Search

With rapid urbanization and infrastructure investment, wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Chinese cities are putting increased pressure on energy consumption and exacerbating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. A carbon footprint is provided as a tool to quantify the life cycle GHG emissions and identify opportunities to reduce climate change impacts. This study examined three mainstream wastewater treatment technologies: Anaerobic–Anoxic–Oxic (A–A–O), Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR) and Oxygen Ditch, considering four different sludge treatment alternatives for small-to-medium-sized WWTPs. Following the life cycle approach, process design data and emission factors were used by the model to calculate the carbon footprint. Results found that direct emissions of CO2 and N2O, and indirect emissions of electricity use, are significant contributors to the carbon footprint. Although sludge anaerobic digestion and biogas recovery could significantly contribute to emission reduction, it was less beneficial for Oxygen Ditch than the other two treatment technologies due to its low sludge production. The influence of choosing “high risk” or “low risk” N2O emission factors on the carbon footprint was also investigated in this study. Oxygen Ditch was assessed as “low risk” of N2O emissions while SBR was “high risk”. The carbon footprint of A–A–O with sludge anaerobic digestion and energy recovery was more resilient to changes of N2O emission factors and control of N2O emissions, though process design parameters (i.e., effluent total nitrogen (TN) concentration, mixed-liquor recycle (MLR) rates and solids retention time (SRT)) and operation conditions (i.e., nitrite concentration) are critical for reducing carbon footprint of SBR. Analyses of carbon footprints suggested that aerobic treatment of sludge not only favors the generation of large amounts of CO2, but also the emissions of N2O, so the rationale of reducing aerobic treatment and maximizing anaerobic treatment applies to both wastewater and sludge treatment for reducing the carbon footprint, i.e., the annamox process for wastewater nutrient removal and the anaerobic digestion for sludge treatment.

BACKGROUND Microalgae biodiesel has attracted considerable attention, however, low lipid content has significantly restricted its development. Many research studies have demonstrated that nutrient deficiency is an important factor stimulating lipid accumulation in algal cells. This present study investigated the combined effects of nitrogen, phosphorus, and carbon on algal lipid accumulation by Chlorella vulgaris in mixotrophic culture. RESULTS Phosphorus at 0.2 g L−1 concentration inhibited Chlorella vulgaris growth but did not influence lipid accumulation. High concentration of NaNO3 (3.75 g L−1) inhibited both algal growth and lipid accumulation. Nitrogen sufficiency can stimulate lipid accumulation. Glucose limitation restricted both biomass production and lipid accumulation, resulting in lipid content decrease even under nitrogen sufficiency. CO2 was unable to satisfy the carbon demand for lipid accumulation when glucose was exhausted in mixotrophic culture. The initial C:N ratio of culture medium played an important role in algal lipid accumulation. Lipid content was maintained at 7.6–11.3% when the initial C:N of culture was less than 50, while it increased significantly to 23.9% with initial C:N of culture increased to 92.7. CONCLUSION Superior lipid accumulation requires limiting nitrogen concentration in the medium solution. High initial C:N ratio greater than 86 was found to be beneficial for algal lipid accumulation. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry

Microalgae harvesting is a relatively costly process in microalgae biodiesel production. In this study, electrocoagulation-flotation (ECF) was employed to harvest microalgae (Chlorella vulgaris). Higher current density achieved higher collection efficiency, but also resulted in higher energy consumption and increased levels of dissolved aluminium. At the same ratio of current density to initial cell density, collection efficiency decreased from 99.0% of 0.24 g L−1 to 30.5% of 1.17 g L−1 when the electrolysis time was 20 min. For stirring and aeration, the highest collection efficiency was 98.4%, obtained by stirring at 50 rpm for 20 min. This efficiency was nearly equal to the highest collection efficiency for aeration: 98.3% for 50 mL min−1 aeration at 30 min. Acidic and neutral culture conditions were beneficial due to the positively charged aluminium species in the culture; higher collection efficiencies (more than 98%) occurred with pH levels of 5–7 after 20 min. The lowest energy consumption of 0.61 kW h kg−1 was achieved at pH 5. In this research, ECF exhibited higher collection efficiency (99.4%) as compared to the 93.5% collection efficiency of chemical flocculation (Al2(SO4)3).

