Search

Trichloroethylene is a typical organic contaminant that has widely existed in industry sites and groundwater. Biochar-supported zero-valent iron material has been used to remove trichloroethylene in groundwater; however, it could affect the microbial communities in aquifer soil, leading to changes in the environmental behavior of trichloroethylene. In this study, biochar was prepared under oxygen-limited conditions and modified by NaOH and HNO 3 agents. Then, a modified biochar-supported zero-valent iron composite (BC composites) was synthesized using ball milling technology. The effects of BC composites on the removal of trichloroethylene and the responses of the microbial community were investigated under the condition of simulated aquifer soil. The results showed that the specific surface areas of BC composites were increased after the modification with NaOH. The highest removal rate of trichloroethylene was observed in the BC_2 treatment, up to 90.01%. Except in the BC_1 treatment, the diversity and abundance of soil microorganisms were increased, and the microbial community structure was changed after the addition of different BC composites, in which Bacillus, Thiobacillus , and Pseudomonas might have been the potential degrading bacteria of trichloroethylene. The abundance of Thiobacillus and Pseudomonas increased under the BC_2 treatment, which was favorable to the removal of trichloroethylene. The stabilization of the microbial community structure was probably maintained by Nocardioideas , Thermincola , Lysobacter , Gemmatimonas , Microvirga , and Pseudomonas . According to the predictive analysis of microbial metabolic pathways, the abundance of xenobiotics biodegradation and metabolism genes and the folding, sorting, and degradation of genes were the highest under the BC_2 treatment. Thus, the NaOH-modified BC composite could prompt the removal of trichloroethylene in simulated aquifer soil, probably due to the increase in the abundance of soil-degrading bacteria and the expression of degradation genes, demonstrating that the NaOH-modified BC composite could be used for the remediation of the organic-contaminated industry sites as a new composite material.

Urban rivers have been regarded as the "hotspots" for microplastic (MPs) and metal contamination as they play important roles in pollution migration. However, as important sinks and sources of resistance genes, there has been little to no research investigating the associations between MPs, metal contaminations, and metal resistance genes (MRGs). Ten water samples were collected from the Huangpu River in situ ; along with metal elements, MPs characteristics analyzed. Metal resistance genes and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) in waters and MPs were detected using metagenomic technology. As a result, the highest metal concentration was that of Sb in surface water (3.16±0.419) μg·L -1 . The average abundance of MPs was (1.78±0.84) n·L -1 , and the peak levels located in industrial and densely populated areas, which was significantly higher than those in agricultural and low population density areas. Fibrous, small-size (<0.5 mm), and transparent polyethylene terephthalate (PET) were the largest contributors of MPs. Eighteen MRGs were detected in all the samples. The relative abundance of MRGs in water was 1.68±0.21. The most dominant MRGs subtypes were merR and ruvB , which are subtypes resistant to mercury and Multi&#95;metals. Correlation analysis showed that chromium and nickel in waters were significantly positively associated with MRG-Cr, MRG-Ni, and Multi&#95;metals resistance genes. For MPs particles, the relative abundance of MRGs was 1.63±0.53. The most dominant MRGs subtypes were merT-P and copB , which also belong to mercury-resistant and Multi&#95;metals. The Multi&#95;metals resistance gene, ctpC , cueA , czrA , kmtR , etc., had significant positive associations with Ni, Cr, and Sb in waters. Compared with water samples, MPs selectively enriched merT-P , copB , ziaA , sodA, and dmeF . Additionally, the co-occurrence patterns of MRGs and MGEs were explored based on network analysis. In water samples, the transposases ( tnpA&#95;1 and tnpA&#95;2 ), integrase ( qacEdelta ), and insertion sequence ( IS91 ) were the major contributors of the horizontal gene transfer (HGT) of specific MRGs. Multiple subtypes resistant to copper and Multi&#95;metals resistance genes on MPs were positively associated with IncFIC(FII) , Rep7 , rep7 , and rep13 , which were subtypes of plasmids. The presence of MPs exerted a significant impact on HGT of specific MRGs mediated by plasmids.

Objective: To investigate the correlation between the prenatal exposure of per-/polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) and the neonatal outcome. Methods: A total of 506 maternal infant cohort samples were collected in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province from 2020 to 2021. The exposure levels of seven PFASs in maternal serum before delivery were detected by solid-phase extraction-ultra performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Multivariable linear regression model was used to analyze the influence of prenatal exposure of PFASs on birth weight, birth length and Apgar score. Results: The maternal age, prenatal body mass index and gestation age were (31.3±4.3) years old, (26.7±3.2) kg/m 2 and (265.0±28.3) days, respectively. The birth weight, birth length and scores of Apgar-1 and Apgar-5 were (3.1±0.8) kg, (49.3±2.9) cm, (9.88±0.47) points and (9.99±0.13) points, respectively. PFASs were widely distributed in maternal serum, with the highest concentration of (18.453±19.557) ng/ml, (6.756±9.379) ng/ml and (5.057±8.555) ng/ml for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and 6∶2 chlorinated polyfluorinated ether sulfonate (Cl-PFESA), respectively. Maternal age, parity and delivery mode were associated with the exposure level of PFASs ( P <0.05). Subgroup analysis showed that PFOS had negative effects on birth weight ( β= -0.958), birth length ( β= -0.073) and Apgar-5 score ( β= -0.288) for neonates in the low birth weight (LBW) group. 6∶2 Cl-PFESA and 8∶2 Cl-PFESA inhibited the birth weight ( β= -0.926; β= -0.552) and length ( β= -0.074; β= -0.045) of newborn in the LBW group. In addition, 4∶2 fluorotelomer sulfonate (FTS) was associated with increased birth weight ( β =0.111) and decreased Apgar-5 score ( β =-0.030) in the normal weight group. Conclusion: Prenatal exposure to PFASs is associated with birth weight, birth length and Apgar-5 score. It is necessary to continue to pay attention to the impact of PFASs on fetal growth and development through maternal-fetal transmission.

To assess the ecological risk of microplastics (MPs) occurring in the surface water of terrestrial water systems across China, this study obtained relevant literature and data by searching keywords including microplastics, urban, and river on websites such as Science Direct and Web of Science. We constructed an evaluation method of ecological risk characterization ratio (RCR) based on chemical hazard data, as well as data of MPs abundance and polymer proportion originating in studies from 2017 to 2021 that covered 33 water bodies in 15 provinces. The results showed that the average abundance of MPs in natural water bodies in China reached (3604.2±5926.4) n·m -3 , and the average abundance of MPs in urban water bodies was (7722.6±9505.7) n·m -3 . The corresponding average RCR of natural water bodies was 22.09±45.2, and the average RCR of urban water bodies was 15.67±34.8. Therefore, according to the value of RCR, the ecological risk could be rated as four levels. Of these, no significant risk (RCR ≤ 1) was found in 17 water bodies, accounting for 42.5%; low ecological risks (RCR 1-10) were found in 12 water bodies (30%); medium ecological risks (RCR 10-100) were found in 9 water bodies (22.5%); and high ecological risks (RCR>100) were found in 2 water bodies (5%). Data analysis showed a significant correlation between MPs abundance and RCR values in natural water bodies ( R 2 =0.875, P <0.01), though not in urban water bodies. This suggested that the high abundance of MPs could not precisely indicate a high degree of ecological risk in the area. In addition, RCR values were observed to be positively correlated with the watershed area ( R 2 =0.864, P <0.01), and MPs abundance was correlated with GDP ( R 2 =0.679, P <0.05) and watershed resident population ( R 2 =0.922, P <0.05). This study provides baseline data for evaluating the ecological risk of MPs and a feasible method for evaluating the ecological risk of MPs in surface water of terrestrial water systems.

