Designing of a Decentralized Pretreatment Line for EOL-LIBs Based on Recent Literature of LIB Recycling for Black Mass

The search for global CO2 net zero requires adapting transport vehicles to an electrification system for electric vehicles. In addition, the consumption of electric devices, and consequently batteries, has risen over the years. In order to achieve a circular economy, the spent batteries must be recycled. In this review, the recent literature about Lithium-ion Battery (LIB) recycling was thoroughly examined to propose a decentralized line where different types of LIBs can be pretreated. Different treatment possibilities and segments to include in a common line were identified and discussed. Crushing, density separation, drying, second crushing step, heating with CaO, vibro-sieving, washing and flotation-based separation were distinguished as the best segments to include in the mentioned order. As the conclusion, a new design that can be incorporated in an industrial pretreatment line before metallurgical steps is proposed for recycling of LIBs

An early warning risk prediction tool (RECAP-V1) for patients diagnosed with COVID-19: the protocol for a statistical analysis plan

Background: Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic efforts have been made to develop early warning risk scores to help clinicians decide which patient is likely to deteriorate and require hospitalisation. The RECAP (Remote COVID Assessment in Primary Care) study investigates the predictive risk of hospitalisation, deterioration, and death of patients with confirmed COVID-19, based on a set of parameters chosen through a Delphi process done by clinicians. The study aims to use rich data collected remotely through the use of electronic data templates integrated in the electronic health systems of a number of general practices across the UK to construct accurate predictive models that will use pre-existing conditions and monitoring data of a patient’s clinical parameters such as blood oxygen saturation to make reliable predictions as to the patient’s risk of hospital admission, deterioration, and death. Objective: We outline the statistical methods to build the prediction model to be used in the prioritisation of patients in the primary care setting. The statistical analysis plan for the RECAP study includes as primary outcome the development and validation of the RECAP-V1 prediction model. Such prediction model will be adapted as a three-category risk score split into red (high risk), amber (medium risk), and green (low risk) for any patient with suspected covid-19. The model will predict risk of deterioration, hospitalisation, and death. Methods: After the data has been collected, we will assess the degree of missingness and use a combination of traditional data imputation using multiple imputation by chained equations, as well as more novel machine learning approaches to impute the missing data for the final analysis. For predictive model development we will use multiple logistic regressions to construct the model on a training dataset, as well as validating the model on an independent dataset. The model will also be applied for multiple different datasets to assess both its performance in different patient groups, and applicability for different methods of data collection. Results: As of 5th of May 2021 we have recruited 2280 patients for the main dataset for model development, as well as a further 1741 patients for the validation dataset. Final analysis will commence as soon as data for 2880 are collected. Conclusions: We believe that the methodology for the development of the RECAP V1 prediction model as well as the risk score will provide clinicians with a statistically robust tool to help prioritise Covid-19 patients. Clinical Trial: Trial registration number: NCT0443504

The Custodial Randall-Sundrum Model: From Precision Tests to Higgs Physics

We reexamine the Randall-Sundrum (RS) model with enlarged gauge symmetry SU(2)_L x SU(2)_R x U(1)_X x P_LR in the presence of a brane-localized Higgs sector. In contrast to the existing literature, we perform the Kaluza-Klein (KK) decomposition within the mass basis, which avoids the truncation of the KK towers. Expanding the low-energy spectrum as well as the gauge couplings in powers of the Higgs vacuum expectation value, we obtain analytic formulas which allow for a deep understanding of the model-specific protection mechanisms of the T parameter and the left-handed Z-boson couplings. In particular, in the latter case we explain which contributions escape protection and identify them with the irreducible sources of P_LR symmetry breaking. We furthermore show explicitly that no protection mechanism is present in the charged-current sector confirming existing model-independent findings. The main focus of the phenomenological part of our work is a detailed discussion of Higgs-boson couplings and their impact on physics at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. For the first time, a complete one-loop calculation of all relevant Higgs-boson production and decay channels is presented, incorporating the effects stemming from the extended electroweak gauge-boson and fermion sectors.Comment: 74 pages, 13 figures, 3 tables. v2: Matches version published in JHE

