Application of Ion Exchange Resin in the Advanced Treatment of Condensate Water

The advanced treatment of condensate water is important for efficient reuse of water resources, especially in confined space. In this work, a novel integrated process of ion exchange resins and activated carbon is proposed to remove various pollutants in condensate water. A fixed bed column of pre-treated basic anion exchange resin, acidic cation exchange resin, mixed ion exchange resins and modified activated carbon was applied to remove ionic pollutants, organic pollutants and adjust the pH value of output water. The effects of the types, amount ratios and the sequence of ion exchange resins were investigated using two types of condensate water. The results showed that the output water of the fixed bed column had an average TOC of 30~70 ppm, conductivity under 5 μS/cm, pH value of 5~8, which could meet the requirements of sanitary water. The saturated adsorption capacities of the basic anion exchange resin and the acidic cation exchange resin were calculated to be 0.87 mol/L and 1.82 mol/L, respectively. Under the actual operating conditions, continuous dynamic test was carried out over a condensate water treatment module consisting of two adsorption columns and four exchange columns to evaluate its real service life

CMTM6 shapes antitumor T cell response through modulating protein expression of CD58 and PD-L1

The dysregulated expression of immune checkpoint molecules enables cancer cells to evade immune destruction. While blockade of inhibitory immune checkpoints like PD-L1 forms the basis of current cancer immunotherapies, a deficiency in costimulatory signals can render these therapies futile. CD58, a costimulatory ligand, plays a crucial role in antitumor immune responses, but the mechanisms controlling its expression remain unclear. Using two systematic approaches, we reveal that CMTM6 positively regulates CD58 expression. Notably, CMTM6 interacts with both CD58 and PD-L1, maintaining the expression of these two immune checkpoint ligands with opposing functions. Functionally, the presence of CMTM6 and CD58 on tumor cells significantly affects T cell-tumor interactions and response to PD-L1-PD-1 blockade. Collectively, these findings provide fundamental insights into CD58 regulation, uncover a shared regulator of stimulatory and inhibitory immune checkpoints, and highlight the importance of tumor-intrinsic CMTM6 and CD58 expression in antitumor immune responses

Direct Stimulation of Adult Neural Stem/Progenitor Cells In Vitro and Neurogenesis In Vivo by Salvianolic Acid B

Background: Small molecules have been shown to modulate the neurogenesis processes. In search for new therapeutic drugs, the herbs used in traditional medicines for neurogenesis are promising candidates. Methodology and Principal Findings: We selected a total of 45 natural compounds from Traditional Chinese herbal medicines which are extensively used in China to treat stroke clinically, and tested their proliferation-inducing activities on neural stem/progenitor cells (NSPCs). The screening results showed that salvianolic acid B (Sal B) displayed marked effects on the induction of proliferation of NSPCs. We further demonstrated that Sal B promoted NSPCs proliferation in dose- and time-dependent manners. To explore the molecular mechanism, PI3K/Akt, MEK/ERK and Notch signaling pathways were investigated. Cell proliferation assay demonstrated that Ly294002 (PI3K/Akt inhibitor), but neither U0126 (ERK inhibitor) nor DAPT (Notch inhibitor) inhibited the Sal B-induced proliferation of cells. Western Blotting results showed that stimulation of NSPCs with Sal B enhanced the phosphorylation of Akt, and Ly294002 abolished this effect, confirming the role of Akt in Sal B mediated proliferation of NSPCs. Rats exposed to transient cerebral ischemia were treated for 4 weeks with Sal B from the 7th day after stroke. BrdU incorporation assay results showed that exposure Sal B could maintain the proliferation of NSPCs after cerebral ischemia. Morris water maze test showed that delayed post-ischemic treatment with Sal B improved cognitive impairment after stroke in rats

Elastic-Impedance-Based Fluid/Porosity Term and Fracture Weaknesses Inversion in Transversely Isotropic Media with a Tilted Axis of Symmetry

The rock containing a set of tilted fractures is equivalent to a transversely isotropic (TTI) medium with a tilted axis of symmetry. To implement fluid identification and tilted fracture detection, we propose an inversion approach of utilizing seismic data to simultaneously estimate parameters that are sensitive to fluids and tilted fractures. We first derive a PP-wave reflection coefficient and elastic impedance (EI) in terms of the dip angle, fluid/porosity term, shear modulus, density, and fracture weaknesses, and we present numerical examples to demonstrate how the PP-wave reflection coefficient and EI vary with the dip angle. Based on the information of dip angle of fractures provided by geologic and well data, we propose a two-step inversion approach of utilizing azimuthal seismic data to estimate unknown parameters involving the fluid/porosity term and fracture weaknesses: (1) the constrained sparse spike inversion (CSSI) for azimuthally anisotropic EI data and (2) the estimation of unknown parameters with the low-frequency constrained regularization term. Synthetic and real data demonstrate that fluid and fracture parameters are reasonably estimated, which may help fluid identification and fracture characterization

