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Objective The quality evaluation of herbal products remains a big challenge. Traceable markers are the core concept of the authentication of herbal products. However, the discovery of traceable markers is labor-intensive and time-consuming. The aim of this study is to develop a convenient approach to rapidly screen the traceable markers for herbal product authentication. Methods Commercial Jing Liqueur and its 22 species of herbal ingredients were analyzed using HPLC-QTOF-MS and GC–MS to characterize nonvolatile and volatile chemicals. The acquired data were imported into MZmine 2 software for mass detection, chromatogram building, deconvolution and alignment. The aligned data were exported into a csv file and then traceable markers were selected using the built-in filter function in Excel. Finally, the traceable markers were identified by searching against online databases or publications, some of which were confirmed by reference standards. Results A total of 288 chemical features transferred from herbal materials to Jing Liqueur product were rapidly screened out. Among them, 52 markers detected by HPLC-QTOF-MS were annotated, while nine volatile markers detected by GC–MS were annotated. Moreover, 30 of these markers were confirmed by comparing with reference standards. A chemical fingerprint consisting of traceable markers was finally generated to ensure the authentication and quality consistency of Jing Liqueur. Conclusion A strategy for rapid discovery of traceable markers in herbal products using MZmine 2 software was developed.

The mixing enthalpies and structural order in liquid Mg−Si system were investigated via ab-initio molecular dynamics at 1773 K. By calculating the transferred charges and electron density differences, the dominance of Si−Si interactions in the chemical environments around Si was demonstrated, which determined that the mixing enthalpy reached the minimum on Mg-rich side. In terms of Honeycutt and Anderson (HA) bond pairs based on the partial pair correlation functions, the attraction between Si−Si pairs and Mg atoms was revealed, and the evolution of structural order with Si content was characterized as a process of constituting frame structures by Si−Si pairs that dispersed Mg atoms. Focusing on tetrahedral order of local Si-configurations, a correlation between the mixing enthalpy and structural order was uncovered ultimately, which provided a new perspective combining the energetics with geometry to understand the liquid Mg−Si binary system.

Diffracted seismic waves may be used to help identify and track geologically heterogeneous bodies or zones. However, the energy of diffracted waves is weaker than that of reflections. Therefore, the extraction of diffracted waves is the basis for the effective utilization of diffracted waves. Based on the difference in travel times between diffracted and reflected waves, we developed a method for separating the diffracted waves via singular value decomposition filters and presented an effective processing flowchart for diffracted wave separation and imaging. The research results show that the horizontally coherent difference between the reflected and diffracted waves can be further improved using normal move-out (NMO) correction. Then, a band-rank or high-rank approximation is used to suppress the reflected waves with better transverse coherence. Following, separation of reflected and diffracted waves is achieved after the filtered data are transformed into the original data domain by inverse NMO. Synthetic and field examples show that our proposed method has the advantages of fewer constraints, fast processing speed and complete extraction of diffracted waves. And the diffracted wave imaging results can effectively improve the identification accuracy of geological heterogeneous bodies or zones.

Spermidine alkaloids are a kind of natural products possessing an aliphatic triamine structure with three or four methylene groups between two N-atoms. Spermidine alkaloids exist in plants, microorganisms, and marine organisms, which usually form amide structures with cinnamic acid or fatty acid derivatives. Their unique structures showed a wide range of biological activities such as neuroprotective, anti-aging, anti-cancer, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial. In order to better understand the research status of spermidine alkaloids and promote their applications in human health, this paper systematically reviewed the biological sources, structures, pharmacological actions, and synthetic processes of spermidine alkaloids over the past two decades. This will help to open up new pharmacological investigation fields and better drug design based on these spermidine alkaloids.

