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The detection of protein biomarkers is crucial for early disease diagnosis. However, these biomarkers are present at low levels in serum, and the detection signal is easily interfered with by high levels of proteins. These factors pose major challenges for direct biomarker detection by existing technologies; thus, sample pre-treatments are performed as the best solution. Molecularly imprinted polymers have excellent properties of good binding ability, high selectivity and low cost, making this technique one of the best for serum pre-treatment. This review discusses the recent research status and development of bulk and surface imprinting techniques for high-abundance proteins. Furthermore, this paper emphasizes the research overview and progress of substrate and template selection, template immobilization technology and strategies to control the thickness of imprinted polymers when using the surface imprinting technique. Finally, the main challenges of molecular imprinting technique (MIT) application for high-abundance proteins and the future direction of this field are highlighted.

Purpose Sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) are recognized by scholars as the most important class of bacteria leading to corrosion of metal materials. It is important to use the properties of microorganisms to inhibit the growth of SRB in the corrosion protection of metal materials and to protect the environment. Design/methodology/approach In this work, the behavior of anaerobic Thiobacillus denitrificans (TDN) intracellular enzyme inhibition of SRB corrosion of EH36 steel was investigated with electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, biological detection technology and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Findings Results showed that the SRB crude intracellular enzyme affected the corrosion behavior of EH36 steel greatly and the purified TDN intracellular enzyme inhibits SRB intracellular enzyme corrosion to EH36 steel. Originality/value A perfect enzyme activity inhibition mechanism will provide theoretical guidance for the selection and application of anticorrosion microorganisms, which is of scientific significance in the field of microbial anticorrosion research.

We report a novel cubic Ce2−xTi2O7 compound prepared via the sol–gel method. There is an 18% vacancy of Ce ions in the as-prepared samples. The lattice defects may favor the transformation of Ce valence from +4 to +3, and a weak magnetic ordering state emerges up to 400 K.

An unusual thermal expansion anomaly with magnetic ordering in cubic CeTiO3 was found. A magnetic ordering–disordering transition at 300 K and a change of the magnetic component near 32 K were noted. A magnetovolume effect was found below the magnetic ordering temperature.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to show that novel photodynamic therapy (PDT) sensitizers can be activated by two-photon absorption in the near-IR region of the spectrum and to show, for the first time, that such activation can lead to tumor regressions at significant tissue depth. These experiments also evaluated effects of high-energy femtosecond pulsed laser irradiation on normal tissues and characterized the response of xenograft tumors to our PDT protocols.Experimental Design: Human small cell lung cancer (NCI-H69), non-small cell lung cancer (A549), and breast cancer (MDA-MB-231) xenografts were induced in SCID mice. Irradiation of sensitized tumors was undertaken through the bodies of tumor-bearing mice to give a treatment depth of 2 cm. Posttreatment tumor regressions and histopathology were carried out to determine the nature of the response to these new PDT agents. Microarray expression profiles were conducted to assess the similarity of responses to single and two-photon activated PDT.Results: Regressions of all tumor types tested were seen. Histopathology was consistent with known PDT effects, and no, or minimal, changes were noted in irradiated normal tissues. Cluster analysis of microarray expression profiling showed reproducible changes in transcripts associated with apoptosis, stress, oxygen transport, and gene regulation.Conclusions: These new PDT sensitizers can be used at a depth of 2 cm to produce excellent xenograft regressions. The tumor response was consistent with known responses to single-photon activated PDT. Experiments in larger animals are warranted to determine the maximal achievable depth of treatment.