DLP4 (defensin-like peptide 4) is a novel insect defensin, which has strong antibacterial activity against Gram-positive bacteria and is not susceptible to develop drug resistance. In this study, an elastin-like polypeptide (ELP) and an intein fusion system were used for production and purification of DLP4, which combined the characteristics of the phase transition of ELP and the C-cleavage of the intein. A recombinant expression plasmid pET-ELP-I-DLP4 was constructed and transformed into Escherichia coli . Subsequently, DLP4 was purified by simple centrifugation, alternation of pH and temperature. However, the C-cleavage of the intein occurred unexpectedly during the process of expression and purification. To solve this problem, the intein was split into N-intein (I0 N ) and C-intein (I0 C ), and fused with ELP or DLP4 to construct two recombinant expression plasmids pET-ELP-I0 N and pET-ELP-I0 C -DLP4, respectively. These two plasmids were transformed into E . coli separately. The mixture of the two cultures of E . coli strains restored the C-cleavage activity of the intein. This operation yielded DLP4 of about 1.49 mg/L. Antibacterial test confirmed that the purified DLP4 exhibited expected activity. Thus, this approach can be used as an effective way for DLP4 expression and purification in the prokaryotic system.

Icariin (ICA) is a small molecule drug capable of promoting cartilage repair and ameliorating inflammation. Loading ICA into a biomaterial scaffold for cartilage tissue engineering will thus potentially enhance the biological functionality of the engineered scaffold. In this study, short fibers processed from electrospun poly(l-lactide- co -caprolactone) (PLCL) fibers which were prior coated with polydopamine (PDA), were mixed with citric acid doped chitosan solution (CC) for preparing short fibers reinforced chitosan hydrogel (PDA@PLCL/CC) by a freeze-thawing combined freeze-drying method. Thereafter, ICA was loaded into the PDA@PLCL/CC scaffold through physical adsorption to generate a newly engineered biomimetic cartilage scaffold (ICA-PDA@PLCL/CC). Finally, ICA-mediated chondrogenic and ameliorated inflammatory effects of the ICA-PDA@PLCL/CC scaffold were examined in vitro using rabbit chondrocytes. The results showed that the ICA-free PDA@PLCL/CC scaffold possessed appropriate pore size and porosity (> 80%), high water absorbance capacity and improved mechanical performance, and also promoted chondrocyte proliferation and adhesion. The ICA-laden ICA-PDA@PLCL/CC scaffold was evidenced to maintain cytomorphology, upregulate the expression of chondrogenic gene ( sox-9 ), glycosaminoglycan gene ( gag ), and type Ⅱ collagen gene ( col Ⅱ ) as well as the synthesis of the cartilage matrix. In the presence of a simulated inflammation, the ICA-PDA@PLCL/CC scaffold was found to reduce chondrocyte fibrosis, effectively downregulate the expression of proinflammatory factors interleukin-6 ( il-6 ), interleukin-1 ( il-1 ), and inducible nitric oxide synthase ( inos ) in chondrocytes. It can also reduce matrix metalloproteinase-3 ( mmp-3 ) expression and promote the synthesis of the extracellular matrix glycosaminoglycan (GAG) and type II collagen (Col II). The newly developed ICA-PDA@PLCL/CC scaffold may find applications in the regeneration and repair of cartilage defects.

The study aimed to evaluate the safety and function of poly(lactic-acid-co-ε-caprolactone) (PLCL)/fibrinogen nanofibers (P/F-Ns), and provide theoretical basis for the clinical application. The surface morphology, mechanical properties, the hydrophilicity and the fibrinogen content of P/F-Ns were tested by scanning electron microscope, the material testing machine, the contact angle meter and the microplate reader, respectively. The cell adhesion, proliferation and ligament remodeling genes expression of Hig-82 cells on P/F-Ns were conducted through cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) and real-time quantitative PCR analyses, respectively. The results showed that with the increase of the fibrinogen content, the pore sizes and hydrophilicity of three P/F-Ns increased, but the mechanical properties decreased. Cell adhesion and proliferation tests showed that P/F-N-2 held the best ability to promote cell adhesion and proliferation. The ligament remodeling genes expressions of Hig-82 cells on P/F-N-1, P/F-N-2 and P/F-N-3 were all up-regulated compared to P/F-N-0 on days 3 and 7. All the three P/F-Ns containing fibrinogen (P/F-N-1, P/F-N-2 and P/F-N-3) had better biocompatibility compared to P/F-N-0, and could be efficiently applied to the reconstruction of anterior cruciate ligament.

The overwinter period is the pre-stage of the algal bloom, and the endogenous phosphorus (P) in sediments is one of the main P sources of algal blooms during this period. Based on the investigation of the water quality and sediment pollutants during the overwinter period of cyanobacteria (recruitment period and dormancy period), this study analyzed the P release characteristics of sediments in the horizontal and vertical directions and clarified the P release risk of sediments and the change in microbial community structures. The results showed that the lake bay was moderately eutrophic in the two periods of the study area, and the water quality and sediment nitrogen and P pollution were more serious, and the chlorophyll a content (Chl-a) was still at a high level in the overwinter period. The pseudo-second order model and the modified Langmuir model could respectively describe the P kinetics and sorption isotherm behavior in the sediment. The theoretical maximum P sorption capacities ( Q max ) of sediments were bottom layer>middle layer>surface layer, and the highest value was 1.648 mg·g -1 with the highest P sorption rate constant of the pseudo second-order kinetic model of 6.292 g·(mg·min) -1 . Additionally, the P adsorption parameters ( Q max , NAP, and EPC 0 ) were mainly affected by the physical and chemical properties of the sediment itself and the nutritional level of the lake bay. The surface sediments from the dormancy period mainly played the role of P sinks, and the part of sediments from the recruitment period played the role of P sources, in which existed the risk of endogenous P release. The analysis of the microbial community structure in sediments indicated that the microbial diversity in the sediments during the dormancy period was higher than that during the recruitment period, and some microbial categories with phosphate-solubilizing function of relative abundance was high.

With the development of photothermal nanomaterials, photothermal therapy based on near-infrared light excitation shows great potential for the bacterial infected wound treatment. At the same time, in order to improve the photothermal antibacterial effect of wound infection and reduce the damage of high temperature and heat to healthy tissue, the targeted bacteria strategy has been gradually applied in wound photothermal therapy. In this paper, several commonly used photothermal nanomaterials as well as their targeted bacterial strategies were introduced, and then their applications in photothermal antibacterial therapy, especially in bacterial infected wounds were described. Besides, the challenges of targeted photothermal antibacterial therapy in the wound healing application were analyzed, and the development of photothermal materials with targeted antibacterial property has prospected in order to provide a new idea for wound photothermal therapy.

Dissolved organic matter(DOM) in water environments is an important component of the global carbon cycle. Under the current urgency to control the pollution of urban rivers in China, exploring the influence of different exogenous and endogenous secondary pollution and weather patterns on river DOM is the premise to better understand the causes of the pollution. In this study, a large city in China was established as the research area, and the underlying water and sediments from 21 sites along urban and suburban rivers, and other water sources were evaluated. The excitation-emission matrix-parallel factor analysis(EEM-PARAFAC) was used to analyze the difference in DOM composition and equivalent in urban rivers polluted by domestic sewage and suburban rivers polluted by aquaculture, agriculture, and livestock breeding. The results showed that:① DOM components in urban and suburban river waters were mainly protein compounds(tyrosine-and tryptophan-like), containing a small amount of humic acid. Humic acid components of anthropogenic origin were found in urban river water; ② The reasons for the formation of DOM components in urban and suburban rivers were completely different. Urban rivers are mainly polluted by domestic sewage and endogenous secondary pollution, resulting in an increase in anthropogenic humic acid components. Suburban rivers are mainly polluted by agricultural wastewater rich in N and P, which promotes endogenous metabolism of autotrophic bacteria and increases protein components, which may be related to the formation of existing DOM characteristics. ③ Rainfall runoff and urban overflow transported exogenous pollutants into rivers, while hydrodynamic factors such as hydraulic agitation affect the distribution of DOM components in underlying water and sediments through physical effects such as dilution.