A hierarchically porous rice husk-based activated carbon, which had been prepared by a combined method (carbonization, NaOH-leaching and KOH activation), has a high specific capacitance and power density as a supercapacitor electrode in aqueous or organic electrolytes. It was subjected to a simple thermal treatment at 800 °C for 1 h to modify its microstructure and electrochemical performance. Results indicate that its original hierarchical pore structure is retained and the number of oxygen-containing functional groups is reduced after this modification. Mesopores developed and the volume ratio of mesopores to total pores increased from 25.62 to 33.62%. The modified activated carbon showed a higher specific capacitance of 147 F g−1 than the unmodified one (116 F g−1) at a current density of 0.5 A g−1. The voltage of the modified activated carbon was 84.5% of its initial value after self-discharge for 24 h, which is higher than that (75.2%) of the unmodified one. The capacitance retention of the modified carbon was 92% while that of the unmodified one was 85% after 10 000 galvanostatic charge/discharge cycles at 1 A g−1, indicating the better cycling stability of the former.

A semi-packed micro gas chromatography (μGC) column embedded micro-elliptical pillars was fabricated based on micro- electro-mechanical system (MEMS) technique. The mesoporous silica (MS) film with 2-nm pore size and large specific surface area was coated on the inner surface of the μGC column as stationary phase. A baseline separation of alkanes (C5–C10) was realized by the μGC column which used MS as stationary phase, and the resolution of pentane and solvent (impurity) was as large as 3.6. Compared with the μGC column which used polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) as stationary phase under the same injection volume, the number of theoretical plates of octane had a 46% increase and reached up to 14458 plates. Meanwhile, the peak area of nonane was increased by 349.8%.

Numerous studies have investigated neurobehavioral toxicity of microplastics, but no studies have illustrated mechanism via brain-gut axis. Here, juvenile discus fish (Symphysodon aequifasciatus) were exposed for 96 h to microfibers (900 µm, fiber, MFs) or nanoplastics (~88 nm, bead, NPs) with three concentrations (0, 20 and 200 µg/L). Accumulation in fish gut was independent of plastics type and concentration. MFs reduced growth performance while NPs weakened swimming and predatory performance of post-exposed discus. For brain cholinesterase activity, acetylcholinesterase was activated by NPs while NPs/MFs exposure inhibited butyrylcholinesterase. Concentrations of neurotransmitters (acetylcholine, dopamine and γ-aminobutyric acid) increased in brain but decreased in gut after NPs or MFs exposure. For gut microbiota, increased richness under MFs exposure was observed. At phylum level, Proteobacteria proportion was lower in NPs but higher in MFs. Abundance of Clostridia and Fusobacteriia (Bacillus), potentially secreting neurotransmitters, increased in NPs but decreased in MFs. Brain transcriptomics revealed seven upregulated and four downregulated genes concerning neural-activities. Pathways of neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction and serotonergic synapse were enriched in both MFs and NPs, but dopaminergic synapse pathway was enriched only in MFs. These results established a novel mechanism by which microplastics might cause behavioral toxicities via brain-gut-microbiota axis.

A monolithic micro gas chromatography (μGC) chip which integrated the micro separation column (μSC) and the micro thermal conductivity detector (μTCD) based on MEMS (Micro-electro-mechanical systems) technique was fabricated. Compared to the state of the art, the μSC with high depth-to-width ratio channels that was coated with mesoporous silica nanoparticles as stationary phase could effectively improve the column capacity and separation performance. Besides, the stable suspending μTCD, which was designed and fabricated in two ports of the μGC chip, could availably enhance the thermal isolation and reliability of the device. The mixture of light hydrocarbons (methane, ethane, propane and butane) could be separated from each other and detected by this monolithic integrated μGC chip, in which the overall analysis and detection time was only 33 seconds, the separation resolution of ethane and propane was 8.34, and the number of theoretical plate was as high as 11420. The monolithic integrated μGC chip has many advantages such as good separation resolution, high column efficiency and short analysis time, and is suitable for portable gas chromatographic field and onsite detection.

We evaluated the efficacy and safety of human recombinant prourokinase ( rhpro-UK) on thromboembolic stroke in rats. 60 rats with thromboembolic stroke were divided into 6 groups (n = 10). The model group was given saline, the reagent groups were given rhpro-UK (5, 10, 20 × 104U/kg), and positive control groups were given urokinase (UK) 10 × 104U/kg and recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) 9mg/kg through intravenous infusion at 1.5h after embolism. And other 10 rats without occluded by autologous blood clots as the sham group were given saline. At 6h after treatment, neurological deficit score and Magnetic Resonance Imaging(MRI) including T1WI and T2WI sequence scanning were measured. At 24h after treatment, the brain was cut for 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining and aspectrophotometric assay to measure the infarct area and intracerebral hemorrhage after neurological deficit detection. rhpro-UK (5, 10, 20 × 104 U/kg) improved neurological disorder by 39.1 ± 19.7% (n = 10, P > 0.05), 65.2 ± 14.2% (n = 10, P 0.05). Rhpro-UK improved the damaged neural function, decreased the extent of the disease and did not raise bleeding, had protective effects for cerebral ischemia in rats.

