Solar-Driven Direct Lithium Extraction from Low-Quality Brines.

Owing to the crucial role in energy transformation for decarbonization, sustainable lithium (Li) supply has become growingly critical. Low-quality brines hold vast potential due to infinite reserves and diverse distribution but desire green and cost-effective extraction techniques against low Li concentrations and high magnesium-to-lithium ratios. Solar-driven direct lithium extraction (SDLE) systems combining conventional evaporation and DLE techniques can overcome the present challenges of Li extraction, promising to advance the exploitation of low-quality brines while simultaneously producing fresh water.

High-performance magnetic biochar prepared via acid and mg/Fe Co-modification for ultraefficient Pb (II) adsorption.

In this study, MgO-containing magnetic composite biochar (MBC) was prepared from activated corn stover for the efficient removal of Pb. Through the introduction of magnesium and iron ions, the surface and pore structures of the acid-treated corn stover biochar adsorbent were optimized, with its adsorption capacity being enhanced to 253.6 mg g.

Design of soluble Notch agonists that drive T cell development and boost immunity.

The rational design of receptor agonists to control cell signaling is an emerging strategy for developing disease therapeutics. Creating a soluble cytokine-like agonist for the Notch receptor, which regulates cell fate in embryonic and adult development, is challenging, as receptor activation requires a mechanical force that is usually mediated by cell-associated transmembrane ligands. Here, we exploit computationally designed protein complexes with precise valencies and geometries to generate soluble cytokine-like Notch agonists.

[Spatial-temporal Evolution and Driving Force Analysis of Habitat Quality in Inner Mongolia from 2000 to 2022].

The ecological environment of Inner Mongolia plays a significant role in the construction ecological community of northern China. Utilizing Google earth engine （GEE） and MODIS data， this study developed the annual remote sensing ecological index （RSEI） long time-series for Inner Mongolia from 2000 to 2022. Combined with the Theil-sen & Mann-Kendall trend test and Hurst and Moran's ， the spatial and temporal evolution pattern of habitat quality in Inner Mongolia was comprehensively analyzed， and the influencing factors of RSEI were quantified from the perspective of spatial differentiation by using a geographical detector and a multi-scale geographically weighted regression model （MGWR）.

Laparoscopic treatment of triple ureteral with ureteral calculus: A case report.

Rationale: Ureteral triplication (UT) is a rare congenital urinary tract anomaly, with approximately 100 cases reported globally, arising from abnormal branching of the ureteric bud during embryogenesis.

Patient Concerns: A 48-year-old male presented with recurrent left flank and abdominal pain for 3 years, worsening over the past year, accompanied by gross hematuria and purulent urine, suggesting urinary tract infection and obstruction.

Diagnoses: Computed tomography urography and cystoscopy confirmed left-sided ureteral triplication, with 1 malformed ureter containing a calculus and proximally occluded, and another merging with the normal ureter.

Urinary Pleural Effusion: Introducing Treatment and Follow-Up Course of Three Cases.

Introduction: Urinary pleural effusion is a rare thoracic complication associated with urogenital diseases, primarily resulting from obstructive urinary tract disorders, but it can also arise from therapeutic or traumatic injuries. Due to its infrequency and the absence of clear diagnostic criteria, such cases are often overlooked.

Case Presentation: In 3 reported cases, patients presented with typical symptoms such as dyspnea and chest pain.

Intrinsic roles of nanosheet characteristics in two-dimensional montmorillonite membranes for efficient Li/Mg separation.

Stacking two-dimensional (2D) nanosheets into lamellar membranes holds great promise in the selective separation of Li and Mg from salt-lake brines, but revealing the intrinsic effect of nanosheet properties on the ion transport remains a great challenge. The primary reasons are inevitable emerging defects and changes in surface functional groups during nanosheet preparation. Here, we successfully demonstrated the intrinsic dependence of ion separation on the size and layer charge density of 2D building blocks using defect-free and inherently permanent charged clay nanosheets.