Natural background radiation and population dose in China

L'analyse des données sur les niveaux de l'irradiation naturelle en Chine a permis de recommander des valeurs types pour l'irradiation gamma terrestre, à l'intérieur et à l'extérieur des habitations, ainsi que l'équivalent de dose efficace pour les produits de filiation du radon et du thoron. On estime à 2,3 mSv l'équivalent de dose efficace annuel dû à l'irradiation naturelle des habitants, dont 0,54 mSv dû au rayonnement gamma terrestre et environ 0,8 mSv dû au radon et à ses descendants à vie courte

Aqueous Organic Zinc-Ion Hybrid Supercapacitors Prepared by 3D Vertically Aligned Graphene-Polydopamine Composite Electrode

A three-dimensional vertical-aligned graphene-polydopamine electrode (PDA@3DVAG) composite with vertical channels and conductive network is prepared by a method of unidirectional freezing and subsequent self-polymerization. When the prepared PDA@3DVAG is constructed as the positive electrode of zinc-ion hybrid supercapacitors (ZHSCs), excellent electrochemical performances are obtained. Compared with the conventional electrolyte, PDA@3DVAG composite electrode in highly concentrated salt electrolyte exhibits better multiplicity performance (48.92% at a current density of 3 A g−1), wider voltage window (−0.8~0.8 V), better cycle performance with specific capacitance from 96.7 to 59.8 F g−1, and higher energy density (46.14 Wh kg−1)

Comparison of the effectiveness of two adjustable negative pressure ureteral access sheaths combined with flex ureteroscopy for ≤ 2 cm renal stones

Abstract To compare the safety and effectiveness of the combination of intelligent intrarenal pressure control platforms (IPCP) and flexible ureteral access sheath (FUAS) combined with retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS) for the treatment of renal stones less than 2 cm. We retrospectively collected 383 patients with renal stones who underwent RIRS in our department from June 2022 to October 2023. Inclusion criteria: stone length or the sum of multiple stone lengths ≤ 2 cm. Finally, 99 cases were included and divided into an IPCP group (n = 40) and FUAS group (n = 59) based on surgical methods. The main endpoint was the stone-free rate (SFR) at third months after surgery, with no residual stones or stone fragments less than 2 mm defined as stone clearance. The secondary endpoints were surgical time and perioperative complications, including fever, sepsis, septic shock, and perirenal hematoma. There was no statistically significant difference in general information between the two groups, including age, gender, body mass index, comorbidities, stone side, stone location, stone length, urine bacterial culture, and hydronephrosis. The operation time for IPCP group and FUAS group was 56.83 ± 21.33 vs 55.47 ± 19.69 min (p = 0.747). The SFR of IPCP group and FUAS group on the first postoperative day was 75.00% vs 91.50% (p = 0.024). The SFR was 90.00% vs 94.90% in the third month (p = 0.349).In IPCP group, there were 11 cases with stones located in the lower renal calyces and 17 cases in FUAS group. The SFR of the two groups on the first day and third months after surgery were 45.50% vs 88.20% (p = 0.014) and 63.60% vs 94.10% (p = 0.040), respectively, with statistical differences. For kidney stones ≤ 2 cm, there was no difference in SFR and the incidence of infection-related complications between IPCP and FUAS combined with RIRS, both of which were superior to T-RIRS. For lower renal caliceal stones, FUAS has a higher SFR compared to IPCP

The Efficacy of Jing Wan Hong Ointment for Nerve Injury Diabetic Foot Ulcer and Its Mechanisms

Jing Wan Hong ointment contains 30 kinds of Chinese herbs, with functions of activating blood circulation to disperse blood stasis, clearing heat, eliminating dampness, and reducing swelling by detoxification. Therefore, Jing Wan Hong ointment may facilitate the healing of ulcers. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and mechanisms of Jing Wan Hong ointment for healing diabetic foot ulceration in Wistar rats induced by streptozotocin and sciatic nerve damage. The results showed that Jing Wan Hong ointment had a marked effect on foot ulcers in diabetic rats induced by initial nerve injury. These effects were manifested by reducing the foot ulcer size and Wagner grade after seven days of treatment. The diabetic rats with foot ulcers were almost healed after 21 days of treatment. Moreover, the mechanisms of this effect seem to be dependent on increased expression of PDGF mRNA, but there was no influence on the expression of TGF-β, VEGF, and FLT-1 mRNA

Application of Ion Exchange Resin in the Advanced Treatment of Condensate Water

The advanced treatment of condensate water is important for efficient reuse of water resources, especially in confined space. In this work, a novel integrated process of ion exchange resins and activated carbon is proposed to remove various pollutants in condensate water. A fixed bed column of pre-treated basic anion exchange resin, acidic cation exchange resin, mixed ion exchange resins and modified activated carbon was applied to remove ionic pollutants, organic pollutants and adjust the pH value of output water. The effects of the types, amount ratios and the sequence of ion exchange resins were investigated using two types of condensate water. The results showed that the output water of the fixed bed column had an average TOC of 30~70 ppm, conductivity under 5 μS/cm, pH value of 5~8, which could meet the requirements of sanitary water. The saturated adsorption capacities of the basic anion exchange resin and the acidic cation exchange resin were calculated to be 0.87 mol/L and 1.82 mol/L, respectively. Under the actual operating conditions, continuous dynamic test was carried out over a condensate water treatment module consisting of two adsorption columns and four exchange columns to evaluate its real service life