Aquatic animals can be influenced by exposure to microplastics (MPs), but little is known about their recovery capacity following MPs excretion. Here, common carp were exposed to environmentally relevant concentrations of MPs for 30 days and followed by MPs excretion for another 30 days. Growth, isotopic and elemental compositions and intestinal microbiota were investigated. We found that fish growth was not influenced by exposed to MPs but was significantly reduced following MPs excretion, indicating a delayed effect on growth. MPs intake and excretion, however, had no obvious effects on isotopic and elemental compositions. MPs altered the community structure and composition of intestinal microbiota and might reduce functional diversity. After MPs excretion, interestingly, bacterial community structures of MPs treatments were grouped together with the control, suggesting the general resilience of fish intestinal microbiota. Nevertheless, high abundance of pathogenic Shewanella, Plesiomonas and Flavobacterium was observed in MPs treatments but did not affect the functional potential of intestinal microbiota. The results of this study provide new information for the application of adverse outcome pathway (AOP) in MPs, suggesting the necessity of paying attention to recovery assay following MPs intake in the development of AOP frameworks.

The aim of this work was to evaluate the effects of solid-state fermentation (SSF) with three strains of Agaricus (Agaricus blazei Murrill SH26, Agaricus bisporus AS2796 and Agaricus bisporus G1) on the total phenolic contents and antioxidant properties of buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench). The results showed that the total phenolic contents of the fermented buckwheat varied with fermentation time and the starter organisms. The total phenolic content of buckwheat fermented with strain SH26 reached its maximum value of 18.07 mg/g after the fermentation of 21 days, which was 3.96 times higher than that of control. The ethanolic extracts of buckwheat fermented by strains SH26 and AS2796 exhibited enhanced antioxidant properties in comparison with the control. However, the ethanolic extracts of buckwheat fermented by strain G1 exhibited less antioxidant properties in comparison with the control. The ethanolic extracts of buckwheat fermented with strain SH26 exhibited the highest reducing power, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging capacity and ferrous ion chelating ability, respectively. The ethanolic extracts of buckwheat fermented with strain AS2796 exhibited the highest superoxide anion radical scavenging ability.

A hybrid monolith incorporated with mesoporous molecular sieve MCM-41 of uniform pore structure and high surface area was prepared with binary green porogens in the first time. With a mixture of room temperature ionic liquids and deep eutectic solvents as porogens, MCM-41 was modified with 3-(trimethoxysilyl) propyl methacrylate (γ-MPS) and the resulting MCM-41-MPS was incorporated into poly (BMA-co-EDMA) monoliths covalently. Because of good dispersibility of MCM-41-MPS in the green solvent-based polymerization system, high permeability and homogeneity for the resultant hybrid monolithic columns was achieved. The MCM-41-MPS grafted monolith was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectrometer area scanning, transmission electron microscopy, FT-IR spectra and nitrogen adsorption tests. Chromatographic performance of MCM-41-MPS grafted monolith was characterized by separating small molecules in capillary electrochromatography, including phenol series, naphthyl substitutes, aniline series and alkyl benzenes. The maximum column efficiency of MCM-41-MPS grafted monolith reached 209,000 plates/m, which was twice higher than the corresponding MCM-41-MPS free monolith. Moreover, successful separation of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons demonstrated the capacity in broad-spectrum application of the MCM-41-MPS incorporated monolith. The results indicated that green synthesis using room temperature ionic liquid and deep eutectic solvents is an effective method to prepare molecular sieve-incorporated monolithic column.

Silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) and bighead carp (H. nobilis) are the most common filter-feeding fish species. Distinct niches of these two species lead to differences in their ecological function. Here, high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA gene was employed to investigate and compare the bacterial community and potential function of silver carp and bighead carp reared in aquaculture pond systems. We found no significant difference in alpha diversity between microbial community of water body and intestinal microbiota of silver carp and bighead carp. Bacterial community richness of bighead carp, however, was higher than that of silver carp. A significant separation between microbial community of water body and of two fish species was observed. The Norank_o__PeM15, norank_f__Alcaligenaceae and unclassified_p__Firmicutes were higher for bighead carp but only Pseudomonas was higher for silver carp. Compared with bighead carp, intestinal microbiota of silver carp also had less typical planktonic bacteria. A separation but non-significant of bacterial community between silver carp and bighead carp was observed. In terms of predicted community function for water body, except for the lower abundance of cell motility than silver carp, the other pathways were generally more enriched than the two fish species. For the comparison between silver carp and bighead carp, most metabolic pathways, e.g., nutrients transport and metabolism, were generally more enriched for silver carp. The results of this study gain a better appreciation of gut microbiome ecology relating to pond culture of two species of microphagic filter-feeding carps, which could be effectively used in the management of these two species to enhance production and health.

Radix aconiti lateralis (Fuzi) is widely used in China as a traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of asthenia, pain and inflammation. However, its toxic alkaloids often lead to adverse reactions. Currently, most of the toxicity studies on Fuzi are focused on the heart and nervous system, and more comprehensive toxicity studies are needed. In this study, based on the previous reports of Fuzi hepatotoxicity, serum pharmacochemistry and network toxicology were used to screen the potential toxic components of Heishunpian(HSP), a processed product of Fuzi, and to explore the possible mechanism of HSP-induced hepatotoxicity. The results obtained are expressed based on the toxicological evidence chain (TEC). It was found that 22 potential toxic components screened can affect Th17 cell differentiation, Jak-STAT signaling pathway, glutathione metabolism, and other related pathways by regulating AKT1, IL2, F2, GSR, EGFR and other related targets, which induces oxidative stress, metabolic disorders, cell apoptosis, immune response, and excessive release of inflammatory factors, eventually inducing liver damage in rats. This is the first study on HSP-induced hepatotoxicity based on the TEC concept, providing references for further studies on the toxicity mechanism of Fuzi.

Liquid-assisted surface desorption atmospheric pressure chemical ionization source (LA-DAPCI) technique shows good potential in complex matrix mass spectrometry imaging. Due to primary ions and high density charged droplets of solvent generated by corona discharge, analytes on sample surface are extracted and ionized efficiently. However, direct application of the DAPCI ionization for mass spectrometry imaging of complex matrix analytes usually tends to be challenging because of low spatial resolution. To resolve this problem, several ion source parameters and experiment conditions were optimized in the present work, including ion source configuration, chemical composition of the extraction solvent, geometry parameters, solvent flow rate and pressure of nebulizing gas. The results presented here confirmed that the spatial resolution of LA-DAPCI was improved (from (441 ± 14) μm to (58 ± 7) μm). The proposed LA-DAPCI-MS/MS method was successfully used to profile the distribution of Rhodamine 6G with a limit of detection of 0.01 ng cm −2

The aim of this study was to investigate the inhibitory effects of benzyl isothiocyanate (BITC) and phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC) against Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) and enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC). Compared with that of PEITC, the antibacterial effect of BITC was more obvious. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of BITC was 60 and 160 μmol/L for STEC and ETEC, while that of PEITC was 400 μmol/L for both strains. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images indicated that treatment with BITC severely affected the cell integrity and led to partly sunken. Incubation of STEC and ETEC with BITC and PEITC for 1 and 4 h decreased total ATP level, while increased extracellular ATP level. Virulence genes were downregulated in dose-dependent fashion upon treatment with subinhibitory concentration of BITC and PEITC, as determined by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The expressions of stx2, eaeA and ehxA, was significantly lower in STEC treated with 1/4 MIC of PEITC than that of BITC. The inhibitory effects of BITC and PEITC on virulence genes were more obvious in STEC than ETEC. These results suggest that BITC and PEITC affect the strains growth, biological structure and expression of virulence genes of both strains.