Supplementary Data from New Two-Photon Activated Photodynamic Therapy Sensitizers Induce Xenograft Tumor Regressions after Near-IR Laser Treatment through the Body of the Host Mouse

Microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) is a common phenomenon in water treatment, shipping, construction, marine and other industries. Sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) often lead to MIC. In this paper, a strain of Pseudomonas stutzeri (P. stutzeri) with the ability to inhibit SRB corrosion is isolated from the soil through enrichment culture. P. stutzeri is a short, rod-shaped, white and transparent colony with denitrification ability. Our 16SrDNA sequencing results verify the properties of P. stutzeri strains. The growth conditions of P. stutzeri bacteria and SRB are similar, and the optimal culture conditions are about 30 °C, pH 7, and the stable stage is reached in about seven days. The bacteria can coexist in the same growth environment. Using the weight loss method, electrochemical experiments and composition analysis techniques we found that P. stutzeri can inhibit the corrosion of X70 steel by SRB at 20~40 °C, pH 6~8. Furthermore, long-term tests at 3, 6 and 9 months reveal that P. stutzeri can effectively inhibit the corrosion of X70 steel caused by SRB.

The separation of rare earth elements by solid phase containing diglycolamide-type ligands is a hot topic. In this study, 2-[2-oxo-2-(1-pyrrolidinyl)ethoxy]acetic acid (PYRDGA) was synthesized and attached to the silica. The binding strength of SiO

The highly selective and sensitive fluorescence “light-up” probe, 5′-(dimethylamino)-2′-formyl-N-hydroxy-[1,1′-biphenyl]-2-carboxamide(PTS), has been fabricated for the nerve-agent mimic diethyl ch...

In this work, a novel method was developed for the determination of trace rare earth elements (REEs) in fruit samples by microwave digestion coupled with inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) after preconcentration with N, N, N′, N′-tetraoctyl diglycolamide (TODGA). The parameters affecting the extraction and back-extraction behaviors of the target analytes in liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) were studied systematically. Under the optimum conditions, the limits of detection (3σ, n = 7) for the target REEs of interest were in the range of 0.0548 (Tb)–0.541 (La) μg L−1, and the tolerable concentration ratios were reaches 4 orders of magnitude for the common interfering ions. The relative standard deviations (c = 100 μg L−1, n = 7) were from 0.6% (Sm) to 3.3% (La) with the wide linear range spanned three orders of magnitude (R2 > 0.999). The recoveries for the spiked fruit samples were ranged from 92.1% to 104%. The proposed method has the advantages of simple operation, good anti-interference ability, simultaneous determine 16 REEs, which has been successfully applied for analysis of REEs in the 10 locally collected fruit samples, thereby exhibits application potential for the analysis of trace REEs in biological samples with complex matrix.

A highly selective and sensitive fluorescence “light-up” probe PTH for ClO− has been developed, which is designed by a new strategy based on TEMPO-oxidation for the first time. PTH exhibits excellent properties including quick response (within 2 min), lower detection limit (63.7 nM), good linearity (R2 = 0.9863) and specific selectivity. More importantly, its application of detection ClO- in real samples has also been achieved.

In this work, magnetic nanomaterials were synthesized by grafting diglycolamide (DGA) derivatives onto polydopamine (PDA) functionalized magnetic nanomaterials (Fe3O4@PDA@DGA). The adsorption behaviors of Fe3O4@PDA@DGA for rare earth elements (REEs) were evaluated. The characterization results indicated that the Fe3O4 nanoparticles form a hexagonal-like two-dimensional projection shape, and DGA is successfully grafted onto the surface of the nanomaterials. By using Fe3O4@PDA@DGA nanomaterials as the adsorption material, a novel method for magnetic solid phase extraction (MSPE) coupled with inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) was developed, which can quantitatively determine trace REEs in environmental water. With the MSPE procedure, the parameters affecting the adsorption behaviors of the REEs on Fe3O4@PDA@DGA nanomaterials, such as pH, ultrasonic adsorption time, mass and solution volume were investigated systematically. Under the optimum experimental conditions, the limits of detections (LODs) and the relative standard deviations (RSDs) of 16 REEs (C = 10 µg L−1, n = 7) were in the range of 0.039 µg L−1 for Eu to 0.425 µg L−1 for Nd and 1% for La to 3.9% for Gd. The linear range of the calibration curve over 2–1000 ng mL−1 (R2 > 0.999) was obtained for the target analytes. This developed method was applied for the environmental samples and the recoveries were 95.8–105.8% for the spiked water. The proposed MSPE-ICP-OES method has the advantages of easy separation, simple operation, good anti-interference capability, fast adsorption and elution kinetics, low detection limits, high sensitivity and fast analysis speed, thereby acting as a potential application for the simultaneous analysis of trace REEs in environmental samples.

Decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-209) is a brominated flame retardant widely used in the world which, being an emerging persistent organic pollutant, poses a great potential hazard to both human health and the ecological environment. Microbial biodegradation has been considered as an effective and environment-friendly technique to remediate BDE-209. Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a Gram-negative bacterium capable of degrading BDE-209, was isolated from PBDEs-contaminated soil. To promote microbial biodegradation of BDE-209 and gain further insight into its mechanism, cell changes and differential proteomic analysis of P. aeruginosa during biodegradation were studied. The results showed that high cell surface hydrophobicity of P. aeruginosa make the bacteria absorb BDE-209 more easily. The increase in cell membrane permeability was caused by the P. aeruginosa responding to BDE-209 stress. IR spectra showed that hydroxyl, amide and CH2 groups in the P. aeruginosa cell surface were involved in the interactions between BDE-209 with P. aeruginosa. The apoptotic-like cell changes and cell surface morphology changes were observed by flow cytometry (FCM) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), respectively. Differentially expressed protein was analysed by two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) and 40 protein spots were identified to be different after 5 days biodegradation.

This study aims to find a high-efficiency degradation strain which can biodegrade the 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-P-dioxin (2,3,7,8-TCDD). In this paper, a new fungus strain was isolated from activated sludge of Dagu Drainage River in Tianjin which was able to degrade 2,3,7,8-TCDD in the medium. Based on its morphology and phylogenetic analysis of its 18S rDNA sequence, the strain was identified as Penicillium sp. QI-1. Response surface methodology using central composite rotatable design of cultural conditions was successfully employed for optimization resulting in 87.9 % degradation of 2,3,7,8-TCDD (1 µg/mL) within 6 days. The optimum condition for degrading 2,3,7,8-TCDD was at 31℃ and pH 7.4. The biodegradation process was fitted to a first-order kinetic model. The kinetic equation was Ct=0.939e− 0.133t and its half-life was 5.21d. The fungus strain degraded 2,3,7,8-TCDD to form intermediates, they were 4,5-Dichloro-1,2-benzoquinone, 4,5-Dichlorocatechol, 2-Hydrooxy-1,4-benzoquinone, 1,2,4-Trihydroxybenzene and β-ketoadipic acid. A novel degradation pathway for 2,3,7,8-TCDD was proposed based on analysis of these metabolites. The results suggest that Penicillium sp. QI-1 may be an ideal microorganism for biodegradation of the 2,3,7,8-TCDD-contaminated environments.

A novel hydrogel based on diglycolamide compound was prepared for the adsorption of rare earth ions. The hydrogel shows high adsorption capacity in 0.1 M HNO3, from the lowest 128 mg g−1 for La to ...

The unique physical and chemical properties of rare earth elements lay the foundation for their extensive application. N,N,N′,N′ Tetra-octyl-3-oxopentanediamide (TODGA) is excellent in its ability of extracting rare earth elements and it is favored for green initiative. In this paper, the extraction and back-extraction of 14 rare earth elements by TODGA were studied. Experiments show that in conditions of 6 mol/L sulfuric acid, the extraction temperature of 25 °C, the phase ratio of 1:1 and 0.04 mol/L TODGA (aviation kerosene as the diluent), the extraction rates of 14 rare earth elements including lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium, lutetium, and yttrium were 99.00%–99.73%. Mixed with hydrochloric acid and nitric acid (HCl 3.5 mol/L, HNO3 0.5 mol/L), the recoveries of the 14 rare earth elements are 91.52%–99.91% when the extraction temperature is 25 °C and the ratio is 1:1. The following application is based on the optimum conditions above with practical samples (from the roasting production line of China North Rare Earth High-tech Company Limited) for extraction and back-extraction experiments. Experiments show that TODGA has excellent enrichment effect on 14 rare earth elements, the extraction rates are 91.36%–99.80%, the back-extraction rates are 87.29%–99.64% and the total recoveries are 81.19%–99.44%.

