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Flow cytometry rawdata for the article "Disruption of DNA-PK-mediated cGAS retention on damaged chromatin potentiates doxorubicin-induced cGAS/STING-dependent anti-multiple myeloma activity".

In this study, we report the application of pulsed electrochemistry to enhanced water decontamination by electrochemical oxidation. By applying square current waveforms, the alternating pulse-on/-o...

Direct cultivation of aerobic granular sludge (AGS) in membrane bioreactor (MBR) has gained increasing attention. Mycelial pellets (MPs) has been shown capable of promoting rapid granulation of aerobic sludge in MBR, yet mechanisms remain unclear and in-depth insight into cross-scale interactions between MPs and indigenous microbiota as well as the corresponding protein expression functions is necessary. Herein, we found that the addition of MPs in MBR resulted in massive growth of metazoans with 40-400 /mL for rotifers, 20-140 /mL for nematodes and 2-420 /mL for oligochaetes in the initial phase of granulation. This facilitated the MPs to rapidly aggregate with bacteria to form defensive granules for physical protection from predation by metazoans, which inhibited the overgrowth of filamentous bacteria Thiothrix and promoted the reproduction of functional bacteria related to nitrogen removal (Nitrospira, Trichococcus and Acinetobacter). Proteomic analysis demonstrated that the upregulation of functional proteins was mainly ascribed to the decrease of Thiothrix and the increase of Nitrospira, resulting in the enhancement of metabolic pathways involved in glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, citrate (TCA) cycle, oxidative phosphorylation, pyruvate metabolism, nitrogen metabolism and biosynthesis of amino acids, which was responsible for MPs-induced AGS with denser structure, more abundant proteins and β-polysaccharides, higher species diversity, significant nitrogen removal (33.12-42.33%) and lower membrane fouling potential. This study provided a novel and comprehensive insight into the enhanced granulation of aerobic sludge by MPs and the functional superiority of MPs-induced AGS in MBR system.

Global climate warming has drawn worldwide attention. However, the health impact of heat exposure is still controversial. This study aimed to explore the exact effects and sex differential vulnerability under intermittent heat exposure (IHE) patterns and tried to elucidate the potential mechanisms by which IHE modulated hepatic lipid and glucose homeostasis. Both female and male C57BL/6 N mice were randomly allocated to control group (22 ± 1 °C) or intermittent heat group (37 ± 1 °C for 6 h) for 9 consecutive days followed by 4-day recovery at 22 ± 1 °C in a whole-body exposure chamber. Male mice, but not female, being influenced by IHE with decreased body weight, improved insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance. Next, the levels of hepatic triglyceride (TG) were decreased and free fatty acid (FFA) increased in male mice exposed to intermittent heat, accompanied with upregulated expression of anti-oxidative enzymes in the liver. In addition, IHE led to enhanced lipid catabolism in male mice by inducing fatty acid uptake, lipid lipolysis, mitochondrial/peroxisomal fatty acid oxidation and lipid export. And glycolysis and glucose utilization were induced by IHE in male mice as well. Mechanically, heat shock protein 70 (HSP70)/insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS1)/AMPKα pathways were activated in response to IHE. These findings provide new evidence that IHE sex-dependently enhanced the metabolism of lipid and glucose in male mice through HSP70/IRS1/AMPKα signaling.

Waterborne pathogens have the risk of spreading waterborne diseases and even pandemics. Some Gram-positive bacteria can form endospores, the hardiest known life form that can withstand heat, radiation, and chemicals. Electrochemical inactivation may offer a promising solution, but is hindered by low inactivation efficiencies resulting from limitation of electrode/endospores interaction in terms of electrochemical reaction selectivity and mass transfer. Herein, these issues were addressed through modifying selectivity of active species formation using electroactive ceramic membrane with high oxygen evolution potential, improving mass transfer property by flow-through operation. In this way, inactivation (6.0-log) of Bacillus atrophaeus endospores was achieved. Theoretical and experimental results demonstrated synergistic inactivation to occur through fragmentation of coat via interfacial electron transfer and electro-produced transient radicals (•OH primarily, •Cl and Cl

The present investigation was aimed at using quality by design approach optimization of cocrystal preparation. The challenge was too many factors affect the final purity and yield. Carbamazepine (CBZ)-succinic acid (SA) was selected as a model cocrystal for this study. A Design of Experiments (DoE) approach, specifically Central Composite Design (CCD) with the aid of Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was used to optimize formulation variables for the synthesis of carbamazepine and succinic acid cocrystals using slurry crystallization. Design was applied for studying the effect of four independent variables (time, molar ratio, temperature, and concentration) on the yield. The experimental outcome indicated that the molar ratio significantly affects the yield of the cocrystal. Further, the optimized formulation was characterized by powder X-ray diffraction. It can be found that within a certain range, all obtained are pure cocrystal.

