Recovery Capacity Research Articles

Anion-exchange membrane adsorbers with silane-modulated biomimetic amination surface for efficient DNA separation

Ion exchange membrane adsorbers, an alternative to overcome the bottleneck of present deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) solid-phase extraction material, still suffer from scarce binding capacity and uncontrollable recovery efficiency. Herein, inspired by mussel adhesion combined with in-situ coupling technique, a silane-modulated biomimetic amination strategy is proposed to construct an anion-exchange membrane adsorber for efficient DNA separation. The coupling of polyethyleneimine to the biomimetic interlayer formed by the co-coating of pyrogallol and 3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane onto polyethersulfone membranes provides high coverage of DNA-binding ligands for the resulting membrane adsorber. Furthermore, its surface charge properties are tailored by the tunable content of epoxy groups in the biomimetic interlayer, resulting in the pH-responsive reversible DNA binding capacity. Consequently, the resulting membrane adsorber exhibits unprecedented DNA adsorption capacity (396.2 mg·g-1), which is renewable and requires no external binding agent. More importantly, this membrane adsorber in the form of spin columns achieves outstanding DNA recovery efficiency up to 88%, which is 32% improvement over commercial silica matrices. This research provides a new perspective on the design of novel ion exchange membrane adsorbers and holds promise for the low-loss, high-efficiency downstream separation and purification processes of biomacromolecules.

Developing the Recovery Gap Index: A Comprehensive Tool for Assessing National Disaster Recovery Capacities

The increasing frequency and severity of extreme natural events, along with their escalating impacts, highlight the urgent need for robust tools to assess and strengthen national capacities for disaster preparedness and recovery. In this context, this paper introduces one of these tools, called the Recovery Gap Index (RGI), a comprehensive composite index designed to quantify and evaluate the post-extreme natural event response and recovery capabilities at the country level. The tool addresses the need for a systematic approach to quantify resilience and evaluate the impacts of consecutive events on vulnerable areas. The RGI synthesizes data from three well-established indices: the World Risk Index, INFORM, and Global Infrastructure Risk Model and Index (GIRI), covering critical dimensions related to sociodemographic factors, infrastructure, governance, technology, and economic resilience. By extracting key parameters from these diverse indices and aggregating them, the RGI provides a detailed assessment of each nation’s ability to manage the aftermath of extreme natural events. The index findings reveal significant regional disparities in recovery capacities, with European countries exhibiting stronger resilience, whereas many African and Asian nations face substantial challenges. Furthermore, this study proposes several potential future enhancements, such as the incorporation of early warning systems and insurance coverage metrics, aimed at improving its accuracy and practical application. The RGI aims to be a valuable tool for policymakers, disaster management professionals, and stakeholders, enabling them to make informed decisions and implement targeted interventions to further enhance global disaster resilience.

Browning events in Arctic ecosystems: Diverse causes with common consequences

Arctic ecosystems are experiencing extreme climatic, biotic and physical disturbance events that can cause substantial loss of plant biomass and productivity, sometimes at scales of >1000 km2. Collectively known as browning events, these are key contributors to the spatial and temporal complexity of Arctic greening and vegetation dynamics. If we are to properly understand the future of Arctic terrestrial ecosystems, their productivity, and their feedbacks to climate, understanding browning events is essential. Here we bring together understanding of browning events in Arctic ecosystems to compare their impacts and rates of recovery, and likely future changes in frequency and distribution. We also seek commonalities in impacts across these contrasting event types. We find that while browning events can cause high levels of plant damage (up to 100% mortality), ecosystems have substantial capacity for recovery, with biomass largely re-established within five years for many events. We also find that despite the substantial loss of leaf area of dominant species, compensatory mechanisms such as increased productivity of undamaged subordinate species lessen the impacts on carbon sequestration. These commonalities hold true for most climatic and biotic events, but less so for physical events such as fire and abrupt permafrost thaw, due to the greater removal of vegetation. Counterintuitively, some events also provide conditions for greater productivity (greening) in the longer-term, particularly where the disturbance exposes ground for plant colonisation. Finally, we find that projected changes in the causes of browning events currently suggest many types of events will become more frequent, with events of tundra fire and abrupt permafrost thaw expected to be the greatest contributors to future browning due to their severe impacts and occurrence in many Arctic regions. Overall, browning events will have increasingly important consequences for ecosystem structure and function, and for feedback to climate.

