em fêmeas felinas e a técnica de coleta utilizada na recuperação de oócitos.

The recovery of good quality oocytes is essential for the success of various reproductive biotechniques. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of two techniques on the recovery of good quality oocytes in queens and bitches at different reproductive stages. A total of 43 pairs of ovaries of queens and 35 of bitches after elective ovariosalpingohisterectomy were performed. The estrous cycle phase was classified as inactive, follicular or luteal. The ovaries of the follicular phase were allocated into three groups: PUN) puncture of the follicles with a needle; PUN + SLI) slicing of the same ovary already punctured; and SLI) slicing of the second ovary. The ovaries of luteal and inactive females were submitted to SLI. A total of 974 oocytes (~23/animal) were obtained in feline females and 940 (~27/animal) in canines females. The SLI technique recovered superior number (P0.05) between the collection techniques in the quality of recovered structures. The number of oocytes recovered in each phase was similar (P>0.05). However, the inactive phase was higher than luteal (P<0.05) and similar to the follicular phase in the quantity of good-quality oocytes in queens and there was no difference in bitches. In conclusion, it is preferable to perform the slicing technique to recover more oocytes in both species. Moreover, in queens it is possible to obtain good quality oocytes in the inactive phase and in bitches the estrous cycle phase does not influence the quality.

Efeito da técnica de coleta e do estágio do ciclo estral na recuperação de oócitos de boa qualidade em felinos e caninos domésticos / The effect of recovery technique and stage of estrous cycle on the recovery of good quality oocytes in domestic felines and canines

A obtenção de oócitos de boa qualidade é essencial para o sucesso de diversas biotécnicas reprodutivas. Objetivou-se determinar o efeito de duas técnicas na recuperação de oócitos de boa qualidade em gatas e cadelas em diferentes estágios reprodutivos. Foram utilizados 43 pares de ovários de gata e 35 de cadela após realização da ovariosalpingohisterectomia eletiva. A fase do ciclo estral foi classificada em inativa, folicular ou luteal. Os ovários da fase folicular foram divididos em três grupos: PUN) punção dos folículos com agulha; PUN+FAT) fatiamento do mesmo ovário já puncionado; e FAT) fatiamento do segundo ovário. Os ovários das fêmeas em fase luteal e inativa foram submetidos ao FAT. Foram obtidos no total 974 oócitos (~23/animal) nas fêmeas felinas e 940 (~27/animal) nas caninas. O fatiamento recuperou número superior (P<0,05) de oócitos. Não houve diferença (P>0,05) entre as técnicas de coleta na qualidade de estruturas recuperadas. A quantidade de oócitos recuperados em cada fase foi similar (P>0,05). Contudo, a fase inativa foi superior à luteal (P<0,05) e semelhante à folicular na quantidade de oócitos de boa qualidade em gatas e não houve diferença em cadelas. Conclui-se que o fatiamento recupera maior quantidade de oócitos, não influenciando em sua qualidade. As fases inativa e folicular recuperam maior quantidade de oócitos de boa qualidade em gatas e não afetam a recuperação em cadelas. Portanto, para otimizar o uso das biotecnologias, deve-se levar em consideração o estágio do ciclo estral em fêmeas felinas e a técnica de coleta utilizada na recuperação de oócitos.

The recovery of good quality oocytes is essential for the success of various reproductive biotechniques. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of two techniques on the recovery of good quality oocytes in queens and bitches at different reproductive stages. A total of 43 pairs of ovaries of queens and 35 of bitches after elective ovariosalpingohisterectomy were performed. The estrous cycle phase was classified as inactive, follicular or luteal. The ovaries of the follicular phase were allocated into three groups: PUN) puncture of the follicles with a needle; PUN + SLI) slicing of the same ovary already punctured; and SLI) slicing of the second ovary. The ovaries of luteal and inactive females were submitted to SLI. A total of 974 oocytes (~23/animal) were obtained in feline females and 940 (~27/animal) in canines females. The SLI technique recovered superior number (P<0.05) of oocytes. There was no difference (P>0.05) between the collection techniques in the quality of recovered structures. The number of oocytes recovered in each phase was similar (P>0.05). However, the inactive phase was higher than luteal (P<0.05) and similar to the follicular phase in the quantity of good-quality oocytes in queens and there was no difference in bitches. In conclusion, it is preferable to perform the slicing technique to recover more oocytes in both species. Moreover, in queens it is possible to obtain good quality oocytes in the inactive phase and in bitches the estrous cycle phase does not influence the quality.

Comparison of Cryptosporidium oocyst recovery methods for their applicability for monitoring of consumer-ready fresh shellfish.