Six d10 complexes, [Zn1.5(stp)(bpy)0.5(H2O)2]·0.5H2O (1), Cd1.5(stp)(bpy)0.5(H2O)2 (2), [Cd1.5(stp)(bpy)(H2O)]·H2O (3), [Zn0.5(bpy)0.5(H2O)2][Zn(stp)(bpy)(H2O)]·0.5H2O (4), Cd3(stp)2(bpy)3(H2O)3 (5), Hbpy·[Zn0.5(bpy)(H2O)2][Zn0.5(stp)(H2O)]·H2O (6) based on 2-sulfoterephthalate (stp3−) and 4,4′-bipyridine (bpy) have been synthesized under hydro/solvo-thermal conditions and structurally characterized. Complex 1 exhibits a three-fold interpenetrated 3D porous architecture. Complexes 2 and 3 possess helices with different chirality arranging alternately. 4 and 6 are addition compounds, which compose of complex cation and complex anion. Complex 5 features a 3D layer-pillar framework in which a (4, 4) grid layer is constructed by stp3− ligands and Cd(II) ions, and the layers are further connected by bpy pillars. The solid-state luminescent properties of the coordination polymers have also been investigated.

We quantified the effects of the water table on CO 2 , CH 4 and N 2 O emissions from microcosms in a freshwater marsh in Sanjiang Plain, Northeast China. From July to September in 2005, CO 2 , CH 4 and N 2 O emission rates were measured in an undisturbed natural marsh (in natural) and microcosms of three manipulated water table treatments: a reference, a high water table (HW) and a low water table (LW). The averages of CO 2 , CH 4 and N 2 O emissions were 360.2 mg m −2 h −1 , 7.43 mg m −2 h −1 and 12.84 μg m −2 h −1 , respectively, close to those in reference ( p −2 h −1 , 8.92 mg m −2 h −1 and 13.3 μg m −2 h −1 . This means microcosm installation had no significant effect on CO 2 efflux. Averaged CO 2 ( p = 0.03) and CH 4 ( p = 0.001) emissions were significantly different across the treatments, but that of N 2 O emission ( p = 0.36) was not. To quantify the effects of water table position, three typical classes of water table were considered, i.e. +2 to +14 cm, –11 to 0 cm and −28 to −11.3 cm (+, above the soil surface. –, below the soil surface). Mean CO 2 and N 2 O emissions were lowest at the higher water table positions (+2 to +14 cm) and increased by 120% and 60% at the lower water table positions (−11 to 0 cm), respectively, and the corresponding CH 4 emissions decreased by 75%. However, at lowest water table positions (−28 to −11.3 cm), little additional effects on gas emissions were not found. Our results suggested that there could be considerable changes of greenhouse emissions as a response of water drawdown due to wetland drainage.

The performance of 2-[tris(hyroxycarbamoyl)methyl] carboxylic acids on flotation separation of diaspore over kaolinite and illite was investigated by using flotation tests, and their collecting performance was clarified by using density functional theory (DFT) calculation and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. The flotation results of single minerals indicate that by using THDA, THCA or THTA as collector under neutral condition, diaspore presents good flotability while kaolinite and illite exhibit poor flotabilities. Among the three collectors, THCA displays the greatest difference in the flotability between diaspore and aluminosilicate. The flotation results of the artificially mixed minerals show that under the condition of pH 7 and 2 × 10 −4 mol/L THCA, the A/S value in the concentrate is greatly increased and the separation of diaspore over aluminosilicates is feasible by using THCA as collector. DFT calculations show that large negative charges are located at the O and N atoms in the polar group of these collectors and the O atoms have more negative charges than N atoms. By comparison THCA has the highest HOMO energy, resulting in the highest collecting efficiency. The adsorption of collector on mineral surface by MD method indicates that the combination processes of collectors with mineral crystal are exothermic, and THCA has the greatest difference in binding energy between diaspore and aluminosilicate. A good correlation was found between the theoretical calculations and the experimental results. As a whole, THCA is a better collector to float and separate diaspore over aluminosilicates.