Development of a technique to optimize micro-hydro turbine location and capacity for optimal pressure control and energy recovery in water systems

Development of a technique to optimize micro-hydro turbine location and capacity for optimal pressure control and energy recovery in water systems

Enhancing High-Speed Railway Timetable Resilience: A Two-Level Spatiotemporal Network Model Focused on Disturbance Absorption

Abstract Enhancing the resilience of train timetables can effectively improve their resistance and recovery capabilities against operational disturbances, thereby ensuring the stable operation of the railway system and the quality of passenger transportation services. This paper defined timetable resilience as three parts: disturbance absorptive capacity, resistance capacity, and post-disturbance recovery capacity. These capacities were quantitatively evaluated using the buffer time of trains, the number of train delays at departures and arrivals, and the duration of delay state. The evaluation metrics of the three resilience capacities and the total travel time of trains were used as the objective to establish a spatiotemporal network model. Utilizing actual operational data from the Beijing–Shanghai high-speed railway in China, the model was validated through a case study. Sensitivity analysis of the model's key parameters was conducted under two experimental scenarios: routine operational disturbances and speed restrictions on specific sections. Results showed that our model can effectively reduce the delay time and the number of delays in both the routine operational disturbance scenario and the 300 km/h speed restriction scenario with a frequent disturbance value of 2 min. Moreover, the model's performance with 3-min frequent disturbance outperformed that with 2-min frequent disturbance in speed restriction at 250 km/h and 200 km/h, yielding a 30% improvement.

Surface curvature-driven adsorption-reduction mechanism over hollow N-doped carbon enhances recovery of precious metal ions from wastewater.

The recovery of precious metal ions (PMI) from wastewater has great significances from both economic and environmental perspectives. However, current recovery methods face limitations, including low efficiency and selectivity, as well as challenges in practical applications. In this study, hollow N-doped carbon spheres (HNC) are proved to be promising for improving anionic AuCl4- and PdCl42- recovery via the curvature effect, outperforming non-curved carbon (commercial active carbon and carbon nanosheet) due to their unique curvature effect. The maximum recovery capacities of HNC for AuCl4- and PdCl42- reach as high as 304.90 mg·g -1 and 84.31 mg·g -1 (calculated as metallic elements), far exceeding those of activated carbon (175.9 mg·g -1 for Au and 46.87 mg·g -1 for Pd) and carbon nanosheet (33.92 mg·g -1 for Au and 4.33 mg·g -1 for Pd). The recovery processes of HNC could reach equilibrium within 1 h, exhibiting a rapid recovery kinetic process. The superior recovery performance of HNC can be attributed to the adsorption-reduction mechanism. The convex surface of HNC concentrates a lot of electrons due to the curvature effect, facilitating the electron transfer from HNC to PMI. The key reduction process is thus induced on the electron-rich outer surface of the sphere. Remarkably, the increased curvatures significantly boost the PMI recovery, further confirming the importance of curvature effect. In addition, HNC materials exhibit superior anti-interference ability against co-existing ions and potential practicability. Therefore, innovative adsorption-reduction mechanism and curvature effect are proposed, which offer a new prospect in developing cost-effective recovery technology of precious metals and environmental remediation.

Selective gold extraction from e-waste leachate via sulfur-redox mechanisms using sulfhydryl-functionalized MOFs.