The combination of hot/warm and cold forging with an intermediate controlled cooling process is a promising approach to saving costs in the manufacture of automobile parts. In this work, the effects of the ferrite–pearlite microstructure, which formed after controlled cooling, on the cold forgeability of a medium-carbon steel were investigated. Different specimens for both normal and notched tensile tests were directly heated to high temperature and then cooled down at different cooling rates, producing different ferrite volume fractions, ranging from 6.69 to 40.53%, in the ferrite–pearlite microstructure. The yield strength, ultimate tensile strength, elongation rate, percentage reduction of area, and fracture strain were measured by tensile testing. The yield strength, indicating deformation resistance, and fracture strain, indicating formability, were used to evaluate the cold forgeability. As the ferrite volume fraction increased, the cold forgeability of the dual-phase ferritic–pearlitic steel improved. A quantitatively relationship between the ferrite volume fraction and the evaluation indexes of cold forgeability for XC45 steel was obtained from the test data. To validate the mathematical relationship, different tensile specimens machined from real hot-forged workpieces were tested. There was good agreement between the predicted and measured values. Our predictions from the relationship for cold forgeability had an absolute error less than 5%, which is acceptable for industrial applications and will help to guide the design of combined forging processes.

Microcystins (MCs) is a kind of hepatotoxin, which is the secondary metabolite of cyanobacteria. Bi2O2CO3 (BOC) is a kind of cheap and nontoxic semiconductor material. BOC was synthetized by solvothermal method and then microcystin-LR (MC-LR) and microcystin-RR (MC-RR) were removed by BOC, through adsorption and photocatalytic degradation. When the dosage of BOC is 6 g/L, the MC-LR and MC-RR in the natural water sample can be completely adsorbed in 30 min and then after 12 h irradiation, MC-LR and MC-RR were photocatalytically degraded by BOC.

In this study, novel magnetic mesoporous Fe3O4@mSiO2–DODGA nanoparticles were prepared for efficiently adsorbing and recycling REEs. Fe3O4@mSiO2–DODGA was characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The adsorption behavior of Fe3O4@mSiO2–DODGA was investigated by ICP-OES. The results showed that the content of DODGA in the adsorbent was 367 μmol g−1. Fe3O4@mSiO2–DODGA exhibited the highest adsorption rates for 15 REEs, except Tm, in a 2 mol L−1 nitric acid solution. Among these elements, the adsorption rates for Nd, Sm, Eu, Dy, Ho, Yb, Lu, Y and Sc ranged from 85.1% to 100.1%. The desorption rates for all 16 REE ions reached their maximum values when 0.01 mol L−1 EDTA was used as the eluent. The desorption rates for Nd, Ce, Sm, Eu, Ho, Yb, Lu, Y, and Sc were 87.7–99.8%. Fe3O4@mSiO2–DODGA had high stability in 2 mol L−1 HNO3 and could be used five times without significant loss of adsorption capacity. Moreover, these nanoparticles had high selectivity, and their adsorption rate was not affected even in a high-concentration solution of a coexisting ion. Therefore, 8 REE ions (Nd, Sm, Eu, Ho, Yb, Lu, Y, and Sc) were selected for the study of adsorption kinetics and adsorption isotherm experiments. It was demonstrated that the values of Qe (equilibrium adsorption capacity) for Nd, Sm, Eu, Ho, Yb, Lu, Y, and Sc were 14.28–60.80 mg g−1. The adsorption of REEs on Fe3O4@mSiO2–DODGA followed the pseudo-second-order kinetic model, Elovich model and Langmuir isotherm model, which indicated that the adsorption process of Fe3O4@mSiO2–DODGA for REEs comprised single-layer adsorption on a non-uniform surface controlled by chemical adsorption. It was concluded that Fe3O4@mSiO2–DODGA represents a new material for the adsorption of REEs in strongly acidic solutions.