Pyrethrins Protect Pyrethrum Leaves Against Attack by Western Flower Thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis

Pyrethrins are active ingredients extracted from pyrethrum flowers (Tanacetum cinerariifolium), and are the most widely used botanical insecticide. However, several thrips species are commonly found on pyrethrum flowers in the field, and are the dominant insects found inside the flowers. Up to 80 % of western flower thrips (WFT, Frankliniella occidentalis) adults died within 3 days of initiating feeding on leaves of pyrethrum, leading us to evaluate the role of pyrethrins in the defense of pyrethrum leaves against WFT. The effects of pyrethrins on WFT survival, feeding behavior, and reproduction were measured both in vitro and in planta (infiltrated leaves). The lethal concentration value (LC50) for pyrethrins against WFT adults was 12.9 mg/ml, and pyrethrins at 0.1 % (w/v) and 1 % (w/v) had significantly negative effects on feeding, embryo development, and oviposition. About 20-70 % of WFT were killed within 2 days when they were fed chrysanthemum leaves containing 0.01-1 % pyrethrins. Chrysanthemum leaves containing 0.1 % or 1 % pyrethrins were significantly deterrent to WFT. In a no-choice assay, the reproduction of WFT was reduced significantly when the insects were fed leaves containing 0.1 % pyrethrins, and no eggs were found in leaves containing 1 % pyrethrins. Our results suggest that the natural concentrations of pyrethrins in the leaves may be responsible for the observed high mortality of WFT on pyrethrum

Rheological properties of magnetic biogels

We report an experimental and theoretical study of the rheological properties of magnetic biogels consisting of fibrin polymer networks with embedded magnetite nanoparticles, swollen by aqueous solutions. We studied two types of magnetic biogels, differenced by the presence or absence of an applied magnetic field during the initial steps of cross-linking. The experiments demonstrated very strong dependence of the elastic modulus of the magnetic biogels on the concentration of the magnetic particles. We finally developed some theoretical models that explain the observed strong concentration effects.This study was supported by projects FIS2013-41821-R (Plan Nacional de Investigación Científica, Desarrollo e Innovación Tecnológica, MINECO, Spain, co-funded by ERDF, European Union) and FIS2017-85954-R (Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad, MINECO, andAgencia Estatal de Investigación, AEI, Spain, co-funded by Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional, FEDER, European Union). A.Z. is grateful to the program of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation, projects 02.A03.21.0006, 3.1438.2017/4.6, and 3.5214.2017/6.7, as well as to the Russian Fund of Basic Researches, project 18-08-00178

Genomic profiling distinguishes familial multiple and sporadic multiple meningiomas

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Meningiomas may occur either as familial tumors in two distinct disorders, familial multiple meningioma and neurofibromatosis 2 (NF2), or sporadically, as either single or multiple tumors in individuals with no family history. Meningiomas in NF2 and approximately 60% of sporadic meningiomas involve inactivation of the <it>NF2 </it>locus, encoding the tumor suppressor merlin on chromosome 22q. This study was undertaken to establish whether genomic profiling could distinguish familial multiple meningiomas from sporadic solitary and sporadic multiple meningiomas.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We compared 73 meningiomas presenting as sporadic solitary (64), sporadic multiple (5) and familial multiple (4) tumors using genomic profiling by array comparative genomic hybridization (array CGH).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Sporadic solitary meningiomas revealed genomic rearrangements consistent with at least two mechanisms of tumor initiation, as unsupervised cluster analysis readily distinguished tumors with chromosome 22 deletion (associated with loss of the <it>NF2 </it>tumor suppressor) from those without chromosome 22 deletion. Whereas sporadic meningiomas without chromosome 22 loss exhibited fewer chromosomal imbalance events overall, tumors with chromosome 22 deletion further clustered into two major groups that largely, though not perfectly, matched with their benign (WHO Grade I) or advanced (WHO Grades II and III) histological grade, with the latter exhibiting a significantly greater degree of genomic imbalance (P < 0.001). Sporadic multiple meningiomas showed a frequency of genomic imbalance events comparable to the atypical grade solitary tumors. By contrast, familial multiple meningiomas displayed no imbalances, supporting a distinct mechanism for the origin for these tumors.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Genomic profiling can provide an unbiased adjunct to traditional meningioma classification and provides a basis for exploring the different genetic underpinnings of tumor initiation and progression. Most importantly, the striking difference observed between sporadic and familial multiple meningiomas indicates that genomic profiling can provide valuable information for differential diagnosis of subjects with multiple meningiomas and for considering the risk for tumor occurrence in their family members.</p