Urban mining of precious metals from electronic waste (e-waste) offers a dual advantage by addressing solid waste management challenges and supplying high-value metals for diverse applications. However, traditional extraction methods generally suffer from poor selectivity and limited capacity in complex acidic leachate. Herein, we present a sulfhydryl-functionalized zirconium-based metal-organic framework (Zr-MSA-AA) as a recyclable and highly selective adsorbent for efficient gold recovery. Specifically, the Zr-MSA-AA exhibits high recovery capacity (1021 mg g-1), remarkable pH-universal, and superb selectivity (Kd of 2.2 × 107 mL g-1) for gold ions across wide pH range and competitive conditions. Comprehensive mechanistic investigations highlight the pivotal role of sulfhydryl groups in selectively capturing gold ions. The redox-transformation of sulfhydryl and sulfonic acid groups mediated the reduction of Au(III) to Au(0) through the nucleation of chlorine-stabilized gold clusters. This unique mechanism, driven by the redox activity of designed sulfhydryl sites, not only mitigates interference from competing cations but also facilitates rapid adsorption kinetics (kf of 1.17 × 10-7 m s-1) for gold ions, surpassing the performance of previous adsorbents. Consequently, Zr-MSA-AA demonstrates exceptional practical applicability, achieving high-purity gold recovery (23.8 Karat) from real e-waste leachate through straightforward physical separation methods. This study introduces an alternative practical strategy for utilizing sulfur's redox activity in adsorbent design, advancing the sustainable recycling of non-renewable metal resources while contributing to environmental conservation.

Complexities in post-wildfire governance: lessons from Colorado’s 2020 wildfires

BackgroundThe increasing size and severity of western U.S. wildfires in recent years has generated greater attention towards post-wildfire response and recovery. Post-fire governance requires coordinating response and recovery capacities across jurisdictions, landscapes, and time scales. The presence of wildfire on federal public lands necessitates federal agency involvement in both suppression and recovery efforts, and program coordination with lower levels of government and non-governmental organizations. Using semi-structured interviews, we investigated experiences of leaders across the governance system with federal post-fire policies and programs following the record-breaking Cameron Peak and East Troublesome wildfires in the state of Colorado.ResultsOur research found that persistent administrative and coordination challenges exist within and among federal agencies in the post-fire response and recovery space. Challenges included cross-jurisdictional coordination of key emergency response programs, program rules that affect post-fire project timing and effectiveness, the absence of a formal federal post-fire response strategy, and program funding issues. These factors revealed and exacerbated scale mismatches between existing agency capacities and the post-fire landscapes that result from unprecedentedly longer, larger, and more severe wildfires occurring in the western USA. Non-federal and non-governmental organizations were instrumental in overcoming these challenges through coordinating response and recovery efforts across both federal and private lands. To improve the federal post-fire response capacity, study participants stressed the importance of broader cross-jurisdictional use of federal resources, longer timeframes for recovery activities, and reforming the federal funding process.ConclusionsOur findings revealed a persistence of post-fire coordination and funding issues within federal land management agencies, and current agency capacities remain insensitive to the scale of twenty-first-century post-wildfire settings. Addressing the mismatches between existing agency resources and the spatial and temporal scale complexities of post-fire environments will require broader federal support for existing programs along with re-envisioning the overall approach to the post-fire response and recovery process.

Physiological Responses of Elite Cheerleaders During Training and Simulated Competition Routines.

Competitive cheerleading (cheersport) is a physically demanding sport; however, there is a lack of information regarding its acute physiological responses during training or competition in these athletes. Thus, this study aimed to investigate these responses during both training sessions and simulated cheerleading competition routines (full-outs) among elite cheersport athletes. Six Coed and 10 All Girl elite cheerleaders were included in this study. Countermovement-jump (CMJ) height and blood lactate concentration were measured prepractice, after warm-up, after a full-out, and at the end of the training session. Heart rate (HR) was monitored throughout all the sessions. One-way analysis of variance was used to analyze changes over time. Most of the training time (51%-68%) was spent between 50% and69% maximum HR. Only 3% to 4% was spent above 90% HRmax. During full-outs, most of the time (67%-80%), HR was ≥80% maximum HR. The blood lactate concentration was significantly elevated post-full-out (6.4 [1.6]mmol/L) compared with pretraining and post-warm-up (P < .001). In addition, blood lactate concentration was higher after training (3.4 [2.2]mmol/L) compared with prepractice and post-warm-up (P ≤ .025). CMJ height did not change over time (P ≤ .268). Cheersport training leads to a low overall metabolic demand but is interspersed with short, high-intensity "intervals." The highest intensities were achieved during full-outs, indicating the anaerobic nature of competition routines. Therefore, cheerleaders should train both the aerobic and the anaerobic systems to increase recovery capacity between drills and to maximize anaerobic power during competition.

Decellularized cartilage tissue bioink formulation for osteochondral graft development.