Palladium, as a toxic heavy metal, poses a great threat to the environment and human health. Therefore, it is essential to achieve the purpose of detecting trace amounts of palladium. In this paper, a probe CM480 based on the Tsuji–Trost reaction has been developed that can effectively recognize Pd2+, resulting in a large fluorescence “turn-on” response. CM480 exhibits excellent properties including rapid response (within 3 minutes), low detection limit (1.65 nM), good linearity (R2 = 0.9945) and specific selectivity. Moreover, CM480 shows superior recovery that it has great potential for being applied in real samples.

The addition of tetrabasic lead sulfates (4BS) as additives to positive pastes will effectively address the shortcomings which occur during the usage of Lead-acid batteries, such as the premature capacity loss and the active substances shed in the positive paste. We synthesized 4BS seeds using the doped lead sulfate atmospheric hydrothermal method with the lead oxide, lead sulfate, and sulfuric acid as reactant. The purity and yield of 4BS reach above 99% and 92.5%, respectively, and the particle size was approximately 10 μm. The products have been characterized by scanning electron microscope and X-ray diffractometer. Composition analysis and processing method exploration of the effluent from the 4BS synthesis were finished as well.

Based on the ESIPT fluorescence mechanism, herein, a novel ratiometric fluorescent probe was designed and synthesized for the detection of HClO. The reaction site of diaminomaleonitrile at the ortho-position of the phenolic hydroxyl group made the probe exhibit a ratiometric fluorescence response towards hypochlorous acid (HClO). The specific sensing mechanism was verified via MS, HPLC and 1H NMR spectroscopy. Moreover, the probe showed excellent performance with high sensitivity and good selectivity towards HClO in the presence of other reactive oxygen species. In addition, the probe was successfully applied to detect HClO spiked in tap water, river water and diluted human serum with good recoveries.

Decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-209) is a brominated flame retardant widely used in the world which, being an emerging persistent organic pollutant, poses a great potential hazard to both human health and the ecological environment. Microbial biodegradation has been considered as an effective and environment-friendly technique to remediate BDE-209.

An efficient and easy sample pretreatment methodology was proposed for the detection of photoinitiator 4-methylbenzophenone from milk before high-performance liquid chromatography. Appropriate conditions for de-emulsification was studied. The parameters affecting cloud point extraction, such as concentration of Tween-20, electrolyte salt, equilibration temperature and time, have been investigated. When the spiked level was 200–1000 μg/kg, the average addition standard recovery was 99.14–105.98% with the optimum cloud point extraction conditions (concentration of Tween-20, 138g/L; mass of anhydrous sodium sulfate, 0.75g; equilibration temperature, 65°C; equilibration time, 30 min). To decrease the detection limits, further work about the organic solvent, shaking time and ultrasonic parameters was carried. When the spiked level was 10–100 μg/kg, the average addition standard recovery was 70.40–106.91% with the optimum cloud point extraction and enrichment conditions (optimum cloud point extraction conditions; volume of cyclohexane, 30 mL; shaking time, 20 min; time of ultrasonic, 20 min; temperature of ultrasonic bath, 45°C). This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