The correlation between coronary artery disease (CAD) and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) was investigated to analyze its risk factors. A total of 84 patients with suspected CAD due to chest tightness and pain or nocturnal angina, were selected. They were admitted and received coronary angiography in The Affiliated Hospital of Medical College Qingdao University from March, 2016 to June, 2017. The vital signs were monitored, and the sleep monitoring was performed before and after coronary angiography. Before angiography, the fasting blood was drawn for blood biochemical detection, followed by routine electrocardiogram and echocardiographic examination. In addition, the body mass index was calculated and whether patients suffered from hypertension and diabetes mellitus was observed. The patients were divided into the control group (patients with a negative coronary angiography) and the CAD group (patients with a positive coronary angiography). There were 34 cases in the control group, including 21 cases of OSAS (61.76%), and 50 in the CAD group, including 40 cases of OSAS (80.00%). Statistical analysis revealed that there were statistically significant differences in the apnea hypopnea index (AHI), lowest oxygen saturation, degree of coronary stenosis (Gensini score) and triglyceride level between the two groups (P20 were the risk factors of CAD (OR=7.036 and 5.377). Thus, CAD is closely correlated with OSAS and AHI >20 is one of the risk factors of CAD.

Objectives To investigate the lncRNA profiling during tilapia peritoneal macrophages (TPMs) activation and discuss the relationship between lncRNA and mRNA. Materials and Methods RNA sequencing was used to investigate the lncRNA and mRNA profiles of TPMs activation following stimulation with Streptococcus agalactiae (Sa) antigen, heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) and HSP70+Sa. The expressions of lncRNA and mRNA were confirmed by qPCR. 356 lncRNA, 10173 mRNA and 1782 transcripts of uncertain coding potential (TUCP) were differentially expressed by pairwise comparison. These lncRNAs were shorter in length, fewer in exon number and higher in expression levels as compared with mRNAs. 683 lncRNAs and 4320 mRNAs were co-located, while 316 lncRNAs and 9997 mRNAs were in co-expression networks. Seven mRNAs (ANKRD34A, FMODA, GJA3, CNTN5, BMP10, BAI2 and HS3ST6) were involved in both networks of LNC_00035 and LNC_000466. Differentially expressed genes were involved in signaling pathways, such as “phosphorylation”, “cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction”, “endocytosis” and “MHC protein complex”. LNC_000792, LNC_000215, LNC_000035 and LNC_000310, with cis and/or trans relationships with mRNAs, were also involved in ceRNA network. Conclusions These results might represent the first identified expression profile of lncRNAs and mRNAs in tilapia macrophages activated by HSP70 and Sa.

How to utilize electrocoagulation (EC) technology for algae-polluted water treatment in an energy-efficient manner remains a critical challenge for its widespread application. Herein, a novel biocathode-coupled electrocoagulation cell (bio-ECC) with sacrificial iron anode and nitrifying biocathode was developed. Under different solution conductivities (2.33±0.25mScm-1 and 4.94±0.55mScm-1), the bio-ECC achieved almost complete removal of algae cells. The maximum power densities of 8.41 and 11.33Wm-3 at corresponding current densities of 48.03Am-3 and 66.26Am-3 were obtained, with the positive energy balance of 4.52 and 7.44Wm-3. In addition, the bio-ECC exhibited excellent NH4+-N removal performance with the nitrogen removal rates of 7.28mgL-1h-1 and 6.77mgL-1h-1 in cathode chamber, indicating the superiority of bio-ECC in NH4+-N removal. Pyrosequencing revealed that nitrifiers including Nitrospira, Nitrobacter, Nitrosococcus, and Nitrosomonas were enriched in biocathode. The removal mechanisms of algae in anode chamber were also explored by AFM and SEM-EDX tests. These results provide a proof-of-concept study of transferring energy-intensive EC process into an energy-neutral process with high-efficiency algae removal and electricity recovery.