Articular cartilage and osteochondral defect repair and regeneration presents significant challenges to the field of tissue engineering (TE). TE and regenerative medicine strategies utilizing natural and synthetic-based engineered scaffolds have shown potential for repair, however, they face limitations in replicating the intricate native microenvironment and structure to achieve optimal regenerative capacity and functional recovery. Herein, we report the development of a cartilage extracellular matrix (ECM) as a printable biomaterial for tissue regeneration. The biomaterial was prepared through decellularization and solubilization of articular cartilage. The effects of two different viscosity modifiers, xanthan gum and Laponite®, and the introduction of a secondary photo-crosslinkable component on the rheological behavior and stability were studied. dcECM-Laponite® bioink formulations demonstrated storage modulus (G') ranging from 750 to 4000 Pa, which is three orders of magnitude higher than that of the dcECM-XG bioink formulations. The rheological evaluation of the bioinks demonstrated the tunability of the bioinks in terms of their viscosity and degree of shear thinning, allowing the formulations to be readily extruded during 3D printing. Also, a spreadable ink composition was identified to form a uniform cartilage layer post-printing. The choice of viscosity modifier along with UV cross-linking warrants shape fidelity of the structure post-printing, as well as improvements in the storage and loss moduli. The modified ECM-based bioink also significantly improved the stability and allowed for prolonged and sustained release of loaded growth factors through the addition of Laponite®. The ECM-based bioink supported human bone-marrow derived stromal cell and chondrocyte viability and increased chondrogenic differentiationin vitro. By forming decellularized cartilage ECM biomaterials in a printable and stable bioink form, we develop a 'Cartilage Ink' that can support cartilaginous tissue formation by closely resembling the native cartilage ECM in structure and function.

Uranium Extraction from Seawater via Hydrogen Bond Porous Organic Cages.

Uranium (U), a high-performing, low-emission energy source, is driving sustainable economic growth. Herein, we synthesized two crystalline phases (HPOC-α and β) by an unreported amidoxime organic cage used for uranium capture. The revealed crystal structures and uranium adsorption test showed that accessible functional groups were essential to uranyl ions sorption. The amidoxime groups presented in HPOC-α gifted it an equilibrium uranium capacity of 1682 mg g-1 and could mostly maintain the performance after adsorption-desorption cycles. In natural seawater, HPOC-α exhibited an impressive uranium recovery capacity of 11.97 mg g-1 during a 30 day field testing, showing potential for economically practical uranium extraction from seawater.

An image analysis-based method to determine the vanadium electrolyte contents during the capacity recovery process with a facile chemical oxidation strategy

Repairing and regenerating the unbalanced electrolytes is critical for the long-term operation of vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs). In this work, we propose a simple strategy to repair the unbalanced electrolytes for capacity recovery through chemical oxidation with the V(V) electrolyte and develop a method based on image analysis to obtain the electrolytes’ V(IV) ion contents. When the V(V) electrolyte with the same concentration as that of the unbalanced electrolyte is added to the unbalanced electrolyte, V(V) ions gradually oxidize V(III) ions to V(IV) ions, and the color of the electrolyte changes significantly. By extracting the RGB information of the electrolyte image, it is found that the B channel value presents the highest sensitivity to the V(IV) ion content. Thus, the relationship between them is fitted, and the R2 of the fitted curve reaches 0.9978. Furthermore, the image analysis-based method is applied to predict the V(V) electrolyte volumes needed to repair the unbalanced electrolytes. Results show that the deviation of the B channel values between the recovered and standard V(IV) electrolytes is within 5%, demonstrating the effectiveness of the proposed repair strategy and image analysis-based method, which show great promise for practical VRFB applications.

Neurons Are Not All the Same: Diversity in Neuronal Populations and Their Intrinsic Responses to Spinal Cord Injury.

Functional recovery following spinal cord injury will require the regeneration and repair of damaged neuronal pathways. It is well known that the tissue response to injury involves inflammation and the formation of a glial scar at the lesion site, which significantly impairs the capacity for neuronal regeneration and functional recovery. There are initial attempts by both supraspinal and intraspinal neurons to regenerate damaged axons, often influenced by the neighboring tissue pathology. Many experimental therapeutic strategies are targeted to further stimulate the initial axonal regrowth, with little consideration for the diversity of the affected neuronal populations. Notably, recent studies reveal that the neuronal response to injury is variable, based on multiple factors, including the location of the injury with respect to the neuronal cell bodies and the affected neuronal populations. New insights into regenerative mechanisms have shown that neurons are not homogenous but instead exhibit a wide array of diversity in their gene expression, physiology, and intrinsic responses to injury. Understanding this diverse intrinsic response is crucial, as complete functional recovery requires the successful coordinated regeneration and reorganization of various neuron pathways.