The focus of this investigation was to prepare the cocrystal of carbamazepine (CBZ) using nicotinamide as a coformer and to compare its different preparation methods. The cocrystal was prepared by grinding, solvent-Assisted grinding and ultrasound-assisted cocrystallization methods. They were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), and morphology by electron microscopy. In conclusion, ultrasound can be applied as a process intensification parameter along with cooling or slurry cocrystallization to produce pure cocrystals under conditions that might result in crystal mixtures in conventional processes.

Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) is resistant to standard therapies and has no effective treatment. Eukaryotic translation initiation factor 5A2 (EIF5A2) has shown to be upregulated in many malignant tumors and proposed to be a critical gene involved in tumor metastasis. In this study, we aimed to investigate the expression status of EIF5A2 in human ATC tissues and to study the role and mechanisms of EIF5A2 in ATC tumorigenesis in vitro and in vivo. Expression of EIF5A2 protein was analyzed in paraffin-embedded human ATC tissues and adjacent nontumorous tissues (ANCT) (n=24) by immunochemistry. Expressions of EIF5A2 mRNA and protein were analyzed in fresh-matched ATC and ANCT (n=23) and ATC cell lines by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Western blotting. The effect of targeting EIF5A2 with short hairpin RNA (shRNA) or EIF5A2 overexpression on the ATC tumorigenesis and TGF-/Smad2/3 signals in vitro and in vivo was investigated. Expression of EIF5A2 was significantly upregulated in ATC tissues and cell lines compared with ANCT and normal follicular epithelial cell line. Functional studies found that targeting EIF5A2 induced SW1736 cell death in vitro and in vivo, followed by significantly downregulated phosphorylation of Smad2/3 (p-Smad2/3) in SW1736 cells at the protein level. Ectopic expression of EIF5A2 could promote 8505C cell growth in vitro and in vivo, followed by significantly upregulated p-Smad3 at the protein level. Recombinant human TGF-1 (hTGF-1) treatment decreased the antiproliferative activity of the EIF5A2 downexpressing 8505C cells through reversing pSmad2/3. Using the specific inhibitor SB431542 to block TGF- pathway or Smad3 siRNA to knock down Smad3 increased the antiproliferative activity of the EIF5A2-overexpressing 8505C cells through inhibiting pSmad2/3. Our findings indicated that EIF5A2 controled cell growth in ATC cells, and EIF5A/TGF-/Smad2/3 signal may be a potential therapeutic target for ATC treatment.

Study Objective This study characterizes the etiology, clinical features and outcomes of prepubescent vaginal bleeding and summarizes our experience. Design The data of patients who were hospitalized with vaginal discharge or bleeding treated from January 2012 to December 2018 were retrospectively reviewed. Setting A provincial Grade III Level A Maternity and Children’s Hospital. Participants Prepubertal patients with vaginal discharge or bleeding. Main outcome measures Patient age, bleeding duration, etiology, treatment and prognosis were recorded. Physical examinations and color Doppler ultrasonography were also performed. Results There were 158 patients aged from 1 month to 10 years (mean age 5.2 years). Bleeding duration ranged from 1 to 98 days, with an average of 13.3 days. Sixty patients were diagnosed with vaginal foreign bodies, 34 with vulvovaginitis, 34 with vulvar trauma, 13 with ovarian granulosa cell tumors, 8 with urethral mucosa prolapse, 5 with vaginal yolk sac tumors and 1 each with pituitary tumor, hypothyroidism, McCune-Albright syndrome, and short-term intake of a large number of strawberries. All the children were treated according to their different disease etiologies. Conclusion Prepubertal vaginal bleeding is caused by a variety of different conditions. In our study, the most common causes were vaginal foreign bodies, vulvovaginitis, trauma, vaginal malignant tumors and urethral mucosa prolapse. Careful medical histories and targeted examinations are needed. Vaginoscopy could be considered. Considering the different causes, different treatments should be administered to achieve a good prognosis.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate and analyze the level of actual participation and perceived importance of shared decision-making on treatment and care of lung cancer patients, to compare their differences and to explore factors that influence them.Methods: A total of 290 lung cancer patients were collected from the department of oncology and thoracic surgery of a comprehensive medical center in Qingdao from October 2018 to December 2019. Participants completed a cross-sectional questionnaire to assess their actual participation and perceived importance in shared decision-making on treatment and care. Descriptive analysis and non-parametric tests were carried out to assess the status quo of patients' shared decision-making on treatment and care. Binary logistic regression analysis with a stepwise back-wards was applied to predict the factors that affected patients' participation in shared decision-making.Results: The results showed that patients with lung cancer had a low degree of participation in shared decision-making. There were significant differences between actual participation and perceived importance of shared decision-making on treatment and care. Education level, younger, gender, income, marital status, personality, the course of the disease (>6 months), and the Pathological TNM staging (Ⅲ) affected the patient's level of participation in shared decision-making.Conclusion: Actual participation in shared decision-making for the treatment and care of lung cancer patients was low and considered unimportant. We could train oncology nurses to use patient decision aids to help patients and families participate in shared decision-making based patients’ value, preferences and needs.