Growing demand for fresh, unprocessed food favours the emergence of Cryptosporidium infections in humans. Mainly it is food of plant origin or unpasteurized milk which have been involved in food-borne outbreaks of cryptosporidiosis. So far consumption of shellfish contaminated with Cryptosporidium were not associated with human infections although such as possibility exists. In this study an attempt was undertaken to evaluate the analytical performance of three commonly used methods for recovery of Cryptosporidium oocysts from shellfish: i) pepsin digestion of shellfish in conjunction with immunomagnetic separation (IMS) of oocysts (method A), ii) pepsin-HCl treatment of shellfish homogenate without IMS (method B), and iii) a strainer method with direct oocyst extraction and separation from shellfish tissue using IMS (method C). Each method's performance was assessed according to the ISO standard requirements by testing shellfish homogenates seeded with different numbers of C. parvum oocysts. Two groups of parameters were compared, encompassing precision (coefficient of variation (CV)) and accuracy of measurements. These were described by linear regression models allowing calculation of the methods' limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ). In addition, oocyst recovery efficiencies from shellfish were calculated for each method. All three compared methods allowed for at least 66% recovery of Cryptosporidium oocysts from the tested samples. The best recovery (83.3-100%) in the whole range of tested suspensions was obtained for method C. The accuracy of method B was better (linearity of r2 = 0.9996 in the full measurement range) than that of method A (r2 = 0.968). Method C showed the best accuracy (r2 = 1) and precision (CV 0.2-14.1). Compared to other methods it was also characterised by the best LOD and LOQ, attaining ≅4 and ≅12 oocysts per 3 g of tested shellfish sample respectively. Despite a lack of the ability of method A to give the proportional results in oocysts recovery (non-linearity of the method) compared to the reference values, it achieved the highest LOD and LOQ values among the tested methods. As demonstrated here, the most efficient method for extraction of Cryptosporidium oocysts from shellfish tissues was method C employing sample homogenisation and separation of oocysts from tissue debris using IMS. Used alone this method does not in fact allow for identification of Cryptosporidium species but delivers quantitative results concerning the level of food contamination by parasites.

Optimisation of decontamination method and influence of culture media on the recovery of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis from spiked water sediments.

The recovery of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (Map) from the environment can be a laborious process - owing to Map being fastidious, its low number, and also high numbers of other microbial populations in such settings. Protocols i.e. filtration, decontamination and modified elution were devised to recover Map from spiked water sediments. Three culture media: Herrold's Egg Yolk Media (HEYM), Middlebrook 7H10 (M-7H10) and Bactec 12B were then employed to grow the organism following its elution. In the sterile sediment samples the recovery of Map was significant between the time of exposure for each of HEYM and M-7H10, and insignificant between both media (P < 0.05). However, in the non-sterile sediment samples, the HEYM grew other background microflora including moulds at all the times of exposure whilst 4 h followed by M-7H10 culture yielded Map colonies without any background microflora. Using sterile samples only for the Bactec 12B, the recovery of Map decreased as time of exposure increased. Based on these findings, M-7H10 should be considered for the recovery of Map from the natural environment including water sediments where the recovery of diverse microbial species remains a challenge. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY: Map is a robust pathogen that abides in the environment. In water treatment operations, Map associates with floccules and other particulate matter including sediments. It is also a fastidious organism, and its detection and recovery from the water environment is a laborious process and can be misleading within the abundance of other mycobacterial species owing to their close resemblance in phylogenetic traits. In the absence of a reliable recovery method, Map continues to pose public health risks through biofilm in household water tanks, hence the need for the development of a reliable recovery protocol to monitor the presence of Map in water systems in order to curtail its public health risks.

Optoacoustic Tomography Using Accelerated Sparse Recovery and Coherence Factor Weighting.

Sparse recovery algorithms have shown great potential to accurately reconstruct images using limited-view optoacoustic (photoacoustic) tomography data sets, but these are computationally expensive. In this paper, we propose an improvement of the fast converging Split Augmented Lagrangian Shrinkage Algorithm method based on least square QR inversion for improving the reconstruction speed. We further show image fidelity improvement when using a coherence factor to weight the reconstruction result. Phantom and in vivo measurements show that the accelerated Split Augmented Lagrangian Shrinkage Algorithm method with coherence factor weighting offers images with reduced artifacts and provides faster convergence compared with existing sparse recovery algorithms.

Pitfalls in the calculation of hemodialysis clearance and in the assessment of dialysis efficacy

The therapeutic technique of hemodialysis and the concept of clearance have both followed a long but instructive course of development. In addition, it recently has been shown that physiological changes occurring during hemodialysis have important clinical consequences both in the treatment of drug toxicity and in the selection of appropriate replacement doses of therapeutic drugs. Two major approaches for calculating hemodialysis clearance are currently used. The first approach, termed the recovery method is the “gold standard” that is recommended for use in the current US FDA draft guidance on the conduct of pharmacokinetic studies in patients with impaired renal function. The second approach, termed the A-V difference method, is used more commonly. Unfortunately, this method results in erroneous plasma clearance estimates when improper values for dialyzer flow are chosen. This constitutes a major pitfall that should be avoided in future studies.