A novel cobalt-reinforced graphene aerogel composite phase change material with excellent energy storage capacity for low-temperature industrial waste heat recovery

A novel cobalt-reinforced graphene aerogel composite phase change material with excellent energy storage capacity for low-temperature industrial waste heat recovery

Development of functionalized biochar composites for enhanced boron adsorption from aqueous solutions.

This study focuses on developing biochar-based adsorbents with high adsorption capacity and rapid adsorption rates for removing boron from aqueous solutions. Hydroxy-enriched biochar composites (BC (carboxylated biochar), BC-PDA (polydopamine loaded biochar), MBC-PDA (polydopamine loaded magnetic biochar), BC-AlOOH (AlOOH loaded biochar), and BC-ZnCl2 (biochar modified by ZnCl2)) were synthesized specifically for boron adsorption to utilize the superior adsorption capacity of biochar. All adsorbents were synthesized using straightforward experimental techniques from date palm cellulosic fibers as promising lignocellulose feedstock and subjected to various characterization methods. Boron adsorption kinetics, isotherms, mechanism, and adsorbent recycling were investigated using batch adsorption experiments. The experimental results showed adsorption capacity values of 14, 20.5, 21.5, 43.2, and 44.2mg/g for BC, BC-PDA, MBC-PDA, BC-AlOOH, and BC-ZnCl2 composites at 360min. The prominent adsorption capacity of the synthesized adsorbents was related to the abundant existence of -OH functional groups on the BC adsorbent surface and the abundance of pores widely distributed throughout the surface, facilitating the chemical and physical adsorption of boron. The synthesized adsorbents exhibited a promoted boron adsorption capacity and ease of recovery and reusability.

Optimizing soil health through activated acacia biochar under varying irrigation regimes and cultivars for sustainable wheat cultivation.

Wheat, a staple food crop globally, faces the challenges of limited water resources and sustainable soil management practices. The pivotal elements of the current study include the integration of activated acacia biochar (AAB) in wheat cultivation under varying irrigation regimes (IR). A field trial was conducted in the Botanical Garden, University of the Punjab, Lahore during 2023-2024, designed as a split-split-plot arrangement with RCBD comprising three AAB levels (0T, 5T, and 10T, T = tons per hectare) three wheat cultivars (Dilkash-2020, Akbar-2019, and FSD-08) receiving five IR levels (100%, 80%, 70%, 60%, and 50% field capacity). Biochar amended soil showed improved BET surface area, pore size, and volume. Carbon recovery (45%) and carbon sequestration capacity (49%) of 10T-AAB amended soil were better than non-amended soil (0.43% and 0.13%, respectively). The 10T-AAB amendment significantly improved the soil's microporosity and water retention capacity, increasing it by 1.1 and 2.2 times, respectively. Statistical analysis showed that a reduction in IR negatively affected plant growth and yield. The 10T-AAB levels significantly increased sugar contents (14%), relative water content (10-28%), membrane stability index (27-55%), and photosynthetic pigments (18-26%) of wheat leaves under deficit irrigation among all the cultivars. Maximum stress markers (catalase, proline, peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase) were observed from Akbar under 50% irrigation with 0T-AAB, and the least were observed from 50% irrigated Dilkash-2020 with 10T-AAB amended soil. Among cultivars, Dilkash-2020 was observed to be the best for maximum yield, followed by FSD-08 and Akbar-2019, respectively. When compared to other IR levels, 10T-AAB amended soil had the highest yield enhancement (12, 11, and 9.2 times for Dilkash-2020, FSD-08, and Akbar-2019, respectively). Hence, AAB enhanced wheat production by improving soil properties, drought resilience, and yield attributes.

Revealing ionically isolated Li loss in practical rechargeable Li metal pouch cells.