Antimicrobial peptides are the most promising alternatives to antibiotics. However, the strategy of producing antimicrobial peptides by recombinant technology is complicated and expensive, which is not conducive to the large-scale production. Oxysterlin 1 is a novel type of cecropin antimicrobial peptide mainly targeting on Gram-negative bacteria and is of low cytotoxicity. In this study, a simple and cost-effective method was developed to produce Oxysterlin 1 in Escherichia coli. The Oxysterlin 1 gene was cloned into a plasmid containing elastin-like polypeptide (ELP) and protein splicing elements (intein) to construct the recombinant expression plasmid (pET-ELP-I-Oxysterlin 1). The recombinant protein was mainly expressed in soluble form in E. coli, and then the target peptide can be purified with a simple salting out method followed by pH changing. The final yield of Oxysterlin 1 was about 1.2 mg/L, and the subsequent antimicrobial experiment showed the expected antimicrobial activity. This study holds promise for large-scale production of antimicrobial peptides and the in-depth study of its antimicrobial mechanism.

Biliary stent has been widely used in the treatment of biliary stricture and obstruction, it can relieve the pain of patients effectively, but bacterial infection and stent obstruction are still troublesome after surgery. We introduce the mechanism of infection and stent blockage caused by bacterial invasion after biliary stent implantation, and expound the formation mechanism of bacterial biofilm and bile sludge in this review. Antibacterial biliary stent is an effective way to inhibit biliary tract infection, the literatures on antibacterial modification of biliary stent with different antibacterial methods in domestic and abroad are reviewed, and the research prospect of antibacterial biliary stent is summarized and prospected.

The adsorption performance of three iron ores (pyrite, hematite, and magnetite) on Sb(Ⅴ) was compared and pyrite was shown to exhibit the highest adsorption performance. The effects of particle size, concentration, and pH on the adsorption performance were investigated with pyrite as the absorbent. The rejection of Sb(Ⅴ) was the highest (>80%) when pyrite (particle size <0.074 mm) was used as the absorbent with a concentration of 1 g ·L -1 and pH=7. The ion competition experiment indicated that PO 4 3- can inhibit the adsorption of Sb(Ⅴ), while SO 4 2- and CO 3 2- have no significant effects on the adsorption of Sb(Ⅴ) because PO 4 3- can compete with Sb(Ⅴ) for active adsorption sites on the surface of pyrite. The results also showed that the quasi-second-order kinetic model and Langmuir model can better simulate the adsorption process, which shows a single-layer adsorption behavior and chemisorption plays a main role in the rejection of Sb(Ⅴ). FTIR analysis suggested that the removal of Sb(Ⅴ) by pyrite was a coordinated ion exchange reaction. EDS and XPS results further confirmed that Sb(Ⅴ) was adsorbed on the surface of pyrite and was not reduced to Sb(Ⅲ), which is more toxic.

To investigate the effect of typical manure application on soil microbes in paddy fields, a field experiment on manure application in Chongming Island was carried out. The composition and variety of soil microorganisms in rice paddy fields were analyzed using high-throughput theory (CK), chicken manure (CM), pig manure (PM), and organic fertilizer (OF). The results showed that compared with CK, the application of organic manure increased soil organic matter (SOM), and the application of chicken manure significantly increased the soil ammonia nitrogen (NH 4 + -N) and total nitrogen (TN) contents ( P <0.05). Soil microbial diversity in the PM group was significantly higher than that in the CK group ( P <0.05), and the soil microbial community richness in the OF group was significantly higher than that in the CM group ( P <0.05). pH, total phosphorus (TP), total nitrogen, and Pb were the important factors affecting the composition of soil microbial communities in paddy fields. The microbial community structure in the CM group was significantly different from those in the other three groups. Compared with CK, the OF group increased the relative abundance of Nitrospira , and the CM group significantly reduced the relative abundance of the denitrifying bacteria Ignavibacteriae ( P <0.01) to 40.56%, but significantly increased the relative abundance of nitrifying bacteria Thauera ( P <0.05) to 203.00%. The PM group significantly increased the relative abundance of ammoniated bacteria Armatimonadetes ( P <0.05) to 57.51% and the anaerobic strain Anaerolinea to 102.00%. The application of chicken manure and pig manure significantly increased the relative abundance of pathogens Pseudomonas and Flavisolibacter ( P <0.05), respectively, while the application of organic manure reduced the relative abundance of Flavisolibacter . Overall, the application of manure increased the abundance of bacteria involved in the nitrogen cycle of paddy soils and played a positive role in regulating the nitrogen balance in paddy soils. However, direct application of chicken manure and fresh pig manure increased the abundance of pathogenic bacteria, which had a certain degree of stress on the soil health in the paddy field.

Naphthalene sulfonic acid is widely used in the industry. In this study, H acid (1-amino-8-naphthol-3,6-disulfonic acid) was selected as the characteristic pollutant, and the alkali-activated, thermally-activated, and alkali-heat-complex activated persulfate (PS) degradation of H acid was analyzed. The effects of other factors on complex activation were discussed. The experimental results showed that with the addition of calcium oxide from 0 to 1250 mg ·L -1 , the H acid removal rate increased from 42.5% to 82.8% after 100 min of reaction. The removal rate of H acid in thermal activation is positively correlated with temperature. The removal rate of H acid at 65℃ is 77.5%, and the apparent activation energy is 37.85 kJ ·mol -1 . Although composite activation speeds up the reaction rate, rapid degradation of PS at high temperatures caused the degradation of H acid to be worse than single thermal activation. The change in PS concentration did not significantly improve the removal rate of H acid, and the inorganic anion CO 3 2- was not conducive to the removal of H acid. Compound activation is not ideal for the mineralization of H acid, and the removal rate of TOC is only 16%. GC-MS identified the degradation product of H acid as terephthalic acid, indicating that phthalic anhydride may be formed after the naphthalene ring is opened.

Rivers have been a subject of great concern in recent years as they have been found to be the critical path for the transmission of microplastics from terrestrial land to the ocean. However, the pollution status of microplastics and their behavior in the surface waters and sediments of urban rivers located in different urban areas remain unclear. In this study, 16 samples of surface water and sediment from eight rivers in the central and suburban areas of Shanghai Megacity were obtained and analyzed. High-speed cameras and Fourier transform infrared spectrometers were used to identify the abundance, size, color, shape, type, and other characteristics of microplastics in these samples. The results showed that the average abundance of microplastics in the surface waters of urban rivers in Shanghai Megacity was (7.5±2.8) pieces·L -1 , while the corresponding average abundance in the sediment reached (1575.5±758.4)pieces·kg -1 (wet weight). The abundance of microplastics was found to increase with the decreasing particle diameter. Among which, microplastics with a size of less than 500 μm, as well as the fibrous shape, transparent color, and Polyester composition, have always dominated in the urban rivers in Shanghai megacity. Comparably, microplastics in the sediments were more diverse in their morphology features and polymer compositions. Microplastic pollution in the urban rivers in Shanghai megacity was severe in comparison to that in other urban rivers worldwide. Among various urban rivers, the distribution of microplastics with different morphology features and polymer compositions is greatly influenced by a number of factors including the source (e.g., mainly laundry wastewater, personal care products, and refuse plastic waste), hydrodynamic conditions, and the physical and chemical properties of plastics. Furthermore, the pollution behavior (i.e., source, transmission, and fate) of microplastics occurring in urban rivers is discussed, and the potential impacts of various environmental factors are explained.

The tetracycline (TC) antibiotic has been widely found in different environmental matrices. The tetracycline resistant bacterium (TRB) of Shigella flexneri was screened and purified from activated sludge, and was then used to study the impact of TC stress on the gene abundances and expression levels of TC resistance genes (TC-ARGs), including tetC , tetO , and tetX , which were respectively quantified by quantitative PCR and reverse transcriptional PCR. Correlations between the TC concentration and gene abundances of TC-ARGs and their expression levels were discussed. The results showed that TC stress had an inhibiting effect on the growth of Shigella flexneri during the entire culture cycle (24 h) and that the growth rate of the bacterial concentration decreased with increasing TC concentration. However, less impact on the gene abundance of TC-ARGs was found. TC stress could promote the expression of TC-ARGs in Shigella flexneri , and the expression levels of tetC , tetO , and tetX genes first increased and then decreased. The correlation results indicated that no significant correlation was observed between the TC concentration and gene abundances of TC-ARGs and their expression levels. Nevertheless, the gene abundances of tetC and tetO were significantly correlated with their expression levels, thus indicating that they can be used to evaluate and assess expression levels to a certain extent.

