Abstract

The demand for electric cars is growing globally due to tax incentives and subsidies that many countries have adopted and the increase of produced models. This high demand is justified by energy efficiency, less need for maintenance, low pollutant emissions and the search for more sustainable, economical and technological mobility. In addition to improving the sustainability of cities and combating climate change, the accelerated adoption of electric vehicles will drop global demand for oil. This technology remains highly concentrated in China, the European Union and the United States. The transition to sustainable electric mobility is not only related to vehicle efficiency, but also to adequate management of the battery life cycle. This study aims to analyzethe strategies adopted by manufacturers after the end of the useful life of these equipment. Batteries degradeover time and use, resulting in reduced capacity and performance. Improper disposal of batteries can cause environmental contamination, affecting surrounding ecosystems and communities due to toxic substances. Advanced recycling processes can recover up to 90% of the metals present in batteries, which can be reintegrated into the production chain, reducing the carbon footprint, mining of raw materials and minimizing environmental impact. Another option is reconditioning, which can represent a more viable alternative than complete replacement. Used batteries can still be effectively used in other applications that does not have a high power demand,contributing to reducing waste and maximizing the use of resources. Collaboration between stakeholders is critical to promote responsible disposal practices for electric vehicle batteries.

Abstract

Benzodiazepinesorbenzos(BZPs)arebasicallyagroupofdepressantmedications.Thegroupisalso used as drugsof abuse. Hence, their determination in biofluids and wastewater is desirable for pharmaceutical, medicinaland forensic cases. This study aims to synthesize the combination of multiwall carbon nanotubes with different types of amine (Ethylenediamine, Methylamine, Dimethylamine and Triethylamine) along with application to solid-phase extraction (SPE) as a sorbent. Additionally, an SPE procedure, besidesahighperformanceliquidchromatographicprocedure,wasdevelopedfortheassayofsomeBZPs,namelyalprazolam(APZ),fludiaze
pam(FZP),anddiazepam(DZP).SurfacefunctionalizationwascarriedoutforMWCNTsusingnitricandsulfuricacids,besidesthionylchlorideforimprovingfunctionalizationandreactivity.FortheSPEprocedure, 25 mg of the oxidized (O-MWCNT@EDA, O-MWCNT@DMA , O-MWCNT@MA, and O- MWCNT@TEA weretransferredintoaSPEcartridge.Thesorbentwasconditionedbyamixtureof acetonitrile and methanol followed by water. A mixture of BZPs was loaded and eluted. A preconcentration factor 2.5 was obtained, which enhanced the sensitivity of the quantification. The optimum HPLC-DAD conditions were as follows: C18 column, mobile phase acetonitrile:water: methanol with ratio (2:2:1) respectively, sample volume 5 ml, flow rate 20 µl, and 230nm wave length.Thelimitofdetectionswereasfollows:APZ,FZP,andDZP(0.2µg/mL).Interestingly, excellent recovery was obtained for O-MWCNT@EDA for APZ (95%), FZP (88%), DZP (86%), which is due to the high efficiency of the functionalized O-MWCNTs@EDA sorbent for SPE. The method is promising to be applied for biofluid and wastewater analysis for BZPs and their residues

Abstract

Vitamin D (VD) is a steroid hormone that is widely known to play an important role in maintaining mineral homeostasis, and regulating various physiological functions. In our studies, the functions of VD on glucose and lipid metabolism, as well as the underlying mechanism have been investigated by using zebrafish as an animal model. Our results demonstrated that the interruption of VD metabolism caused hyperglycemia in zebrafish. On one hand, VD activated vitamin D response element (VDRE) located in the promoter area of insra in zebrafish to promote insulin/insra signaling pathway; on the other hand, VD modulated the gut microbiota-short chain fatty acids (SCFAs)-gastrointestinal hormone axis, contributing to the maintenance of glucose homeostasis.Furthermore, our results provided the evidence that VD regulated glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) production in zebrafish by influencing gut microbiota and its metabolite, contributing to energy homeostasis and amelio rating hypoglycemia under short-term fasting conditions. In addition, the in vitro and in vivo experiment proved that VD inhibited lipid droplet synthesis by suppressing the expression of pparγand plin2 through the activation of VDR, thus alleviating lipid deposition in zebrafish liver caused by a high-fat diet. In conclusion, our studies highlighted the crucial role of VD in maintaining the homeostasis of glucose and lipid metabolism, and provided the scientific guidance for the precise application of VD in aquaculture.

Abstract

Our study investigated the potential of herbal medicines as alternatives of antibiotics in aquaculture caused by dietary stress and infectious disease from pathogens such as bacteria, parasites and viruses. Through combination of in vitro and in vivo experiments, over ten herbal candidates were screened for immunomodulatory and disease-preventive properties. Application parameters, including optimal dosage and form, were evaluated for each herb Zebrafish were used as a model to study foodborne enteritis and liver metaflammation. The effective herbs were further tested in grass carp, largemouth bass, and shrimp. three aspects were observed. First, anti-metabolic inflammation activity was demonstrated by Hippophaerhamnoides (seabuckthorn), gallic acid, Solidago decurrensLour., Picriafel-terraeLour., Terminalia belliricaRoxb., and Osmunda japonicaThunb., which alleviated intestinal atrophy and hepatic lipid accumulation induced by soybean meal. Second, sinomenine and several other herbs enhanced mucosal immunity and balanced intestinal microbiota. These herbs also exhibited antibacterial effects against Aeromonashydrophila. Third, extracts of T. belliricaRoxb. and O. japonicaThunb.showed anti-parasitic activity against Ichthyophthiriusmultifiliis, and O.japonicaThunb. extract inhibited grass carp reovirus (GCRV). Network pharmacology revealed gallic acid as a PPAR-targeting agent in H. rhamnoides, while hexanorcucurbitacin F in P. fel-terraeLour. was linked to macrophage function modulation. These findings support the integration of herbal functional additives in aquaculture as sustainable, antibiotic-free solutions for disease prevention and immune enhancement