Racial differences in the association between partner abuse and barriers to prenatal health care among asian and native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander women

Objectives Prenatal health care (PNC) is associated with positive maternal and infant health outcomes. There is limited knowledge regarding Native Hawaiians/Other Pacific Islanders (NHOPI) and Asian women’s access to PNC especially among those with partner abuse (PA) experience. The objectives of this paper were to (1) describe and examine factors associated with PNC access barriers among mothers, by race; and, (2) determine the association between PA and PNC access, by race. Methods We analyzed 2004–2007 data from Hawai‘i’s Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (n = 7,158). The outcome is ≥1 experience with a PNC access barrier. PA is experience with physical violence from a partner. Descriptive statistics, and bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses stratified by race were conducted. Results The respondents included 35.7% NHOPI, 37.4% Asian, 20.1% White and 6.6% Other. More than 6% experienced PA, and 25.9% reported ≥1 PNC access barrier. Experience with PA was significantly associated with NHOPI and Asians reporting ≥1 barrier to accessing PNC, but was non-significant with Whites. Conclusions Programs should address barriers to accessing PNC, and target NHOPI and Asian mothers with PA experience to reduce the healthcare disparity and improve quality of life

Disease Severity in Patients Infected with Leishmania mexicana Relates to IL-1β

Leishmania mexicana can cause both localized (LCL) and diffuse (DCL) cutaneous leishmaniasis, yet little is known about factors regulating disease severity in these patients. We analyzed if the disease was associated with single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in IL-1β (−511), CXCL8 (−251) and/or the inhibitor IL-1RA (+2018) in 58 Mexican mestizo patients with LCL, 6 with DCL and 123 control cases. Additionally, we analyzed the in vitro production of IL-1β by monocytes, the expression of this cytokine in sera of these patients, as well as the tissue distribution of IL-1β and the number of parasites in lesions of LCL and DCL patients. Our results show a significant difference in the distribution of IL-1β (−511 C/T) genotypes between patients and controls (heterozygous OR), with respect to the reference group CC, which was estimated with a value of 3.23, 95% CI = (1.2, 8.7) and p-value = 0.0167), indicating that IL-1β (−511 C/T) represents a variable influencing the risk to develop the disease in patients infected with Leishmania mexicana. Additionally, an increased in vitro production of IL-1β by monocytes and an increased serum expression of the cytokine correlated with the severity of the disease, since it was significantly higher in DCL patients heavily infected with Leishmania mexicana. The distribution of IL-1β in lesions also varied according to the number of parasites harbored in the tissues: in heavily infected LCL patients and in all DCL patients, the cytokine was scattered diffusely throughout the lesion. In contrast, in LCL patients with lower numbers of parasites in the lesions, IL-1β was confined to the cells. These data suggest that IL-1β possibly is a key player determining the severity of the disease in DCL patients. The analysis of polymorphisms in CXCL8 and IL-1RA showed no differences between patients with different disease severities or between patients and controls