Current Status on Leaching Precious Metals from Waste Printed Circuit Boards

AbstractCurrent research on leaching precious metals from waste printed circuit boards (PCBs) in the world is introduced. In the paper, hydrometallurgical processing techniques including cyanide leaching, thiourea leaching, thiosulfate leaching, and halide leaching of precious metals are addressed in detail. In order to develop an environmentally friendly technique for recovery of precious metals from Waste PCBs, a critical comparison of main leaching methods is analyzed based on three-scale analytic hierarchy process (AHP). The results suggest that thiourea leaching and iodide leaching make more possible to replace cyanide leaching

Fabrication and Characterization of In Situ Synthesized SiC/Al Composites by Combustion Synthesis and Hot Press Consolidation Method

The in situ SiC/Al composites were fabricated in Al-Si-C systems with different Si/C mass ratios and holding time by the method of combustion synthesis and hot press consolidation. The influences of Si/C mass ratio and holding time on the phase constitution, microstructure, and hardness of the composites were investigated. The results indicate that the increase of Si/C mass ratio leads to more uniform size distribution of the SiC particles in the Al matrix. Moreover, by improving the Si/C mass ratio from 4 : 1 to 5 : 1, the maximum size of SiC particle was reduced from 4.1 μm to 2.0 μm. Meanwhile, the percentage of submicroparticles was increased from 22% to 63%, and the average hardness value of the composites was increased by 13%. In addition, when the holding time is set to be fifteen minutes, the Al4C3 phase did not exist in the composites because of its total reactions with Si atoms to form SiC particles, and the average hardness value was 73.8 HB

CDC27 Facilitates Gastric Cancer Cell Proliferation, Invasion and Metastasis via Twist-Induced Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition

Background/Aims: Lymph node metastasis is the primary cause of cancer-related death among patients with gastric cancer (GC), and cell division cycle 27 (CDC27) promotes the metastasis and epithelial-mesenchymal transition in many cancers. Till now, the mechanisms underlying CDC27-induced the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of GC are still unclear. Methods: We analyzed the expression levels of CDC27 and EMT-related biomarkers using immunohistochemistry and Western blot in 60 cases of GC tissues, and then GC cells with CDC27 shRNAs or plasmids were subjected to in vitro and in vivo assays, including CCK-8, wound healing and transwell assays. Results: The CDC27 expression was obviously increased in GC tissues, and significantly correlates with EMT-related biomarkers, lymph node metastasis and poor 5-year overall survival. Additionally, in vitro and in vivo assays demonstrated that silencing of CDC27 expression effectively inhibited GC cell proliferation, invasion and metastasis. Conversely, CDC27 overexpression led to the opposite results. Finally, we demonstrated that Twist shRNA inhibited CDC27-meditated invasion and EMT of GC cells. Conclusion: CDC27 facilitates gastric cancer cell proliferation, invasion and metastasis via Twist-induced EMT; thus, this study offered a new therapy method for GC patients

Is Peritoneal Dialysis a Suitable Renal Replacement Therapy Option for Polycystic Kidney Disease Patients?