Purpose Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus is a gram-negative predatory bacterium which can potentially inhibit microbiologically influenced corrosion by preying on sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB). However, no researches about the inhibition are reported according to the authors’ knowledge. The purpose of this paper was to investigate the Inhibition effect of B. bacteriovorus on the corrosion of X70 pipeline steel induced by SRB. Design/methodology/approach The effect of B. bacteriovorus on the growth of SRB was studied by measuring the optical density at 600 nm (OD600) and sulfate concentration in culture medium. X70 pipeline steel was used as the test material to investigate the anti-corrosion effect of B. bacteriovorus on SRB by conducting electrochemical analysis (including Tafel polarization curves and electrochemical impendence spectroscopy) and weight loss measurement. Findings B. bacteriovorus could inhibit the growth of SRB in culture medium by its predation on SRB, which led to decrease of OD600 value and increase of sulfate concentration. The results of electrochemical analysis indicated that B. bacteriovorus had positive inhibition efficiencies on SRB-induced corrosion of X70 pipeline steel. Moreover, corrosion rate of X70 pipeline steel was declined from 19.17 to 3.75 mg·dm-2·day-1 by the presence of B. bacteriovorus. Originality/value This is the first report about using B. bacteriovorus to inhibit the corrosion induced by SRB. Compared to other anti-corrosion methods, the microbial inhibition methods exhibit more considerable application value due to its low cost, high efficiency and non-pollution.

A type of functionalized ionic liquid extractant, tributylmethylammonium dibutyldiglycolamate ([A336][BDGA]), was synthesized, and its extraction ability of light rare earth elements, namely, La(III), Ce(III), Pr(III) and Nd(III), wascompared with that of other functionalized ionic liquid extractants, including tributylmethylammonium dioctyldiglycolamate and diglycolic amide extractants N,N,N,N-tetrabutyl-3-oxapentane-diamide (TBDGA) and N,N,N,N-tetraoctyl-3-oxapentane-diamide (TODGA). The study of extraction behavior indicated that the ionic liquids exhibited better extraction properties than the amides under lower acidity conditions. The effects of the pH and concentration of the extractant on the extraction behavior of [A336][BDGA] on light rare earths were determined. A separation strategy of mixed light rare earths was investigated by means of extraction chromatography using [A336][BDGA] as the stationary phase. As a result, nearly pure La(III), Ce(III), Pr(III) and Nd(III) were obtained, respectively. A new strategy of separating mixed light rare earths was established by means of extraction chromatography. The stationary phase of [A336][BDGA] was used in this strategy. The four rare earths elements, La(III), Ce(III), Pr(III) and Nd(III), achieved baseline separation.

Deformation behavior was investigated in detail from cold extrusion and upsetting tests on medium carbon steel. A new “cold forging after quenching and tempering” (CFAQT) process was proposed. Compared with conventional processes, including annealing before cold forging, plus quenching and tempering after forging, the CFAQT process could shorten the process chain and avoid subsequent heat treatment distortion with clear energy-saving and cost-reduction benefits. The CFAQT process was applied successfully in the mass production of a lock set for industrial automobile wheels and in laboratory spline extrusions.

Microcystins (MCs) is a kind of hepatotoxin, which is the secondary metabolite of cyanobacteria. Bi

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a good environmental microorganism capable of degrading decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE‐209). This paper studied the effect of Cu2+ and humic acid (HA) extracted from e‐waste contaminated soils on biodegradation of BDE‐209 by P. aeruginosa. The adsorption isotherms of Cu2+ on HA, the crude enzyme activity, cell surface morphology, and biodegradation pathway were also investigated. The results showed that BDE‐209 biodegradation by P. aeruginosa was inhibited at Cu2+ concentrations above 5 mg L−1, but exhibited the best effect at the condition of 40 mg L−1 Cu2+ + 3 g L−1 HA. At the condition of 40 mg L−1 Cu2+ + 3 g L−1 HA, 97.35 ± 2.33% of the initial BDE‐209 was degraded after 5 days, debromination efficiency was 72.14 ± 1.89%, crude enzyme activity reached the maximum of 0.519 ± 0.022U g−1 protein, cell surface of P. aeruginosa was smooth with normal short‐rod shapes, and biodegradation pathway mainly include debromination, hydroxylation, and cleavage of the diphenyl ether bond. It was suggested that soil HA could eliminate the toxic effect of high Cu2+ concentrations and biodegradation of BDE‐209 was improved by synergistic effect of HA and Cu2+.