The main characteristic of discarded flue-cured tobacco leaves is their high nicotine content. Aerobic composting is an effective method to decrease the nicotine level in tobacco leaves and stabilize tobacco wastes. However, high levels of nicotine in discarded flue-cured tobacco leaves complicate tobacco waste composting. This work proposes a drying pretreatment process to reduce the nicotine content in discarded flue-cured tobacco leaves and thus enhance its carbon-to-nitrogen ratio to a suitable level for composting. The effect of another pretreatment method, particle size adjustment, on composting efficiency was also tested in this work. The results indicated that the air-dried (nicotine content: 1.35%) and relatively long discarded flue-cured tobacco leaves (25 mm) had a higher composting efficiency than damp (nicotine content: 1.57%) and short discarded flue-cured tobacco leaves (15 mm). When dry/25 mm discarded flue-cured tobacco leaves mixed with tobacco stems in an 8:2 ratio was composted at a temperature above 55 °C for 9 days, the nicotine content dropped from 1.29% to 0.28%. Since the discarded flue-cured tobacco leaves was successfully composted to a fertile and harmless material, the germination index values increased to 85.2%. The drying pretreatment and particle size adjustment offered ideal physical and chemical conditions to support microbial growth and bioactivity during the composting process, resulting in efficient conversion of discarded flue-cured tobacco leaves into a high quality and mature compost.

A correction to this article has been published and is linked from the HTML and PDF versions of this paper. The error has not been fixed in the paper.

This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of integrons and associated gene cassettes in Escherichia coli (E. coli) isolates from waterfowls in Hainan, China. The antimicrobial resistance profile of the isolates was examined by using disc diffusion test. In addition, PCR, RFLP, plasmid replicon typing and DNA sequencing analyses were used for the characterization of integrase genes (class 1, 2 and 3) and associated gene cassettes. Approximatively, 90% of the isolates were positive for the integrase genes by PCR. Specifically, class 1 and class 2 integrons were found in 252 (81%) and 7 (2.3%) strains, respectively. While 21 (6.7%) isolates were positive for both class 1 and class 2 integrons. However, none of the isolate was positive for the class 3 integrons. In addition, 5 various cassette arrays, dfrA1-orfC, aadA2, aadA1, dfrA1-aadA1, and dfrA1-orfC- aadA1, were found within the variable regions (VRs) of class 1 integron isolates. While only single cassette array, dfrA1-sat2- aadA1, was identified within VRs of class 2 integron isolates. We identified incF plasmid as the most common plasmid type, which was detected in 81 of 243 VRs containing isolates. This study is the first report showing the baseline characteristics of integrons in E. coli isolates from waterfowls in Hainan, China. Our results provide evidence of the waterfowl birds as a reservoir of class 1 and class 2 integrons carrying antibiotic resistance gene cassettes. Therefore, strict preventive measures should be taken to avoid the spread of mobile genetic resistance elements in waterfowls in China.

The biocathode of microbial electrochemical system (MES) accomplished bioelectrochemical denitrification in low C/N wastewater with low demand of exogenous electron donor. However, nitrite accumulation limited the overall nitrogen removal and challenged the further application of bioelectrochemical denitrification process. In this study, a bidirectional electron transfer cathodic biofilm dominated by Geobacter sp. was obtained by polarity reversion from anode to achieve complete nitrogen removal of 98 ± 1.2% (R1), where the Geobacter sp. was sustained by adding 0.1 g L–1 sodium acetate. However, in autotrophic circumstance after electrode reversal, the Geobacter sp. in cathodic biofilm (R2) rapidly lost along with a remarkable drop of nitrogen removal from 76 ± 8.7% (R2-S) to 47 ± 6.6% (R2-1M). Directly domesticated denitrifying biocathode (R3) obtained the lowest total nitrogen removal of 7 ± 3.8%. From principal co-ordinates analysis (PCoA), the function and bio-community of R1 and R2-S demonstrated high similarity with those of anode, while that of R2-1M were much similar with that of R3. The non-turnover CV and DPV indicated that electrochemical active bacteria, such as Geobacter sp., lasted from anode sustained functioning in biofilm of R1, which acted as “electron bridge” to provide extra access for denitrifiers to get electrons from cathode. The mediated electron transfer (MET) was considered as the main mechanism in this “electrode–to–cell–to–cell” pathway by CV analyses with different scan rates.