[Land Use Changes and Its Impact on Ecological Environment Quality in Bayannur City].

As an important ecological protective screen in northern China, monitoring and evaluating the dynamic changes in habitat quality and their relationship with land use changes in Bayannur played a notable role in maintaining regional ecological balance and species diversity. Based on the Google earth engine （GEE） platform, this study employed multi-period remote sensing image coupling to construct a remote sensing ecological index （RSEI）, analyzed the changes in habitat quality in Bayannur City from 2000 to 2022, and explored its relationship with land use changes. The results showed that： ① From 2000 to 2022, although the habitat quality of Bayannur improved slowly, the overall quality was poor.

Maturation and persistence of CAR T cells derived from human pluripotent stem cells via chemical inhibition of G9a/GLP.

Elucidating mechanisms of T cell development can guide in vitro T cell differentiation from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and facilitate off-the-shelf T cell-based immunotherapies. Using a stroma-free human iPSC-T cell differentiation platform, we screened for epigenetic modulators that influence T cell specification and identified the H3K9-directed histone methyltransferases G9a/GLP as repressors of T cell fate. We show that G9a/GLP inhibition during specific time windows of differentiation of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) skews cell fates toward lymphoid lineages.

Dewatering behavior and regulation mechanism of montmorillonite nanosheet in aqueous solution.

Two-dimensional montmorillonite nanosheet (MMTNS) is desirable building block for fabricating multifunctional materials as due to its extraordinary properties. In practical applications, however, the concentration of MMTNS prepared by exfoliation is normally too low to be used for material assembling. The general thermal-concentration method is effective, however, it can be time-consuming and require a lot of energy.

Quantitative Analysis of Mixed Minerals with Finite Phase Using Thermal Infrared Hyperspectral Technology.

It is crucial but challenging to detect intermediate or end products promptly. Traditional chemical detection methods are time-consuming and cannot detect mineral phase content. Thermal infrared hyperspectral (TIH) technology is an effective means of real-time imaging and can precisely capture the emissivity characteristics of objects.

Mobile Sources Are Still an Important Source of Secondary Organic Aerosol and Fine Particulate Matter in the Los Angeles Region.

Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) is a significant component of atmospheric fine particulate matter. Mobile sources have historically been a major source of SOA precursors in urban environments, but decades of regulations have reduced their emissions. Less regulated sources, such as volatile chemical products (VCPs), are of growing importance.

Enhanced removal of fluoride from water through precise regulation of active aluminum phase using CaCO.

Coagulation with aluminum salts is an important method for fluoride removal from groundwater. However, the hydration of aluminum salts generating a large number of H usually leads to limited defluorination performance due to the optimum pH of active aluminum phase for fluoride removal around 5.5-6.

Precise Cation Recognition in Two-Dimensional Nanofluidic Channels of Clay Membranes Imparted from Intrinsic Selectivity of Clays.

Various kinds of clays occur naturally and are accompanied by particular cations in their interlayer domains. Here we report the reassembled membranes with nanofluidic channel arrays by using the natural clays montmorillonite, mica, and vermiculite, which were imparted with the natural selectivity for realizing precise recognition and directional regulation of the naturally occurring interlayer cations. A typical surface-governed ionic transport behavior was observed in the clay nanofluidic channels.

Synthetic Fe-rich nontronite as a novel activator of bisulfite for the efficient removal of tetracycline.

In this work, the iron-containing smectite nontronite (NNT) was artificially prepared by hydrothermal process and used as a heterogeneous catalyst to activate bisulfite (BS) for degradation of tetracycline (TC). Two NNT samples with different iron content (NNT1 and NNT2) were characterized by XRD, FTIR, XPS and SEM-EDS analysis. Under dark condition, the TC removal rates of NNT1/BS and NNT2/BS reached about 91.

Enhanced removal of refractory humic- and fulvic-like organics from biotreated landfill leachate by ozonation in packed bubble columns.