Background/Aims: Mounting clinical experience and evidence from scale observational studies have suggested that polycystic kidney disease (PKD) was not a contraindication for peritoneal dialysis (PD). Recent studies have reported that PD may be associated with a better prognosis in PKD than that of non-PKD patients. To solve the problem, we performed a systematic review and comprehensive meta-analysis to compare the outcomes between PKD and non-PKD patients on PD and the all-cause mortality between patients with PKD on PD and hemodialysis (HD). Methods: We conducted a systematic literature using electronic databases (PubMed, Ovid, Embase and Web of Science) to identify the studies reporting the endpoint events of PKD/non-PKD patients with PD and the all-cause mortality between patients with PKD on PD and HD, such as dialysis adequacy, technique failure, PD-related complications, the mode of RRT change, and all-cause mortality. We searched the literature published February 2018 or earlier. We used both fix-effects and random-effects models to calculate the overall effect estimate. A sensitivity analysis and subgroup analysis were performed to find the origin of heterogeneity. Results: 12 studies with a total of 17,040 patients reported the endpoint events of PKD/non-PKD patients with PD. No significant difference was observed on dialysis adequacy (Kt/V, SMD: -0.02, 95%CI: -0.12–0.08; D: Pcr (4h), SMD: -0.10, 95% CI: -0.26–0.06), technique failure (RR: 0.97, 95%CI: 0.78-1.20), RRT change (RR: 0.96, 95%CI: 0.77-1.19), total PD-associated complications (RR: 1.0, 95%CI: 0.91-1.09) and all-cause mortality (RR: 0.40, 95%CI: 0.33–0.47) in PKD patients, compared with non-PKD subjects undergoing PD. However, the proportion of renal transplantation in PKD patients was higher than that of non-PKD patients (RR: 2.04, 95%CI: 1.88–2.20) with significant heterogeneity (I2 =82.7%, P=0.000). 4 studies with a total of 5,762 patients reported that the all-cause mortality did not differ between the PKD patients on PD and HD (RR: 0.87, 95%CI: 0.72-1.06). Conclusion: Our meta-analysis found that the outcomes of given population of PKD patients on PD were at least not inferior as compared to those with other primary kidney diseases, and suggested that PKD might be not absolutely a contraindication for PD. Given the limitations of the proposed, it needs further large-scale studies to assess whether PD is a suitable RRT option for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients with PKD

Jasmine (Jasminum grandiflorum) Flower Extracts Ameliorate Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate Induced Ear Edema in Mice

Published data from in vitro assays support the anti-inflammatory effects of jasmine (Jasminum grandiflorum Linn.) but limited studies are reported in animal models. Herein, the anti-inflammatory effects of jasmine flower extracts (JFEs) including ethanol extract (JF-EE), petroleum ether extract (JF-PEE), ethyl acetate extract (JF-EAE), and n-butanol extract (JF-BE) were evaluated in a mouse ear edema model. Acute mouse ear skin inflammation was induced by tetradecanoylphorbol acetate (TPA; 125 µg/mL) and then treated with JFEs (100 mg/mL) or dexamethasone (DEX; 6.25 mg/mL; as a positive control). Jasmine flower extracts alleviated ear edema by reducing TPA-increased ear thickness and ear weight by 30.8% to 64.1% and 24.0% to 47.1%, respectively, whereas DEX showed comparable activity (by 71.8% and 49.1%, respectively). Their anti-inflammatory effects were supported by data from the immunohistochemical assays. Jasmine flower extracts reduced the inflammatory cells (from 5.5- to 9.5-fold) and the expressions of inflammation related enzymes including cyclooxygenase-2 and inhibitor of kappa-B kinase (from 1.9- to 2.8-fold and from 7.1- to 11.0-fold, respectively). Findings from this study showed that JFEs were able to ameliorate TPA-induced mouse skin inflammation. However, future studies on the underlying mechanisms of jasmine flower’s anti-inflammatory effects are warranted

Effects of Poultry, Rabbit Meat and Fish Addition on Quality Attributes of Sichuan Sausages

To balance the nutrition and improve quality of sausages. This research investigated quality improvements of Sichuan sausages by 41.5% poultry, rabbit meat and fish addition. The moisture, crude fat, crude protein contents, pH, Aw, colour, texture, TBARS, protein carbonyl, free thiol groups, fatty acids composition and sensory attributes of pork, poultry, rabbit meat and fish mixture group sausages were evaluated. The results showed that the hardness of pork and rabbit meat mixture group sausages (76.37, 68.01 kg) was significant (P<0.05) higher than that of other 2 groups. The TBARS values in poultry meat and fish mixture group sausages (0.60, 0.63 mg MDA/kg) were significant (P<0.05) higher than that of rabbit meat mixture group. Only EPA and DHA were detected in fish mixture sausages. The ∑poly unsaturated fatty acids (19.96%) and ∑n-6:∑n-3 (22) in poultry meat mixture group sausages were significant (P<0.05) higher than that of other 3 groups. The overall quality scores of poultry and rabbit meat mixture group sausages (7.33, 7.05 points) were significant (P<0.05) higher than those of fish mixture groups. The results of this study indicated that the rabbit meat mixture group sausages had improved quality attributes, the yield rate management and application of liquid fat (vegetable and fish oil) addition could improve nutrition value of Sichuan sausages in the future work. The fish mixture group sausages had better fatty acids composition, and a slightly higher fat oxidation level, thus the application of antioxidates and de-fishy substances could be added in fish-based sausages to control fat oxidation and improve whole sausage quality and sensory attributes