Flaviviruses, most of which are emerging and re-emerging human pathogens and significant public health concerns worldwide, are positive-sense RNA viruses. Flavivirus replication occurs on the ER and is regulated by many mechanisms and factors. NS5, which consists of a C-terminal RdRp domain and an N-terminal methyltransferase domain, plays a pivotal role in genome replication and capping. The C-terminal RdRp domain acts as the polymerase for RNA synthesis and cooperates with diverse viral proteins to facilitate productive RNA proliferation within the replication complex. Here, we provide an overview of the current knowledge of the functions and characteristics of the RdRp, including the subcellular localization of NS5, as well as the network of interactions formed between the RdRp and genome UTRs, NS3, and the methyltransferase domain. We posit that a detailed understanding of RdRp functions may provide a target for antiviral drug discovery and therapeutics.

Bulk shipping transport is an important part of ocean transportation. One of the most important aspects for bulk ship owners is to make choices about the ship’s operational area for the next planning period. In this article, based on the Baltic Supermax Index and historical decision data of different companies, the support vector machine model is used to predict the dry bulk carrier route selection, which provides a solution to this problem. The numerical results show that the model and the algorithm proposed in the paper can well work and can achieve good precision. Via comparative analysis, we prove that the model we proposed in this article has better performance than some other common methods in the research area. The proposed model would support dry bulk shipping company in route choice so as to balance the profit and potential opportunity when making choice for ships’ route selection.

Performance and microbial community composition were evaluated in a two-phase anaerobic and aerobic system treating sulfate-rich cellulosic ethanol wastewater (CEW). The system was operated at five different chemical oxygen demand (COD)/SO4 2− ratios (63.8, 26.3, 17.8, 13.7, and 10.7). Stable performance was obtained for total COD removal efficiency (94.5%), sulfate removal (89.3%), and methane production rate (11.5 L/day) at an organic loading rate of 32.4 kg COD/(m3·day). The acidogenic reactor made a positive contribution to net VFAs production (2318.1 mg/L) and sulfate removal (60.9%). Acidogenic bacteria (Megasphaera, Parabacteroides, unclassified Ruminococcaceae spp., and Prevotella) and sulfate-reducing bacteria (Butyrivibrio, Megasphaera) were rich in the acidogenic reactor. In the methanogenic reactor, high diversity of microorganisms corresponded with a COD removal contribution of 83.2%. Moreover, methanogens (Methanosaeta) were predominant, suggesting that these organisms played an important role in the acetotrophic methanogenesis pathway. The dominant aerobic bacteria (Truepera) appeared to have been responsible for the COD removal of the SBR. These results indicate that dividing the sulfate reduction process could effectively minimize sulfide toxicity, which is important for the successful operation of system treating sulfate-rich CEW.

The high chroma of cellulosic ethanol production wastewater poses a serious environmental concern; however, color-causing compounds are still not fully clear. The characteristics of the color compounds and decolorization of biologically treated effluent by electro-catalytic oxidation were investigated in this study. Excitation-emission matrix (EEM), fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR), UV-Vis spectra, and ultrafiltration (UF) fractionation were used to analyze color compounds. High chroma of wastewater largely comes from humic materials, which exhibited great fluorescence proportion (67.1 %) in the biologically treated effluent. Additionally, the color compounds were mainly distributed in the molecular weight fractions with 3-10 and 10-30 kDa, which contributed 53.5 and 34.6 % of the wastewater color, respectively. Further decolorization of biologically treated effluent by electro-catalytic oxidation was investigated, and 98.3 % of color removal accompanied with 97.3 % reduction of humic acid-like matter was achieved after 180 min. The results presented herein will facilitate the development of a well decolorization for cellulosic ethanol production wastewater and better understanding of the biological fermentation.

Background: To estimate the scale of bioenergy winter crops and summer crop residue opportunities in China, winter rye (Secale cereal) yields were predicted using RyeGro, while straw production from corn, wheat and rice was calculated using a global agricultural database. Results: Potential winter rye biomass yields ranged from 11,099,000 to 23,745,700 Mg, while summer crop residues totaled 365,600,000 Mg after discounting for losses and alternative uses. Conclusion: Widespread existing double-cropping systems, as well as low winter precipitation and temperatures in China’s northern regions, limit the potential to directly increase biomass production using winter crops. However, winter crop synergies can increase sustainable harvests of summer crop residues, allowing China to provide a significant fraction of its energy needs from integrated food and biomass production systems.