The increasing carbon emission of polluted rivers in urban areas is an environmental problem commonly faced by many cities in China, especially the megacities with vast populations. In this study, two typical rivers located in the megacity of Shanghai, including the suburban river network R1 and urban river R2 (in the central city), were investigated for their emission characteristics of CO 2 and CH 4 in dry and wet weather. We also analyzed the relationship between the state and type of river pollution and CO 2 and CH 4 emissions, and further explained the mechanisms of CO 2 and CH 4 emissions in urban rivers impacted by sewage discharged from the municipal drainage network. The results show that:① In dry weather, the average fluxes of CO 2 and CH 4 emitted from the river in the central city (R2) were (2.48±1.02) mmol·(m 2 ·h) -1 and (1.21×10 -2 ±0.71×10 -2 ) mmol·(m 2 ·h) -1 , respectively. The average fluxes of CO 2 and CH 4 from the suburban river (R1) network were (1.53±0.39) mmol·(m 2 ·h) -1 and (9.26×10 -3 ±9.18×10 -3 ) mmol·(m 2 ·h) -1 , respectively. In wet weather, affected by sewage from the municipal drainage network, CH 4 flux emitted from the surface water of the R2 river downstream of the pump station P increased by up to 119 times that in dry weather. ② Global carbon emission statistics, involving the data from our study and from other rivers around the world, seemed to imply a relationship between the carbon emission flux and the pollution state of an urban river, i.e., the rivers with high pollution showed significant carbon emission intensity. ③ According to the results of PCA, organic matter can be an essential factor in driving the variation of carbon emissions, and this trend is evident in all the rivers in urban and suburban areas. The relationship between carbon emissions and nitrogen pollution in a river varies with different types of underlying riparian surface. In the less polluted urban rivers, the aquatic physical factor can also be an essential factor. ④ In the short term, with massive quantities of sewage discharged into urban rivers, a large amount of CH 4 flux can be emitted. In contrast, in the long run, the carbon cycle can be strengthened when the carbon storage is increased, and thus the emission potential of CO 2 and CH 4 is improved.

Stormwater runoff pollution occurring in urban areas can be a notable threat to the ecological environments of receiving water bodies. Dissolved organic matter (DOM) constitutes the primary type of pollutant in stormwater runoff, and tracking of its components and sources can provide valuable scientific bases for the future abatement of stormwater runoff pollution. In this study, aiming to demonstrate the characteristics and sources of the contained DOM in both pavement runoff (PR) and greenland runoff (GR), we applied ultra-high-resolution Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR-MS) to analyze the molecular chemo-diversity of their DOM, as well as Spearman rank correlations between the molecular chemo-diversity and water quality indicators including suspended solids (SS), total nitrogen (TN), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and dissolved lead (Pb). The results show:① When the molecular accumulation reaches a saturated state, the cumulative number of molecules of PR-DOM (12498) is much larger than that of GR-DOM (7015). The molecular distribution of PR-DOM (150-750) is smaller yet more concentrated than that of GR-DOM (150-850). ② According to the molecular composition characterization and Spearman rank correlation analysis, the sources of the components of PR-DOM and GR-DOM are remarkably different. PR-DOM can be greatly influenced by human activities, and its primary element component (CHOS) contains a large number of substances that were recognized to be from the surfactant sulfonic acid. Additionally, the significant aliphatic components that emerged were from traffic pollution. In contrast, GR-DOM is less affected by human activities, and its primary element component (CHO) gives priority to natural organic matter (NOM). The most abundant substance component that occurred in GR-DOM, i.e., the highly unsaturated and phenolic compound that generally originates in the degraded humus, is initially formed by the plant residue and flushed by rainfall runoff.

Soil is gradually becoming the main sink of metal-based nanomaterials (MNMs) in the environment. Plants, as a vital component in the ecosystem, play a critical role in determining the fate of nanomaterials. Previous studies showed that MNMs could affect the growth and development of various plant species via altering protein expression. In this review, we described the differences in plant protein expression caused by various typical MNM stresses, and summarized the impact factors including physicochemical properties of MNMs, plant characteristics and stress conditions on plant protein response under the stress of MNMs. Moreover, the response mechanisms of plant protein to MNMs stress were reviewed, including energy synthesis and metabolic response, amino acid synthesis and information transmission response, and oxidative stress and defense response. Finally, further research directions were proposed.

In this study, we analyzed several pollution episodes that occurred in the autumn and winter of 2018-2019 using multiple methods including the hierarchical clustering analysis, backward trajectory, and potential source contribution analysis based on monitored air quality and meteorological data. Bengbu, being a representative city to the north of the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region and located in a heavily polluted area during these two pollution processes, is the focus of this work. The results indicated that the northern part of the YRD region is affected because of unfavorable meteorological conditions such as weak ground pressure, high humidity, low temperature, low wind speeds, and regional transport. The regional pollution processes over the YRD region in the autumn and winter seasons exhibit characteristics of wide influence and long duration with mainly two types of pollution:regional transport and intra-regional accumulation. During the two selected pollution episodes, the average PM 2.5 concentration in the northern YRD region reached 131.6 μg·m -3 and 115.4 μg·m -3 , respectively. The former type had a shorter duration but exhibited rapid accumulation of pollutants in a short period of time with greater pollution intensity, wider pollution range, and deeper pollution intrusion. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of the potential sources of PM 2.5 based on PSCF and CWT showed that the PM 2.5 concentration during EP1 was due to transport from cities such as Linyi, Xuzhou, Suqian, and Lianyungang to the pollution trajectory. The CWT value generally exceeded 80 with the highest value near 200. In contrast, EP2 was affected by the neighboring cities such as Suqian, Suzhou, and Xuzhou, and the CWT value was over 60 with the highest approaching 160, indicating that the interaction among cities in the study area is significant. This study shows that cross-regional air pollution control strategies are particularly important for alleviating the pollution situation in the northern part of the YRD region.

The addition of conductive materials or metal oxide nanoparticles to an anaerobic system is an attractive strategy to enhance anaerobic digestion. The effect of granular activated carbon (GAC) and/or manganese dioxide (MnO 2 ) on waste activated sludge (WAS) anaerobic digestion was investigated by batch experiments. The experiments were provided in control, GAC, MnO 2 , and GAC/MnO 2 groups, which were named R0, R1, R2, and R3, respectively. The sludge characteristics, microbial activity, and microbial community structure were systematically investigated. Results showed that CH 4 yield rate was evidently increased by 68.18% and 51.35% in R1 and R3, respectively, whereas the cumulative CH 4 production decreased by 21.25% in R2, compared with R0. Moreover, the fermentation process could be promoted with the addition of GAC and/or MnO 2 . The phosphate precipitation generated by Mn 2+ and phosphate released from WAS blocked the anaerobic metabolic channel and then decreased the production of CH 4 in R2. The increase in CH 4 yield rate in R3 was mainly attributed to the conductivity and adsorption of GAC and the catalysis of MnO 2 . Additionally, the microbial activity could be promoted with the addition of GAC, MnO 2 , and GAC/MnO 2 in anaerobic digestion. Microbial community structure analysis showed that the abundance of the Methanobacterium and Methanosaeta increased with the addition of GAC and MnO 2 , which could enhance the interspecies electron transfer between fermenting bacteria and methanogens and boost fermentation and CH 4 production.

Atmospheric ammonia plays an important role in the formation of secondary inorganic composition of PM 2.5 , which has attracted a high level of attention from researchers both in China and abroad. Quantifying ammonia emissions is of great scientific significance regarding research on the formation of secondary aerosol, realizing better model performance, and control of ammonia emissions. Previous studies have shown that agricultural activities are the dominant source of atmospheric ammonia, of which livestock and poultry farming contribute the most. Existing studies on estimating ammonia emissions from livestock and poultry farming activities are mostly based on emission factors and activities. However, the choice of different emission activities could lead to large differences in estimated ammonia emissions. This study makes a variety of assumptions from the selection of activity levels (volume vs. inventory) and emission coefficients (monthly vs. annual average temperature), and establishes eight scenarios from which to calculate atmospheric ammonia emissions from livestock and poultry farming in the Yangtze River Delta region in 2017. The results show that selection of different activity levels has the greatest impact on estimated ammonia emissions; estimation based on volume is higher than that based on inventory by 27.6%-34.1%. Calculation based on a more detailed monthly average temperature is higher than using average annual temperature by 3000 to 4000 tons per year. In addition, the spatial and temporal distributions of the ammonia emissions are also closely related to the choice of volume vs. inventory and the choice of monthly average temperature vs. annual average temperature. When using inventory as the emission activity, Zhoushan (Zhejiang Province) has the lowest ammonia emissions, while Huainan (Anhui Province) has the highest. In contrast, when volume is used, Lishui (Zhejiang Province) has the lowest ammonia emissions and Nanjing (Jiangsu Province) has the highest. Emissions calculations based on monthly average temperature are supposed to be more representative than those based on annual average temperature, with the highest emissions from May to September and the lowest in the winter (December, January, and February).