The degradation of rechargeable lithium (Li) metal batteries is primarily attributed to active Li loss, encompassing isolated Li, also known as "dead Li", and solid electrolyte interphase (SEI-Li). Comprehending the formation of dead Li is pivotal for devising strategies to mitigate Li loss. Herein, we reveal the existence of an alternative form of dead Li, termed ionically isolated Li (I-iLi), which diverges from the traditionally recognized electronically isolated Li (E-iLi). This phenomenon is elucidated through a quantitative analysis of electrolyte-dependent capacity recovery at a specific state of health (SOH) in high-energy pouch cells, which originates from disconnections within the Li-ion percolation network induced by electrolyte de-wetting. Furthermore, we propose the electrolyte infilling ratio (EFR), contingent upon the porosity of Li deposits and electrolyte retention, as a criterion to evaluate electrode wettability. To uphold a high EFR environment, we introduce stress modulation to compact the anode structure and mitigate electrolyte degradation, significantly reducing the I-iLi content from 21% at 0.1MPa to 1% at 1MPa. Harnessing these insights, a prototype anode-free LiNi0.95Mn0.03Co0.02O2||Cu pouch cell (1.4Ah) achieves an extraordinary cell-level energy density of 551Wh kg-1 and maintains 70% capacity after 100 cycles at 0.2C.

Exploration of potential-limited protocols to prevent inefficiencies in Li-O2 batteries during charge.

Metal-air batteries are promising energy storage systems with high specific energy density and low dependence on critical materials. However, their development is hindered by slow kinetics, low roundtrip efficiency, deficient capacity recovery, and limited lifetime. This work explores the effect of cycling protocols on the lifetime of Li-O2 cells, and the interplay between electrolyte composition and the upper cut-off voltage during charge. Our results suggest that constant-current-constant-voltage (CCCV) protocols accommodate the slower kinetics at the end of charge in Li-O2 cells better than the constant-current (CC) protocols majorly used in the field. These results suggest that CCCV protocols should be standardised to assess performance improvements in Li-O2 cells.

Optimizing muscle health: The role of resistance training and frequency in muscle hypertrophy

Resistance training (RT) is a key factor in promoting muscle hypertrophy and overall muscle health. Recent research highlights the role of RT frequency in optimizing hypertrophic outcomes. The purpose of this literature review is to explore the influence of training frequency on muscle hypertrophy and evaluates its effectiveness in tailoring programs to individual needs. A total of 63 research papers published between the years 2019 to 2024 were accessed and used for this review that met the criteria. The review indicates that while training volume is the primary driver of hypertrophy, frequency adjustments may enhance outcomes in specific contexts, such as recovery capacity and advanced adaptations. This review underscores the potential of frequency as a variable to optimize RT programs for improved muscle health.

A Two-Stage Resilience Enhancement Strategy for Distribution Networks Considering Extreme Weather Conditions

Background: In the context of increasing extreme weather events and natural disasters, enhancing the resilience and rapid recovery capabilities of distribution networks has become a critical focus in power system research. Objective: Previous studies primarily focused on the post-disaster power restoration phase of distribution networks affected by extreme weather without fully addressing the critical role of mobile energy storage in pre-disaster prevention. To bridge this gap, this paper proposes a two-stage resilience enhancement strategy for distribution networks, incorporating multi-source coordination and network reconfiguration. Methods: This paper presents a two-stage resilience enhancement strategy for distribution networks under extreme weather conditions. This strategy combines the coordinated optimization of various DERs with network reconfiguration. In the pre-disaster stage, optimization is conducted to manage uncertainties in wind and photovoltaic output. A pre-deployment approach for energy storage is introduced, incorporating the coordination of the power grid and transportation network to maximize expected load power recovery and minimize node voltage deviation. In the post-disaster stage, the strategy integrates distributed resources such as photovoltaic systems, wind power, and mobile energy storage. It uses a multi-source coordinated dynamic scheduling method to optimize spatiotemporal energy distribution. Results: The results show that this approach significantly improves post-disaster recovery efficiency. It reduces load shedding and enhances the system's adaptability and disaster resistance. Conclusion: The proposed approach enhances the overall resilience and recovery capacity of the distribution network. This patented technology will be applied in the future.