A microbial consortium with a high cellulolytic activity was enriched to degrade raw corn stover powder (RCSP). This consortium degraded more than 51% of non-sterilized RCSP or 81% of non-sterilized filter paper within 8 days at 40 °C under facultative anoxic conditions. Cellulosome-like structures were observed in scanning electron micrographs (SEM) of RCSP degradation residue. The high cellulolytic activity was maintained during 40 subcultures in a medium containing cellulosic substrate. Small ribosomal gene sequence analyses showed the consortium contains uncultured and cultured bacteria with or without cellulolytic activities. Among these bacteria, some are anaerobic others aerobic. Analyses of the culture filtrate showed a typical anoxic polysaccharide fermentation during the culturing process. Reducing sugar concentration increased at early stage followed by various fermentation products that were consumed at the late stage.

Monitoring indexes are significant for real-time monitoring of dam performance in ensuring safe and normal operation. Traditional methods for establishing monitoring indexes are mostly focused on single point displacements, and rational monitoring indexes based on multi-point displacements are rare. This study establishes monitoring indexes based on correlation and discreteness of multi-point displacements. The proposed method is applicable when several monitoring points show strong correlation. In this study, principal component analysis (PCA) was introduced for preprocessing the observations of multi-point displacements. Correlation and discreteness of multi-point displacements were extracted and constructed. The correlation and discreteness parts described the integral and local variance of the displacement field. On this basis, the annual maximum values of the correlation and discreteness parts were selected and their probability density functions (PDF) could be generated by employing the principle of maximum entropy. PDF was constructed using maximum entropy method and was least subjective because it barely provided the moment information of the observations. The multi-point monitoring indexes were then determined by the typical low probability method based on the obtained PDFs. Finally, the proposed method was analyzed using a practical engineering and was verified in terms of its feasibility.

Published ahead of print 7 October 2013 The views expressed in this Commentary do not necessarily reflect the views of the journal or of ASM.

The relationship of stress vs. strain of W-40 wt.% Cu at different temperatures and strain rates is obtained by the true stress–strain data obtained from tests using a Gleeble1500 thermo-simulator. The friction factors without and with lubricant of oil and graphite are determined by ring upset experiments. The heat transfer of the billet in various conditions is simulated by DEFORM-2D, and the results are compared with the temperature–time data obtained from heat transfer tests to confirm the convection coefficient and the heat transfer coefficient between the billet and other materials in different states. Based on these works, the hot hydrostatic extrusion process of W-40 wt.% Cu is simulated. The results show that the calculated deformation loads during extrusion at different temperatures are in good agreement with the experimental results. The variation of the deformation load during hot hydrostatic extrusion process has been studied, and the distribution of temperature field, equivalent stress, equivalent strain and relative density of the billet are obtained.

Many herbaceous lignocelluloses suitable for ethanol production have high extractives contents, such as some straws and corn stover. The high extractives content might affect pretreatment or enzymatic hydrolysis. In this study, extractives were removed from corn stover, and then extractives-free corn stover and ordinary corn stover were respectively pretreated using a liquid hot water (LHW) method and hydrolyzed to evaluate the effect of extractives on cellulose digestibility. Extractives-free corn stover presented higher cellulose digestibility than ordinary corn stover after the same pretreatment conditions. A total of 87.3% of cellulose was digested in extractives-free corn stover, compared to 71.0% in ordinary corn stover, after pretreatment at 200 °C for 20 min. It is speculated that some water-soluble extractives could buffer H+ ions from water and acetic acid during LHW pretreatment process, reducing xylan removal. Another reason for these results might be that some extractives could condense on corn stover after LHW pretreatment, which hinders cellulose hydrolysis.

This study investigated the microbial diversity established in a combined system composed of a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR), expanded granular sludge bed (EGSB) reactor, and sequencing batch reactor (SBR) for treatment of cellulosic ethanol production wastewater. Excellent wastewater treatment performance was obtained in the combined system, which showed a high chemical oxygen demand removal efficiency of 95.8% and completely eliminated most complex organics revealed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analysis revealed differences in the microbial community structures of the three reactors. Further identification of the microbial populations suggested that the presence of Lactobacillus and Prevotella in CSTR played an active role in the production of volatile fatty acids (VFAs). The most diverse microorganisms with analogous distribution patterns of different layers were observed in the EGSB reactor, and bacteria affiliated with Firmicutes, Synergistetes, and Thermotogae were associated with production of acetate and carbon dioxide/hydrogen, while all acetoclastic methanogens identified belonged to Methanosaetaceae. Overall, microorganisms associated with the ability to degrade cellulose, hemicellulose, and other biomass-derived organic carbons were observed in the combined system. The results presented herein will facilitate the development of an improved cellulosic ethanol production wastewater treatment system.

The Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant phase 1 unit (QNPP-1) has a power rating of 320 MWe generated by a pressurized water reactor that was designed and constructed by China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC). The TELEPERM XS I&C system (TXS) is to be implemented to transform analog reactor protection system (RPS) in QNPP-1. The paper mainly describes the function, structure and characteristic of RPS in QNPP-1. It focuses on the outstanding features of digital I&C, such as strong online self-test capability, the degradation of the voting logic processing, interface improvements and CPU security. There are some typical failures during the operation of reactor protection system in QNPP-1. The way to analyze and process the failures is different from analog I&C. The paper summarizes typical failures of the digital RPS in the following types: CPU failure, communication failure, power failure, Input and output (IO) failure. It discusses the cause, risk and mainly processing points of typical failure, especially CPU and communication failures of the digital RPS. It is helpful for the maintenance of the system. The paper covers measures to improve the reliability of related components which has been put forward effective in Digital reactor protection system in QNPP-1. It will be valuable in nuclear community to improve the reliability of important components of nuclear power plants.

Reactants are the fluorine potassium titanate (K2TiF6), in situ synthesis of the melt reaction method and magnetic field is applied in the reaction ,under the same conditions, with no external field, under the magnetic field obtained Al3Ti/6061 composite materials for mechanical properties of contrast ;Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis showed that: under the magnetic fields generated particles Al3Ti, smaller particles, the size is about 1-3μm diffuse evenly distributed in the aluminum matrix; Mechanical properties of composites research shows that tensile strength σb and elongation rate are improved with the magnetic field, Al3Ti/6061 composite materials tensile fracture surface shows that the fracture is a plastic fracture.

This paper reports the results of a study to describe systematic variations in sea surface shape, horizontal and vertical velocity components, and nearbed suspended sediment concentrations as waves shoal, break and propagate shoreward as bores. Data were collected as part of the Duck '85 nearshore experiments carried out at the Army Research Facility at Duck, North Carolina in September 1985. The data set includes time series measurements of sea surface elevation, currents, and suspended sediment concentrations located at five positions across the surf zone. Additionally, a video recording of the sea surface was analyzed to classify surface wave types as unbroken, breaking (with or without associated form), or bores. Results show that the degree of asymmetry of wave shape increases as waves shoal and break. The cross-shore velocity varies systematically, being somewhat undulatory for unbroken waves and decomposing into large eddy structures upon breaking. The patterns of suspended sediment are strongly related to wave type. For unbroken waves, sediment suspensions can be high under the crest but occur within several centimeters of the seabed, on the order of the wave boundary layer thickness. For breaking waves, suspended sediment concentrations increase dramatically and sediment is mixed to higher levels in the water column. Sediment inversions and localized high concentration patches that appear to correspond to eddy motions impinging directly on the seabed are observed. For bores, overall sediment concentrations decrease as they propagate shoreward. The ratios of suspended load for the unbroken waves, breaking waves, and bores are 1:2.9:4 → 1.3 (averaging 2.3), respectively. Maximum suspended load occurs just shoreward of the breakpoint and most sediment settles out within 10–15 m of the plunge point.

In response to the [comment by Huang and Platt][1] ([1][2]) on our previous report ([2][3]), we point out that the ethical principles of trial registration can be traced back to the Declaration of Helsinki and require that the results of research involving human subjects be publicly available ([3][4

In the process of ethanol production from steam-exploded corn stover (SECS), a cellulose-degradation strain of Aspergillus nidulans (FLZ10) was investigated whether it could remove the inhibitors released from steam exploded pretreatment , and thereby be used for biological detoxification on Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The results showed that FLZ10 removed 75.2% formic acid, 53.6% acetic acid, and 100% hydroxymethyl furfural (5-HMF) and furfural from the hydrolysate washed from SECS after 72 h cultivation. A cellulase activity of 0.49 IU/ml was simultaneously produced while the biological detoxification occurred. An ethanol yield of 0.45 g/g on glucose was obtained in the hydrolysate biodetoxified by FLZ10. The glucose consumption rate of FLZ10 was much lower than that of S. cerevisiae, thereby it had little competition with S. cerevisiae on glucose consumption. Based on SECS to ethanol mass balance analysis, with the onsite bio-detoxification, fermentation using S. cerevisiae effectively converted monomeric glucose with 94.4% ethanol yield.