Tetracycline resistant bacteria (TRB) screened from activated sludge were used to study the effect of tetracycline (TC) antibiotic on the transcriptional expression of tetracycline resistance genes (TC-ARGs). The gene abundances of seven TC-ARGs including tetA , tetC , tetG , tetM , tetO , tetW , and tetX , as well as their expression levels, were quantified by quantitative PCR (qPCR) and reverse transcriptional PCR (RT-PCR). The correlations between TC concentrations and gene abundance of TC-ARGs and their expression levels were discussed. The results showed that the gene abundances of tetA , tetG, and tetW generally increased with increasing TC exposure concentrations during the entire culture cycle, whereas other TC-ARGs fluctuated greatly. The impact of TC stress on the transcriptional expression level of different TC-ARGs varied to a great extent. The gene expression of tetA was relatively stable and exhibited an upregulated trend with increasing TC concentrations. When the TC concentration was 100 mg·L -1 , the upregulation of tetA expression was as high as 5.3-fold compared with the control. Under short-term TC stress (one day), the transcriptional expression level was upregulated with increasing TC concentration. The correlation results showed that gene abundances of tetA and tetW correlated significantly with their respective expression levels, indicating that they can evaluate expression levels to a certain extent, which can further mirror functional activities and environmental risks.

Intermediate volatility organic compounds (IVOCs) have a significant contribution to the formation of secondary organic aerosols (SOA) in the atmosphere, but are not included in the current emission inventory. In this study, IVOC emissions from vehicles are estimated for the Yangtze River Delta region (YRD) for 2017 based on two methods:the emission factor method and the IVOCs/POA scaling factor method. Uncertainties in the estimated IVOCs emissions and the impact on their potential formation are discussed. The results based on the emission factor method showed that the total vehicular IVOCs emission in the YRD in 2017 was 35800 tons, and that the formation potential of SOA was an estimated 695 tons. IVOCs emissions from trucks accounted for>70% of total IVOCs emissions in most cities in the YRD region. In terms of fuel type, IVOCs emissions from diesel vehicles were much higher than of those from gasoline vehicles. Results based on the IVOCs/POA scaling factor method showed that the emissions calculated by different combinations of IVOCs/POA ratios and POA/PM 2.5 ratios that could vary significantly, with a maximum of 64.2×10 4 tons and a minimum of just 5.2×10 4 tons. The resultant SOA formation potential was 1.55×10 4 tons and 1032 tons for the maximum and minimum, respectively. This study shows that the results of IVOCs emissions based on different estimation methods are associated with large uncertainties, which could directly affect the simulation results of SOA in subsequent air quality models. Therefore, it is necessary to use different inventory results in air quality models and perform model evaluation of SOA in order to obtain more accurate IVOCs emission inventories of vehicles in the YRD region.

Wastewater treatment plants are important sources of microplastics (MPs) in aquatic environments. The present study was conducted to investigate the number concentration, removal rate, and fate of MPs in two large municipal treatment plants in Shanghai. The MPs number concentration in the influent water of WWTP1 and WWTP2 were (226.27±83.00) piece·L -1 and (171.89±62.98) piece·L -1 , respectively. WWTP1 had a MPs removal efficiency of 63.25%, which is slightly higher than that of WWTP2, at 59.84%. The removal efficiency during the primary treatment process of the two sewage treatment plants on MPs accounted for 70%-80% of the whole treatment process. The primary treatment process and secondary treatment process transferred (48.10%±1.62%) and (12.97%±0.05%) of MPs in the sewage to the sludge, respectively. As a whole, (38.82%±1.55%) of MPs in the sewage treatment plants were finally discharged into natural waters, and the remaining (61.18%±1.55%) entered the sludge. This study shows that the removal rate of MPs in Shanghai's municipal treatment plants is low and that after treatment, large amounts still enter the natural waters with the final effluent, which causes significant ecological risks. This study provides basic data of MPs removal and trends of large urban sewage treatment plants in a plain river network area, which can provide reference for further design of MPs removal processes.

Based on the ozone monitoring instrument (OMI)/Aura L2 OMAERUV data from 2008 to 2017, the spatial-temporal distribution of absorptive aerosols during the past 10 years were studied. The results are as follows. ① In the temporal distribution, the inter-annual variation of absorptive aerosol optical depth (AAOD) first increased and then decreased, reaching the highest value of 0.056 in 2011; this is consistent with the aerosol optical depth (AOD) of 0.702 in the Yangtze River Delta. The inter-monthly variation shows that the high value of AAOD appeared mostly in January, March, and June and increased significantly from November to January. ② In the spatial distribution, the AAOD was higher in the north than in the south in the Yangtze River Delta, and the AOD was similar to the AAOD. High values of AAOD above 0.05 were concentrated mainly in northern Anhui and Jiangsu provinces and in Nanjing, Hangzhou, and Jinhua. The seasonal spatial distribution of AAOD and AOD was higher in spring and winter and lower in autumn, although the AOD was very high and the AAOD was low in summer. The contribution of black carbon in the Yangtze River Delta was consistent with the annual spatial distribution of the AAOD and AOD.

Objective: To prepare hierarchically structured fibrous scaffolds with different morphologies, and to explore the additional dimensionality for tuning the physicochemical properties of the scaffolds and the effect of their hemocompatibility and cytocompatibility., Methods: Electrospinning poly (e-caprolactone) (PCL)/polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) bicomponent fibers (PCL∶PVP mass ratios were 8∶2 and 5∶5 respectively), and the surface porous fibrous scaffolds were prepared by extracting PVP components. The scaffolds were labeled PCL-P8 and PCL-P5 respectively according to the mass ratio of polymer. In addition, shish-kebab (SK) structured scaffolds with different kebab sizes were created by solution incubation method, which use electrospun PCL fibers as shish while PCL chains in solution crystallizes on the fiber surface. The PCL fibrous scaffolds with smooth surface was established as control group. The hierarchically structured fibrous scaffolds were characterized by field emission scanning electron microspore, water contact angle tests, and differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) experiments. The venous blood of New Zealand white rabbits was taken and hemolysis and coagulation tests were used to characterize the blood compatibility of the scaffolds. The proliferation of the pig iliac artery endothelial cell (PIEC) on the scaffolds was detected by cell counting kit 8 (CCK-8) method, and the biocompatibility of the scaffolds was evaluated., Results: Field emission scanning electron microscopy showed that porous morphology appeared on the surface of PCL/PVP bicomponent fibers after extracting PVP. In addition, SK structure with periodic arrangement was successfully prepared by solution induction, and the longer the crystallization time, the larger the lamellar size and periodic distance. The contact angle and DSC measurements showed that when compared with smooth PCL fiber scaffolds, the crystallinity of PCL surface porous fibrous scaffolds and PCL-SK fibrous scaffolds increased, while the hydrophobicity of PCL-SK fibrous scaffolds increased, but the hydrophobicity of PCL porous scaffolds did not change significantly. The hemolysis test showed that the hemolysis rate of PCL surface porous fibrous scaffolds and PCL-SK fibrous scaffolds was higher than that of PCL fibrous scaffolds. According to American Society of Materials and Tests (ASTM) F756-08 standard, all scaffolds were non-hemolytic materials and were suitable for blood contact materials. Coagulation test showed that the coagulation index of PCL surface porous fibrous scaffolds and PCL-SK fibrous scaffolds was higher than that of PCL fibrous scaffolds at 5 and 10 minutes of culture. CCK-8 assay showed that both hierarchically structured fibrous scaffolds were more conducive to PIEC proliferation than PCL fibrous scaffold., Conclusion: Based on electrospinning technology, solution-induced and blend phase separation methods can be used to construct multi-scale fiber scaffolds with different morphologies, which can not only regulate the surface physicochemical properties of the scaffolds, but also have good blood compatibility and biocompatibility. The hierarchically structured fibrous scaffolds have high application potential in the field of tissue engineering.