Perpendicular in-plane negative magnetoresistance in ZrTe5

The unique band structure in topological materials frequently results in unusual magneto-transport phenomena, one of which is in-plane longitudinal negative magnetoresistance (NMR) with the magnetic field aligned parallel to the electrical current direction. This NMR is widely considered as a hallmark of chiral anomaly in topological materials. Here we report the observation of in-plane NMR in the topological material ZrTe5 when the in-plane magnetic field is both parallel and perpendicular to the current direction, revealing an unusual case of quantum transport beyond the chiral anomaly. We find that a general theoretical model, which considers the combined effect of Berry curvature and orbital moment, can quantitatively explain this in-plane NMR. Our results provide new insights into the understanding of in-plane NMR in topological materials

Mammalian STE20-Like Kinase 1 Deletion Alleviates Renal Ischaemia-Reperfusion Injury via Modulating Mitophagy and the AMPK-YAP Signalling Pathway

Background/Aims: The aim of our study is to investigate the molecular mechanism by which mammalian STE20-like kinase 1 (Mst1) participates in renal I/R injury through modifying mitophagy and the AMPK-YAP signalling pathway. Methods: WT mice and Mst1-knockout mice were subjected to renal ischaemia-reperfusion (I/R) in vivo. In vitro, the hypoxia-reoxygenation model was used with renal tubular epithelial cells to mimic renal I/R injury. Mitochondrial function was monitored via western blotting and immunofluorescence. Pathway blocker and siRNA knockout technology were used to establish the role of the AMPK-YAP signalling pathway in Mst1-mediated mitochondrial apoptosis in the setting of renal I/R injury. Results: Our data demonstrated that Mst1 expression was upregulated in response to renal I/R injury in vivo, and a higher Mst1 content was positively associated with renal dysfunction and more tubular epithelial cell apoptosis. However, genetic ablation of Mst1 improved renal function, alleviated reperfusion-mediated tubular epithelial cell apoptosis, and attenuated the vulnerability of kidney to I/R injury. In vitro, Mst1 upregulation induced mitochondrial damage including mitochondrial potential reduction, ROS overloading, cyt-c liberation and caspase-9 apoptotic pathway activation. At the molecular levels, I/R-mediated mitochondrial damage via repressing mitophagy and Mst1 suppressed mitophagy via inactivating AMPK signalling pathway and dowregulating OPA1 expression. Re-activation of AMPK-YAP-OPA1 signalling pathway provided a survival advantage for the tubular epithelial cell in the context of renal I/R injury by repressing mitochondrial fission. Conclusion: Overall, our results demonstrate that the pathogenesis of renal I/R injury is closely associated with an increase in Mst1 expression and the inactive AMPK-YAP-OPA1 signalling pathway. Based on this, strategies to repress Mst1 expression and activate mitophagy could serve as therapeutic targets to treat kidney ischaemia-reperfusion injury

Challenges for 10 nm MOSFET process integration, Journal of Telecommunications and Information Technology, 2007, nr 2

An overview of critical integration issues for future generation MOSFETs towards 10 nm gate length is presented. Novel materials and innovative structures are discussed. The need for high-k gate dielectrics and a metal gate electrode is discussed. Different techniques for strain-enhanced mobility are discussed. As an example, ultra thin body SOI devices with high mobility SiGe channels are demonstrated