The application of Internet of Things (IoT) technology has realized the transformation of people’s production and lifestyle, and also promoted the transformation of education and teaching mode. At present, the application of informatization in the field of product packaging is increasing. Advanced methods and techniques for visual presentation using virtual reality technology. This study has aimed to realize the process optimization of new energy product packaging design in the context of the Internet of Things to promote the ecological development of the product packaging industry. This study has proposed to use the IoT technology and virtual reality technology to know the integration of new energy product packaging and virtual simulation experiments, which is helpful to analyze and solve the objective system imbalance and ecological imbalance in the product packaging system. Drawing on the principles and laws of the IoT and virtual reality technology, the dynamic simulation process of ecological packaging is constructed and optimized to realize the “ecologicalization” of the packaging field. In a study of RFID tag algorithms in the context of IoT, the least data is transmitted at m = 4, which saves an average of 48 bits per identified tag compared to m = 6. Due to the number of queries and the amount of data transferred, the MICT algorithm chooses m = 4 when identifying 96-bit tags. In terms of recognition efficiency, the MICT algorithm achieves about 74%. Therefore, the dynamic simulation design of product packaging is very important at present.

Plenty of literature has documented that fine particulate matter (PMC57BL/6 and TLR3 deficient (TLR3Exposure to PMPM

Electro-oxidation is a promising technology for removal of refractory organic pollutants. While the appeal of this technology lies in its chemical-free nature, commercially scale-up application may be limited by the availability of electrode materials and mass transport. Here we report the development of a flow-through electro-oxidation system for removal of chlorophenols in water using Magnéli-phase (Ti

N6-methyladenosine (m6A), an internal modification in mRNA, plays a critical role in regulating gene expression. Dysregulation of m6A modifiers promotes oncogenesis through enzymatic functions that disrupt the balance between the deposition and removal of m6A modification on critical transcripts. However, the roles of mRNA m6A in multiple myeloma (MM) are poorly understood. The present study showed that RNA demethylase ALKBH5 was overexpressed in MM and associated with a poor prognosis in MM patients. Knocking down ALKBH5 induced apoptosis and inhibited the growth of MM cells in vitro. Xenograft models and gene set enrichment analysis with patient transcriptome datasets also supported the oncogenic role of ALKBH5 in MM. Mechanistic studies showed that ALKBH5 exerted tumorigenic effects in myeloma in an m6A-dependent manner, and TNF receptor-associated factor 1 (TRAF1) was a critical target of ALKBH5. Specifically, ALKBH5 regulated TRAF1 expression via decreasing m6A abundance in the 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) of TRAF1 transcripts and enhancing TRAF1 mRNA stability. As a result, ALKBH5 promoted MM cell growth and survival through TRAF1-mediated activation of NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways. Collectively, our data demonstrated that ALKBH5 played a critical role in MM tumorigenesis and suggested that ALKBH5 could be a novel therapeutic target in MM.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the diagnostic and prognostic values of long non-coding RNA H19 (H19) in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). METHODS This retrospective, nonrandomised study included 410 patients with PTC and 89 patients with benign thyroid nodes (BTN)who underwent standard total thyroidectomy. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was used to detect H19 expression in these tissues. The relationship between H19 expression and the patients' clinicopathological factors, including histopathological characteristics of the tumour, diagnosis and prognosis was explored. RESULTS Expression of H19 was lower in the PTC tissues (1.259 ± 1.15) compared to the BNT tissues (2.8347 ± 2.176) (p= 0.001). Low expression of H19 was associated with patient's age, tumor size, extrathyroid extension, pathological lateral node metastasis (pN1b), histological aggressive type and poorer disease-free survival (p< 0.0001). The sensitivity for distinguishing PTC from benign was 81.3%. H19 was found to be an independent risk factor for extrathyroidal extension, lymph node metastasis. CONCLUSIONS H19 may serve as a potential predictor of poor prognoses in patients with PTC.