This study investigated the removal of nitrogen and phosphorous by a biological bio-nutrient removal-carbon regulation and phosphorus recovery (BBNR-CPR) reactor at low temperature. The operating temperature of the BBNR-CPR reactor was continuously reduced, and it was found that the BBNR-CPR reactor could operate steadily at low temperature (<15℃) and low C/N ratio (<4.16). The average removal rates of total phosphorus, ammonia, and total nitrogen were 91.20%, 81.10%, and 58.62%, respectively. With increasing running time and decreasing temperature, the relative abundance of Candidatus&#95;Competibacter, Candidatus&#95;Accumulibacter, Run-SP 154, Thauera, and Candidatus&#95;Nitrotoga increased. These bacteria had the functions of nitrogen and phosphorus removal and the storage of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) in the biofilm of the BBNR-CPR reactor and became the dominant species to tolerate low temperature. It was found that low temperatures reduced the amount of PHA synthesized for a given equal carbon source concentration and reaction time. The amounts of PHA synthesized at 25℃, 15℃, and 8℃ accounted for 16.24%, 11.49%, and 9.01% of the dry weight of the biofilm, respectively. The pre-stored PHA biofilm has the capacity to resist low temperature. At high PHA levels, the phosphorus removal efficiencies at 8℃ and 15℃ were 97.46% and 100%, respectively, and the denitrification efficiencies were 55.15% and 82.55%. At low PHA levels, the phosphorus removal efficiencies at 8℃ and 15℃ were 11.39% and 35.02%, respectively, and the denitrification efficiencies were 0% and 12.10%, respectively.

The endovascular exclusion is an effective treatment of aortic aneurysm diseases in frail and elderly patients who cannot suffer the open surgery. However, as the key treatment device of this technique, traditional stent-grafts are not suitable to treat complex aortic aneurysm diseases in emergency. The emergence of the fenestrated stent-graft and in-situ fenestration has brought new dawn to the treatment of these patients. This study reviews the advances in complex aortic aneurysms treated by the fenestrated stent-graft and the in-situ fenestration. In addition, the novel concept of the fabric structure designed for "in-situ fenestrated stent-graft" is proposed for the in-situ fenestration technique. It is expected to break through the bottleneck of the present fenestrated stent-grafts. It would be beneficial to the bailout of complex aortic aneurysm diseases and thereby benefitting more patients.

To improve the efficiency of the removal of dye wastewater, a new type of coagulant "polysilicate ferromanganese (PSFM)" has been synthesized using sodium silicate, ferrous sulfate, and potassium permanganate. Three dyes (direct red, disperse blue, and active yellow) were used for the coagulation tests. The effects of the alkalinity and turbidity on the performance of PSFM were studied. The experimental results show that PSFM performs well with respect to the coagulation of the direct red and disperse blue dyes. The color and TOC removal efficiencies reach 99.2%, 95.4% and 98.5%, and 93.8%, respectively. The coagulation performance is better than that of the conventional coagulants polysilicate iron (PSF), Al 2 (SO 4 ) 3 , and FeCl 3 . The color and TOC removal rates of PSFM for the active yellow dye reach 56% and 51%, respectively. Turbidity has no significant effect on the coagulation efficiency of PSFM. The purification efficiency and alkalinity depend on the amount of dye to be removed. The best alkalinity for the direct red, disperse blue, and active yellow dyes is 50 mg·L -1 , 0 mg·L -1 , and 75 mg·L -1 , respectively. In addition, PSFM has been characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The Zeta potentials of the mixed solutions and flocs during coagulation were also determined. The main indicators of PSFM coagulation are positively charged polynuclear complexes produced by hydrolysis of Fe + and Mn + and the bridging polymerization of polysilicon. The adsorption of hydrated manganese dioxide and hydroxyl oxide may also be included.

By fitting with the aerosol optical depth (AOD) from AERONET ground observations at sites in Beijing, Xianghe, and Xinglong with different environmental backgrounds, MODIS C051 Dark Target (DT C051), C006 Dark Target (DT C006), C006 Deep Blue (DB C006), and C006 Deep Blue/Dark Target merged AOD products were compared and evaluated to understand their applicability in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. The main conclusions are as follows:① The comparison of the C051 and C006 algorithms shows that the accuracy of the AOD at the Beijing and Xianghe sites notably improved, while an improvement was not observed at the Xinglong site; the DB C006 AOD is closest to the AERONET AOD at the Beijing site and the DT C006 AOD is closest to the AERONET AOD at the Xianghe site; the combined C006 AOD is closest to the AERONET AOD at the Xinglong site. ② The inversion error of the MODIS DT C006 at the Beijing site is caused by the improper selection of the aerosol model and surface reflectance; the inversion error of the MODIS DB C006 is mainly due to surface reflectance in spring and the aerosol model in winter. ③ Compared with the DT C051 AOD, the effective data coverage of the DT C006 is reduced, but that of DB C006 and the combined C006 increased; the combined C006 AOD data have the largest coverage. The results show that the application of the combined AOD product is best for the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.

Eight heavy metals (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn, and Hg) in the soils from 53 reclaimed industrial sites and 23 river sediments in the Shanghai suburbs were determined using the Nemero pollution index and Hakanson potential ecological risk index (RI). The results show that the eight heavy metals exceed the secondary standard limits to different extents. The rate of standard excess is the most prominent for Cu and Zn; it accounts for 47.17% and 43.40%, respectively. The contents of heavy metals in the sediments from surrounding rivers are significantly lower than those in soil from reclaimed industrial sites. The comprehensive Nemero pollution index of heavy metals in reclaimed soil is 11.41, which represents a serious pollution level; Cu and Zn are the most prominent heavy metals. The Nemero pollution index of heavy metals in surrounding river sediments is 1.26, indicating slight pollution. Based on the single-potential ecological risk, the heavy metals at the reclaimed industrial sites all have a slightly latent ecological risk level, except for Cd (strong), Hg (strong), and Cu (moderate). The potential ecological RI is high (385.79). Heavy metals from the surrounding river sediments have a mild potential ecological risk level, except for Hg. Overall, the potential ecological level is mild (RI=83.91). In short, Cu and Zn are more prominent in reclaimed industrial soil. With respect to the toxic response factor, Cd and Hg should be focused on. The heavy metal pollution of surrounding river sediments is light, leading to a mild potential ecological risk level.

Artificial conduits, including ureteral stents and catheters, are used widely as drainage tools in the urinary system. However, various bacteria in the urine and long duration of insertion can arouse the biofilm formation on the pipeline surface, which calls for effective antibacterial strategy. In this article, the mechanism of Catheter Associated Urinary Tract Infections (CAUTI) is explained from the perspective of etiology. Then, the biofilm formation conditions and the features of urine are analyzed, the antibacterial agents and approaches suitable for ureteral stents and catheters are introduced and their pros and cons are discussed respectively.

Based on the MYD04&#95;L2&#95;C006 dataset gained from Moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer MODIS Level 2 at 10 km resolution of NASA's EOS (Earth Observing System) from 2006 to 2015, the aerosol optical depths (AODs) for 10 years under the condition of mild above atmospheric pollution (including mild) were analyzed for Urumqi City. The results showed that the average AODs in Urumqi were unimodally distribution over the 10 years. From January to April, the AODs gradually increased. During a year, the annual peak of 0.37±0.19 was in April, and the lowest value of 0.22±0.20 was in October. Owing to the frequent occurrence of dust weather conditions in spring, the largest seasonal variation of AOD was in spring, as the air pollution in the entire area was very serious, followed by summer and winter, with the smallest in autumn. In addition, the urban area was the high AOD value area in Urumqi, as its air pollution was more severe than that in the suburbs. The average value of AOD during the 10 years was 0.293. The highest value of AOD was 0.33 in 2006, and the lowest value of 0.24 was in 2008, which declined to 23.3% of that in 2007. The annual change in AOD in Urumqi over the 10 years rose steadily. Compared with previous studies, the lowest and highest values were both higher to different degrees. Despite the deduction trend in 2015, air pollution in Urumqi was serious in the studied decade, and thus control of such needs to be strengthened.