Biotreated landfill leachate contains much refractory organics such as humic and fulvic acids, which can be degraded by O. However, the low O mass transfer and high energy cost limit its wide application in landfill leachate treatment. Previous studies proved that packed bubble columns could enhance the O mass transfer and increase the synthetic humic acids wastewater degradation, but the performance of packed bubble columns in real wastewater treatment has not been investigated.

Eco-friendly geopolymer prepared from solid wastes: A critical review.

Solid wastes are generated from human activities which could cause damage to the ecological environment and human beings. In recent years, there has been extensive research on solid wastes utilized as precursors, aggregates, fibers, etc. to prepare the geopolymers, which has invariably been a research hotspot.

Synthesis of carboxymethyl cellulose-chitosan-montmorillonite nanosheets composite hydrogel for dye effluent remediation.

MMTNS were introduced into carboxymethyl cellulose-chitosan system to synthesize porous hydrogel adsorbent with stable structure and high dye handling capacity. Al-OH on edge of MMTNS formed hydrogen-bond (-OH···NH-) with -NH on CS, CS then cooperated with CMC via amidation and chains interleaving, forming three-dimensional hydrogel. Morphology characterization revealed that hydrogel possessed microporous open-framework structure, facilitating free entrance of macromolecular MB dye to react with internal reaction sites in hydrogel.

Simulation of organic aerosol formation during the CalNex study: updated mobile emissions and secondary organic aerosol parameterization for intermediate-volatility organic compounds.

We describe simulations using an updated version of the Community Multiscale Air Quality model version 5.3 (CMAQ v5.3) to investigate the contribution of intermediate-volatility organic compounds (IVOCs) to secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation in southern California during the CalNex study.

Preparation of ion-imprinted montmorillonite nanosheets/chitosan gel beads for selective recovery of Cu(Ⅱ) from wastewater.

The novel ion-imprinted montmorillonite nanosheets/chitosan (IIMNC) gel beads were prepared for selective adsorption of Cu. The IIMNC gel beads were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results showed that IIMNC was successfully assembled and rich in honeycombed pores, which performed well in the removal of Cu through the synergistic effect of montmorillonite nanosheets and chitosan.

Adsorption toward Cu(II) and inhibitory effect on bacterial growth occurring on molybdenum disulfide-montmorillonite hydrogel surface.

Novel molybdenum disulfide-montmorillonite (MoS@2DMMT) hydrogels for Cu(II) removal and inhibition on bacterial growth were successfully prepared. MoS was first in-situ growth onto 2DMMT platelet through hydrothermal method and then cross-linked with organic reagents to form hydrogels. The flower-like structure of synthesized MoS could be clearly observed in MoS@2DMMT by SEM.

Selective recovery of heavy metals from wastewater by mechanically activated calcium carbonate: Inspiration from nature.

In nature, the calcium carbonate shows different interactions with different metal ions. Inspiration from this natural phenomenon, in this work, the selective recovery of heavy metals from wastewater by mechanically activated calcium carbonate was investigated. The changes in Ca concentration, pH value and metals uptake ratio of solution showed that M (M = Cu, Mn, Zn and Ni) were endowed with different migration rules, resulting in the various interaction with the calcium carbonate in metal-bearing solution.

High-performance two-dimensional montmorillonite supported-poly(acrylamide-co-acrylic acid) hydrogel for dye removal.

High-performance two-dimensional montmorillonite supported-poly (acrylamide-co-acrylic acid) hydrogel for dye removal was investigated. Montmorillonite cooperated with acrylamide and acrylic acid via polymerization, hydrogen-bond, amidation and electrostatic interactions to form the three-dimensional reticular-structured hydrogel with the free entrance for macromolecules. Adsorption tests revealed that the efficient removal (97%) for methylene blue at high concentration (200 mg/L) could be achieved via a small dose of hydrogel (0.