The present study reports a novel method for hydrogen generation and simultaneous removal of Cr(VI) from synthetic wastewater using NaBH4 as the reducing agent and Fe-Al-Si composite as accelerator. The results showed that the hydrogen generation yields of NaBH4 occurred at low pH, high temperature and stirring speed. The presence of Cr(VI) was found to inhibit hydrogen generation at the initial pH 3.0, especially at low temperature conditions. Increasing temperature resulted in the increase of hydrogen generation, whereas a higher reduction rate of Cr(VI) was obtained at low temperature. Therefore, to alleviate the contradiction between hydrogen generation and Cr(VI) removal with respect to temperature, we introduced reduction accelerator by preparing Fe-Al-Si composite using wasted fly ash as raw materials. The resultant hydrogen generation yield could be enhanced from 32.04 to 80.70%, and total Cr removal was increased from 46.72 to 98.96% at 30 °C. First, H+ produced by hydrolysis of Fe-Al-Si composite improves the hydrolysis ability of NaBH4, thus promoting its ability to reduce Cr(VI) and to produce hydrogen by itself. The Cr(VI) reduction and hydrogen generation process are competitive for H+, which is particularly evident at insufficient H+. Second, at low doses, Fe3+ exhibited a lower ability to promote hydrogen generation and simultaneous Cr(VI) removal than Al3+. One of the reasons for the low promotion ability of Fe3+ in the whole pH range was the formation of Fe0 at pH less than 3.0, and the other was the weaker hydrolysis ability of Fe3+ itself at pH greater than 3.0.

Owing to its high theoretical capacity, abundant natural resources and environmental friendliness, Fe3O4 is regarded as a promising anode material for high performance lithium-ion batteries. In this work, two-dimensional Fe3O4 nanorods with an average length of 300 nm coated by N-doped carbon matrix (Fe3O4@NCm) have been synthesized through an in-situ polymerization and subsequent calcining process. Fe3O4@NCm composites especially the Fe3O4@NCm-60 deliver excellent lithium storage performance when used as anode materials in subzero lithium ion batteries. The Fe3O4@NCm-60 exhibits a high reversible capacity of 760 mAh g−1 after 900 cycles when tested at a current density of 1000 mA g−1 at −17 ± 2 °C, which is the best performance among Fe3O4-based anode materials for subzero lithium ion batteries. The results in this work give the reasons why the composites possess excellent electrochemical performance at low temperature and suggest a facile method for making Fe3O4@ heterogeneous-doped carbon composites, which can be used in subzero lithium-ion batteries. Most importantly, it also shed light on fabricating a series of metal oxides@ heterogeneous-doped carbon composites which can be used in subzero lithium-ion batteries or other energy storage fields.

This study reports fluorine-doped titanium suboxide anode for electrochemical mineralization of hydrophobic micro-contaminant, tetrabromobisphenol A. Fluorinated TiSO anode promoted electro-generated hydroxyl radicals (•OH) with higher selectivity and activity, due to increased O2 evolution potential and more loosely interaction with hydrophobic electrode surface. For electro-oxidation process, fluorine doping had an insignificant impact on outer-sphere reaction and exerted inhibition on inner-sphere reaction, as indicated by cyclic voltammogram performed on Ru(NH3)63+/2+, Fe(CN)63−/4− and Fe3+/2+ redox couple. This facilitated electrochemical conversion of TBBPA and intermediates via more efficient outer-sphere reaction and hydroxylation route. Additionally, generated O2 micro-bubbles could be stabilized on hydrophobic F-doped TiSO anode, which extended the three-phase boundary available for interfacial enrichment of TBBPA and subsequent mineralization. Under action of these comprehensive factors, 0.5% F-doped TiSO electrochemically reactive membrane could achieve 99.7% mineralization of TBBPA upon energy consumption of 0.52 kWh m−3 at current density of 7.8 ± 0.24 mA cm−2 (3.75 V vs SHE) and flow rate of 1628 LHM based on flow-through electrolysis. The modified anode exhibited superior performances compared with un-modified one with more efficient TBBPA removal, less toxic intermediate accumulation and lower energy consumption. The results may have important implications for electrochemical removal and detoxification of hydrophobic micro-pollutants.