A new type of embedded acupoint recognition device was developed for acupoint recognition and teaching. Through improving the acupoint electric resistance detection technique of the two-electrode method, combined with mechanical structure design and embedded control technology, the human acupoint database was assembled in the embedded chip with the international symbol, acupoint name, pinyin , location, chart, manuscript and audio information included, a new type of embedded acupoint recognition device was designed. The device was composed of 3 modules, named the acupoint electric resistance detection system, the embedded control system and mechanical system. It achieved skin contact sensation, the collection of electric resistance at the required skin region, the wireless communication, the liquid crystal display (LCD) human-computer interaction and acupoint magnetic head massage. When used, the resistance value of the detected skin is read on LCD to determine whether the detected skin resistance meets the features of low resistance of acupoint and further to identify the acupoint zone. Afterward, the data collected are matched with the human acupoint database to determine the information of acupoint. The control mechanical structure achieves the acupoint pressing and kneading. After verified by many operation staff, it is shown that the device not only improves the recognition speed and precision of acupoint, but also contributes to the acupoint teaching with the human acupoint database displayed on LCD. The achievements benefit the promotion of meridians and acupoints as well as the development of acupuncture devices.

Although epidemiology and toxicology studies have demonstrated that exposure to ambient air particles could result in a variety of lung diseases, but the pulmonary toxicological mechanism remains obscure. In this study, the toxicity of PM 2.5 particles in different concentrations was investigated by toxicological methods, including the luminescent bacteria acute toxicity test and genotoxicity performed by SOS chromogenic reaction. The results indicated that, the acute toxicity and genotoxicity were low and negative, respectively. In addition, rats were treated with PM 2.5 suspension through intratracheal instillation, and the pathologic changes and expression of different genes in their lungs were carried out. We found that PM 2.5 exposure resulted in fibrotic changes and inflammation in the lung with the increase in PM 2.5 concentration. Pathway analysis indicated that PM 2.5 can induce pulmonary toxicity through disturbing the function of ribosomal protein, fatty acids, and cholesterol metabolism, suggesting an inflammatory reaction in the lung is caused by genetic damage and is irreversible. A gene ontology analysis revealed that abnormal expression of related genes in the immune response could be the specific pathway of lung inflammation. These findings improve our understanding of the toxicological pathway and mechanism of PM 2.5 exposure.

Seven small and medium coal-fired boilers were selected to analyze the emission factors and chemical composition characteristics of PM 2.5 , and the efficiency of the dust collection unit in removing PM 2.5 , OC, and EC of different particle sizes. At the outlet of the dust collection unit, PM 2.5 mass emission factor was around 0.047-0.283 g·kg -1 with an average of (0.146±0.081) g·kg -1 . SO 4 2- was the most abundant ionic component, followed by NH 4 + and Ca 2+ . S was the most abundant among all the elements, followed by Al, Ca, and Fe. The contents of OC and EC fluctuated greatly, and the ratio of OC and EC produced by each boiler was greater than one. In the range of the measured particle sizes, the mass concentration of PM 2.5 showed a singlet or bimodal distribution, and the peak value appeared at 0.07-0.12 μm and greater than 1 μm in bimodal distribution. The mass concentration of OC showed a bimodal or trimodal distribution, and the peak value appeared at 0.04 μm, 0.20-0.31 μm, and greater than 1 μm in trimodal distribution. The efficiencies of the dust collection unit in removing PM 2.5 , OC, and EC were 66%, 53%, and 23%, respectively.

The mechanism of adsorption of a typical antibiotic (tetracycline, TC) on particles in the aquatic environment and the parameters affecting adsorption were investigated. Experiments were conducted to elucidate the effects of pH and various cation species with different concentrations. The results show that the adsorption of TC on particles is rapid during the first four hours in the mixing stage. The adsorption process becomes slow after the first four hours. The adsorption of TC on particles can be described well by a Langmuir equation. The maximum adsorption of TC on particles occurs at pH 4.5, however it is reduced by strongly acidic (pH<4) or alkaline (pH>9) conditions. Moreover, the adsorption process is also inhibited by various cations (e.g. Na + and Ca 2+ ) in the range of 0.0001-0.1 mol·L -1 ionic concentrations. A special finding concerns Al 3+ ions; at a low concentration of these ions (0-0.0001 mol·L -1 ) the adsorption of TC on particles improves, whereas at increased concentrations the adsorption is weakened. In summary, an effective removal of the particles is critical to control TC pollution in natural waters because of the rapid adsorption of TC on particles.

The problem of bacterial resistance has become an important issue in the area of global ecological safety and human health. Waste sludge is an important reservoir and discharge source for antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). In this study, the quantities of seven tetracycline resistance genes (TC-ARGs), including tetA, tetC, tetG, tetM, tetO, tetW , and tetX , as well as those of class 1 integron ( intI1 ) genes, during anaerobic sludge digestion process were comprehensively quantified by quantitative PCR (qPCR). The effects of different doses of zero valent iron (Fe 0 ) on the decrease and increase in the quantities of TC-ARGs and intI1 genes were investigated. The influence of plasmid conjugation on the horizontal gene transfer (HGT) of the target TC-ARGs was preliminarily analyzed. The correlations between the quantities of TC-ARGs and intI1 gene have been discussed. The results showed that the quantities of TC-ARGs and intI1 genes decreased in different degrees during anaerobic sludge digestion, and the abundance of tetX gene was reduced by 2.4 orders of magnitude. When Fe 0 was added, no significant reduction in the quantities of TC-ARGs and intI1 genes was observed. However, as the addition of Fe 0 increased, the quantities of TC-ARGs and intI1 genes increased correspondingly, as compared to those in the control group. The results obtained from the quantities of TC-ARGs carried by plasmid DNA showed that plasmid conjugation probably promoted the HGT of TC-ARGs. A positive significant correlation was found between the quantities of tetG and intI1 genes, indicating that intI1 might play an important role in the evolution of tetG during sludge anaerobic digestion process.

The contents of ten heavy metals (As, Cu, Cd, Cr, Pb, Ni, Zn, Ti, Mn, and Hg) were determined in the surface soils surrounding a municipal solid waste incineration plant in Shanghai using atomic spectroscopy. The spatial distribution and sources of the detected heavy metals were studied by enrichment factor and multivariate statistical and spatial interpolation analyses. In addition, their potential ecological risk was assessed. The results showed that all heavy metals, except Hg and As, were detected with mean contents ranging from 0.399 to 4220 mg·kg -1 . The mean contents of Cu, Cd, Cr, Pb, Ni, Zn, and Mn were higher than their respective background values in Shanghai. In particular, the mean content of Cd was 2.9 times its background value. The results of the Pearson's correlation, principle component, enrichment factor, and spatial distribution analyses of these heavy metals indicated that Ti, Mn, and Ni primarily originated from natural sources, while Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, and Zn originated from industrial manufacturing, combustion, and traffic emissions. The potential ecological risk assessment showed that soils surrounding the municipal solid waste incineration plant suffered from a moderate-level risk. The mean value of the potential ecological risk index of these detected heavy metals was 108.92, of which Cd contributed as high as 79.63%, deserving much attention.

Blood oxygen saturation is one of the important index of clinical care. In this paper, a pulse oximetry method based on android smartphone was proposed, by which oxygen saturation could be monitored anywhere. The non-intrusive reflective optical measuring principle was used in the new method. After the sampled images were analyzed and processed, value of blood oxygen saturation was calculated in real time. The experimental results show that the method has high reliability and consistency.