This paper first analyzes the present situation of Chinese food safety, outlines the changes of its nature and trends. Then, it establishes formation mechanism model of food safety incident, points out that adverse selection and the changes of topological structure of information dissemination system are the two important stages in the formation process of food safety incident. Finally, puts forward the control countermeasures of food safety incidents, emphasize on strengthening supervision, strengthening legislation, strengthening the independence of the judiciary, reforming the government's work performance appraisal system and information disclosure to deal with food safety incidents as important measures.

The adsorption behavior of 17 alpha-ethinylestradiol (EE(2)) onto inactivated sludge was investigated to assess the function of adsorption on EE(2) removal in activated sludge system. The adsorption equilibrium of EE(2) can be achieved in 5.0 h at the research temperature and the adsorption process could be well described by pseudo-second-order model. The equilibrium data at different temperatures were fitted by a linear regression. The thermodynamics analysis revealed that EE(2) adsorption onto inactivated sludge was spontaneous (Delta G=-15.18 to -16.35 kJ/mol), enthalpy-driven (Delta H=-27.2 kJ/mol), entropy-retarded (DeltaS=-39.18 J/(mol K)), and mainly physical adsorption. Effects of pH, ionic strength and coexisting organic matters (methanol and bisphenol A) on EE(2) adsorption onto inactivated sludge were also examined. The amounts of EE(2) equilibrium adsorption ability were unchanged as the pH values increasing from 2.0 to 6.0, but decreased from 2.14 to 1.43 mg/g MLSS when the initial EE(2) concentration was 5.0mg/L as pH above 6.0. The adsorption capacities were first increased from 2.19 to 2.50mg/g MLSS, then sharply decreased and stabilized at 1.12 mg/g MLSS during the ionic strength was adjusted from 0 to 1 mol/L. Methanol (0.4-5%, v/v) and bisphenol A (0-200mg/L) in the mixed liquor can decrease the adsorption capacity of EE(2) from 2.19 to 1.39 and 0.75 mg/g MLSS, respectively.

This article makes a comparison between Chinese and Western cultures on the basis of studies on the culture measurement. Additionally, the impact Chinese and Western cultural values have on technological innovation is analyzed based on the analysis of the role culture plays in technological innovation.

A microbial community with high cellulose-degradation ability was selected from four different samples of soil by the techniques of restricted cultivation. The effect of different conditions on the cellulose degrading capability of the microbial system was investigated with filter saccharogenic power. Two peaks appeared on the growth curve and the second crest was visualized at the seventh day after inoculation when the highest cellulase activity was investigated. The cellulose degrading capacity of the community was much higher with corn stover as carbon source than with filter paper and the former cellulase activity was 1.5 times higher than the latter. The optimum temperature for degrading cellulose was 45degC, while the cellulase activity also was at high level when the temperature was keep at 35degC~45degC. The optimum pH for microbial community was 6.0.

For the purpose of preparing the ondansetron hydrochloride sustained-release tablets and studying the influencing factors, we prepared the ondansetron hydrochloride sustained-release tablets, using hydroxypropylmethylcellose (HPMC) as the matrix material. Then we investigated the effects of the viscosity and amount of HPMC,the sort of fillers, the preparation methods, the alcohol content in adhesives, and the pH of the dissolving solution on the release of ondansetron hydrochloride from sustained-release tablets. On the basis of pharmaceutical preformulation studies,the best formulation and preparation methods were screened out according to orthogonal experiment design method. The release behavior of the tablets followed the Higuchi equation. The viscosity of HPMC,the sort of fillers and the rotation speed had no significant effects on the release of ondansetron hydrochloride sustained-release tablets,while the preparation methods, the alcohol content in adhesives and the pH of the dissolving solution influcenced the release of ondansetron hydrochloride sustained-release tablets significantly. Ondansetron hydrochloride sustained-release tablets had good drug relase behavior for in 12 h in vitro.