The effect of warm deformation parameters and cooling rates on transformation of the microstructure of 40Cr steel was investigated using both single- and double-pass compression tests. The compression tests were performed at temperatures ranging from 800 to 700 °C followed by controlled cooling at rates from 0.1 to 5 °C/s. All of the final transformation microstructures were observed by optical microscopy, and they were mainly composed of ferritic and pearlitic microstructures. For further quantitative analysis, a program based on image processing technology was developed to automatically calculate the volume fractions of ferrite and pearlite. After qualitative and quantitative analysis of the final microstructures, the results showed the following. The ferrite volume fraction significantly increased with increasing strain for the same deformation temperature. The strain rate had almost no effect on the ferrite fraction at the lower cooling rates. The ferrite fraction markedly increased with increasing strain rate when the cooling rate was greater than 1 °C/s. The ferrite fractions after single- and double-pass compression were 27-49 and 24-43% for a total strain of 0.7. The cooling rate after deformation had a remarkable effect on the microstructure morphology, and the ferrite volume fraction significantly decreased with increasing cooling rate.

Although there are many reports demonstrating that thiobacillus denitrificans (TDN) may inhibit corrosion caused by sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB), very little is known for the inhibition effect in crude petroleum. In this work, the inhibition effect of TDN on the corrosion of X70 pipeline steel caused by SRB in crude petroleum was studied. The optimum incubation condition of TDN was obtained by orthogonal experimentation. The growth characteristics of TDN and SRB in crude petroleum were reflected via analyzing the transformation of sulfur. The inhibition effect on corrosion of X70 pipeline steel in crude petroleum was analyzed by an X-ray energy dispersive spectrometer in conjunction with weight loss measurement. The results suggested that TDN could effectively inhibit SRB-involved corrosion by biologically oxidizing sulfide to sulfate in crude petroleum.

In this work, Erythromycin A(EA)- degrading bacteria was isolated from the contaminated soil obtained from a pharmaceutical factory in China. The isolate designated as strain WX-J1 was identified as Ochrobactrum sp. by sequence analysis of its 16S rDNA gene. It can grow in a medium containing EA as the sole source of carbon and its optimal growth pH and temperature were 6.5 and 32°C, respectively. Under these conditions, when the initial Erythromycin A concentration was 100mg·L-1, 97% of Erythromycin A has been degraded. HPLC-MS analyses indicated that Erythromycin A degradation produced intermediates contained the following three substances: 3-depyranosyloxy erythromycin A, 7,12-dyhydroxy-6-deoxyerythronolide B, 6-deoxyerythronolide B and propionaldehyde. Since Erythromycin A-degrading Ochrobactrum sp. strain rapidly degraded Erythromycin A, this strain might be useful for bioremediation purposes.

An efficient and easy sample pretreatment methodology was proposed for the detection of photoinitiator 4-methylbenzophenone from milk before high-performance liquid chromatography. Appropriate conditions for demulsification were studied. The parameters affecting cloud point extraction, such as concentration of Tween-20, electrolyte salt, equilibration temperature, and time, have been investigated. When the spiked level was 200-1000 μg/kg, the average addition standard recovery was 99.14-105.98% with the optimum cloud point extraction conditions (concentration of Tween-20, 138 g/L; mass of anhydrous sodium sulfate, 0.75 g; equilibration temperature, 65°C; equilibration time, 30 min). To decrease the detection limits, further work about the organic solvent, shaking time, and ultrasonic parameters was carried. When the spiked level was 10-100 μg/kg, the average addition standard recovery was 70.40-106.91% with the optimum cloud point extraction and enrichment conditions (optimum cloud point extraction conditions; volume of cyclohexane, 30 mL; shaking time, 20 min; time of ultrasonic, 20 min; temperature of ultrasonic bath, 45°C).