Objective: To review the application progress of non-biological meshes for breast reconstruction (BR)., Methods: The related home and abroad researches in BR were reviewed and summarized., Results: Non-biological meshes can be divided into degradable and nondegradable. The former has many types, whether its degradation rate can match with the grow rate of repair tissue will significantly affect the wound healing and tissue intergradation. TiLOOP, on behalf of the latter, has a good postoperative performance due to its nano TiO 2 layer, lightness and flexibility. Non-biological meshes have been gradually used to cover and fix implant in BR. Compared with biological meshes, non-biological meshes are cheaper and have a more positive postoperative performance generally, but definite comparison can't be concluded due to the limited data., Conclusion: As non-biological meshes are applied to BR preliminarily, their effectiveness are still needed to be observed further.

Objective: To explore the effect of silk fibroin/poly( L -lactic acid-co-e-caprolactone) [SF/P(LLA-CL)] nanofibrous scaffold on tendon-bone healing of rabbits., Methods: SF/P(LLA-CL) nanofibrous scaffold was fabricated by electrospinning methods. The morphology of the scaffold was observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM). Pre-osteoblasts MC3T3-E1 cells were seeded on the scaffold and cultured for 1, 3, and 5 days. Cell adhesion and proliferation were also observed by SEM. Meanwhile, twenty-four New Zealand white rabbits were randomly divided into the autogenous tendon group (control group) and the autogenous tendon wrapped with SF/P(LLA-CL) scaffold group (experimental group), with twelve rabbits in each group. An extra-articular model was established, the effect was evaluated by histological examination and mechanical testing., Results: The morphology of SF/P(LLA-CL) nanofibrous scaffold was random, with a diameter of (219.4±66.5) nm. SEM showed that the MC3T3-E1 cells seeded on the scaffold were in the normal shape, growing well, and proliferating with time course. The results of histological examination showed that inflammatory cells infltrated into the graft-host bone interface at 6 weeks after operation in both groups. Besides, the width of interface showed no significant difference between groups. At 12 weeks after operation, protruding new bone tissue could be observed at the interface in the experimental group, while scar tissue but no new bone tissue could be seen at the interface in the control group. Mechanical testing showed that there was no significant difference in the failure load and the stiffness between groups at 6 weeks after operation ( P >0.05). The failure load and the stiffness in the experimental group were significantly higher than those in the control group at 12 weeks after operation ( P <0.05)., Conclusion: The SF/P(LLA-CL) nanofibrous scaffold has good cell biocompatibility and can effectively promote tendon-bone healing, thus providing new method for modifying graft for ACL reconstruction in the clinical practice.

Gaseous emissions from 25 State 2-5 light-duty gasoline vehicles were tested by Vehicle Mass Analysis System (VMAS) and CVS (Constant Volume Sampling) system, respectively. The correlations of emission factors of tested vehicles measured by these 2 methods were analyzed. The results showed that emission factors of light-duty gasoline vehicle had a decreasing trend with the promotion of emission standard. There were some high-emitting vehicles in the fleet of tested State 2 and State 3 vehicles, but fewer in State 4 or Stated 5 vehicle fleet. The correlations of the emission factors measured by the 2 methods deteriorated with the promotion of emission standard. The relative bias of CO and HC+NO x emission factors measured by the 2 methods reached 197% and 177%, respectively. The correlation coefficient of emission factors of higher-emitting vehicles was 0.75-0.85, while that of lower-emitting vehicles was only 0.46. If tighter emission standard of in-use light-duty gasoline vehicle was adopted, the false positive rate of measurement results by VMAS would rise significantly. In summary, VMAS method is hard to be applied in the emission measurements of light-duty gasoline vehicles with stricter emissions standard. It is necessary to conduct more studies on sophisticated in-use vehicle measurement system.

A strengthen circulation anaerobic reactor (SCAR) treating artificial municipal wastewater was investigated under different volumetric loading rate(VLR) and the reactor performance, characteristics of granular sludge and microbial community structure were also tested in this experiment. The results of the experiment demonstrated that the hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 6h could be regarded as the key parameter dominating the efficient operation of SCAR reactor, in which condition the COD removal efficiency was above 75%. The coenzyme F 420 and the maximum specific methanogenic activity (SMA) of granular sludge increased with increasing VLR, and the EPS contents, especially TB-EPS in the granule sludge also increased obviously. Consistently, the characteristics of anaerobic granular sludge and the removal efficiency of the reactor were influenced by both sludge loading and HRT. The microbial community structure and its spatial distribution in the reactor were also affected by sludge loading, while the relative abundance of the microbial community with different metabolic characteristics in different spatial positions changed with the adjustment of the sludge loading.

The biodegradation characteristics of the azo disperse dye neocron black (NB) were investigated under aerobic, anaerobic and anaerobic/aerobic conditions separately with the activated sludge system, and the biological degradation process of the dye was analyzed by spectrophotometry and gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The results showed that the degradation efficiency of NB dye was the highest under fully aerobic conditions, followed by the anaerobic/aerobic conditions, and fully anaerobic condition was the lowest. With the increase of the concentration of NB dye, the dye and the intermediate metabolite greatly decreased the microbial degradation efficiency of NB dye. The addition of carbon source could not only promote the biodegradation of NB dye, but also change the kinetic characteristics of the biodegradation process. The spectrophotometry and GC-MS determination results showed that the chromophore was completely degraded after biodegradation of NB dye. The intermediates metabolites of NB dye included 2,4-Dinitroaniline, 2-cyano-4-nitro aniline, p -Nitroaniline etc.

To investigate the effects of zero valent iron (Fe 0 ) on the decline of antibiotic resistance genes during thermophilic anaerobic digestion of sludge, the abundances of seven tetracycline resistance genes (TC-ARGs, including tetA, tetC, tetG, tetM, tetO, tetW , and tetX ) and class 1 integron gene ( intI1 ) were quantified by quantitative PCR (qPCR). Also, the concentrations of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) were determined. The correlations between the abundances of TC-ARGs and intI1 gene and the concentrations of VFAs were discussed. The results showed that appropriate dose of Fe 0 such as 0.10 g·g -1 VSS could enhance the anaerobic digestion process of sludge, and the production of total VFAs and acetic acid increased significantly. The decrease in the abundances of TC-ARGs and intI1 gene was also enhanced. However, excessive Fe 0 such as 1.17 g·g -1 VSS could not further improve the reduction in the abundances of TC-ARGs and intI1 gene, probably resulted from the occurrence of horizontal gene transfer. The abundances of TC-ARGs except tetO gene, as well as intI1 gene exhibited significant negative correlation with the concentration of acetic acid, indicating that acetic acid probably had an enhanced effect on the decline of TC-ARGs and intI1 gene during thermophilic anaerobic digestion of sludge.

To provide technical support for spider silk functional modification, we developed a simple and efficient functional platform via intein trans-splicing. Small ubiquitin-related modifier protein (SUMO) was fused to the recombinant spider silk protein (W2CT) by peptide bond via S0 split intein Ssp DnaB trans-splicing, resulting in a protein SUMOW2CT. However, incorporation of exogenous protein led to mechanical property defect and lower fiber yield, and also slowed down the fiber assembly velocity but no obvious differences in supercontraction and chemical resistance when compared with fibers from W2CT (W). SUMO protease digestion showed positive results on the fibers, indicating that the SUMO protein kept its native conformation and bioactive. Above all, this work provides a technical support for spider silk high simply and efficient functionalized modification.

A repetitive DNA fragment, named P1, was amplified by PCR with the full-length Minor Ampullate Spidroin gene sequence of Araneus ventricosus as template. P1 was ligated with pPic3.5 and PKT expression vectors and transferred into GS115 and BL21(DE3) competence cells, respectively. SDS-PAGE and Western blot were used to analyze the recombinant his-tag fusion protein. With expressed in different expression systems, soluble P1 induced proteins could be obtained as the same size. Furthermore, the expression level and purification recovery efficiency were also higher in GS115 than that of BL21(DE3). Additionally, the expression level could be improved after optimizing the incubation and induction conditions of GS115. In this research, Pichia pastoris expression system is more suitable for the native repetitive Gly/Ala-rich spider spidroin gene sequence expression than Escherichia coli system. The data can help the native full-length MiSp gene expression and large-scale exploitation of recombinant of spider silk proteins.