Novel chelating reagents containing mono-carboxyl and double-hydroxycarbamoyl group were designed and synthesized as collector, such as 3,3-bis(hydroxycarbamoyl) undecanoic acid (BHUA), 3,3-bis(hydroxycarbamoyl) tridecanoic acid (BHTA) and 3,3-bis(hydroxycarbamoyl) pentadecoic acid (BHPA). These collectors were investigated to float single minerals, artificially mixed minerals and real diasporic bauxite ore. The collecting performance on minerals was interpreted by means of adsorption amount measurement, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis, zeta potential measurement and density functional theory (DFT) calculation. The appropriate pH value for the diaspore flotation are close to neutral pH value at which diaspore presents quite good floatability while kaolinite and illite exhibit very poor floatability. The satisfactory results on the mass ratio of Al 2 O 3 to SiO 2 and the Al 2 O 3 recovery were obtained for the flotation separation of artificially mixed minerals and diasporic bauxite using BHUA as collector, demonstrating the high selectivity of BHUA for the flotation separation of bauxite. The O atoms in these collectors possess more negative charges and more easily donate electrons than N atoms, and surface Al atoms on diaspore are more than those on aluminosilicate minerals, causing diaspore adsorbing reagent in larger amount than aluminosilicate minerals and resulting in high selectivity for minerals flotation.

In order to elucidate how dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration influenced the generation of extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) and soluble microbial products (SMP) in mixed liquor and biocake, 16S rDNA fingerprinting analyses were performed to investigate the variation of the microbial community in an aerobic membrane bioreactor (MBR). The function of microbial community structure was proved to be ultimately responsible for biofouling. Obvious microbial community succession from the subphylum of Betaproteobacteria to Deltaproteobacteria was observed in biocake. High concentration of EPS in biocake under the low DO concentration (0.5 mg L(-1)) caused severe biofouling. The correlation coefficient of membrane fouling rate with EPS content in biocake (0.9941-0.9964) was much higher than that in mixed liquor (0.6689-0.8004).

In this study, a membrane-based process was applied to simultaneously reclaim methane and generate reused water from raw domestic wastewater. The system was comprised of up-flow anaerobic sludge fixed bed (UAFB), anoxic sink (AS) and aerobic membrane bioreactor (MBR). The hydraulic retention time of UAFB (HRT U ) was gradually shortened from 8 h to 6 h, 3 h and to 1 h, while the HRT of AS and MBR kept at 8 h. It is found that HRT U of 3 h was more suitable for the balancing production of biogas and volatile fatty acids (VFAs), and the VFAs served as carbon source for denitrification. The trans-membrane pressure (TMP) of the MBR kept lower than 0.04 MPa without wash or change of membrane sheet, however, the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis indicated that microbes attached to the inner-surface of membrane, causing irreversible fouling after 133-day operation. The denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) profiles of amplified 16S rDNA gene fragments proved that more functional bacteria and higher microbial diversity emerged at HRT U of 3 h and 1 h. Most bacteria belonged to Betaproteobacteria and were responsible for carbon and nitrogen removal.

A thiacalix[4]arene-loaded resin was prepared and characterized. The adsorption capacities of the thiacalix[4]arene-loaded resin toward Cu 2+ , Pb 2+ and Cd 2+ ions were investigated by batch adsorption experiments. It was found that the selective adsorption capacities of the thiacalix[4]arene-loaded resin are mainly attributed to the complex of the loaded thiacalix[4]arene with heavy metal ions. Various factors affecting the adsorption capacities such as contact time, temperature, pH and initial concentration of the metal ions were investigated. The adsorption kinetics was evaluated with the pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order models. The equilibrium data were analyzed using Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models by non-linear regression. The adsorption kinetics followed the pseudo-second-order rate law for the three heavy metal ions, indicating chemical sorption as the rate-limiting step of the adsorption mechanism. The adsorption of heavy metal ions onto the thiacalix[4]arene-loaded resin is fitted better to the Langmuir isotherm than to the Freundlich isotherm, and the maximum adsorption capacities were 21.4, 47.9, and 44.9 mg/g for Cu 2+ , Pb 2+ and Cd 2+ ions respectively. Thermodynamic studies revealed that the adsorptions of the thiacalix[4]arene-loaded resin to heavy metal ions were spontaneous and exothermic processes with an increase of entropy.