This study reports the development of complete solar-driven dual-photoelectrode fuel cell (PFC) based on WO3 photoanode and Cu2O photocathode with peroxymonosulfate (PMS) serving as cathodic electron acceptor. As indicated by photoelectrochemical measurements, the PMS was able to improve thermodynamic properties of photocathode, achieving an increased open circuit potential from 0.42 V to 0.65 V vs standard hydrogen electrode (SHE). Under simulated sunlight irradiation (~100 mW cm−2), the maximum power density of 0.12 mW cm−2 could be obtained at current density of 0.34 mA cm−2, which was 8.57 times of that produced by PFC without PMS (0.014 mW cm−2). Correspondingly, adding PMS (1.0 mM) increased overall removal efficiency of 4-chlorophenol (4-CP) from 39.8% to 96.8%, accounting for the first-order kinetic constant (k=0.056 min−1) being 6.67 times of that in the absence of PMS (k=0.0084 min−1). Radical quenching and electron spin-resonance (ESR) results suggested the contribution of free radicals (•OH and SO4•-) and non-radical pathway associated with direct activation of PMS by Cu2O photocathode. Fourier transformed infrared (FTIR) analysis confirmed the strong non-radical interaction between Cu2O photocathode and PMS, resulting in 4-CP removal via activation of PMS by surface complex on Cu2O. The proof-in-concept complete solar-driven dual-photoelectrode fuel cell may offer an effective manner to realize water purification and power generation, making wastewater treatment more economical and more sustainable.

This study provides a sustainable manner for direct cultivation of aerobic granular sludge (AGS) by addition of mycelial pellets (MPs) into continuous-flow aerobic MBR. The results showed that the granulation time in MPs-MBR was shortened by at least 65 days, accounting for enhanced mean size of granules (0.68–0.76 mm), increased mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS) concentration (12.8 g/L) and improved settling ability (78.1 mL/g), in comparison with that of 0.23–0.28 mm, 9.8 g/L and 102.1 mL/g in control MBR. MPs-MBR demonstrated significant advantages in terms of COD reduction (97.0–99.1%), NH4+-N reduction (100%) and TN reduction (32.27–42.33%). MPs, extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and filamentous bacteria acted as inducible nucleus, crosslinking matter and supporting skeleton, respectively, in favor of promoting the formation and stabilization of AGS with a four-layered structure. The relevant mechanism was underlined by rheological analysis, indicating that MPs addition enhanced non-Newtonian flow characteristics and network structure of sludge.

ObjectiveThis study aimed to evaluate the reproductive outcomes of patients who underwent hysteroscopic metroplasty for correction of a complete septate uterus.MethodsThe study population comprised 92 women with complete septate uteri. Hysteroscopic metroplasty and laparoscopy were performed simultaneously in these patients. The postoperative reproductive outcome of each patient was evaluated.ResultsIn the primary infertility group, there were 32 (40%) pregnancies. In the abortion group, the number of miscarriages decreased from 68 (94.44%) to 5 (10.42%), while the number of live births increased from 1 (1.39%) to 42 (87.50%) after resection compared with before resection. The cumulative probability of pregnancy and that of live-birth pregnancy in the abortion group were significantly higher than those in the primary infertility group after surgery. Furthermore, resection of the cervical septum resulted in a significantly higher cumulative probability of live birth compared with preservation of the cervical septum.ConclusionHysteroscopic uterine metroplasty may improve the reproductive performance of a septate uterus. Resection of the cervical septum may increase the probability of a live-birth pregnancy for patients with a cervical septum, and this procedure could be recommended for cases of a complete uterine septum.

Accumulating evidence highlights the role of histone acetyltransferase GCN5 in the regulation of cell metabolism in metazoans. Here, we report that GCN5 is a negative regulator of autophagy, a lysosome‐dependent catabolic mechanism. In animal cells and Drosophila, GCN5 inhibits the biogenesis of autophagosomes and lysosomes by targeting TFEB, the master transcription factor for autophagy‐ and lysosome‐related gene expression. We show that GCN5 is a specific TFEB acetyltransferase, and acetylation by GCN5 results in the decrease in TFEB transcriptional activity. Induction of autophagy inactivates GCN5, accompanied by reduced TFEB acetylation and increased lysosome formation. We further demonstrate that acetylation at K274 and K279 disrupts the dimerization of TFEB and the binding of TFEB to its target gene promoters. In a Tau‐based neurodegenerative Drosophila model, deletion of dGcn5 improves the clearance of Tau protein aggregates and ameliorates the neurodegenerative phenotypes. Together, our results reveal GCN5 as a novel conserved TFEB regulator, and the regulatory mechanisms may be involved in autophagy‐ and lysosome‐related physiological and pathological processes., GCN5‐mediated TFEB acetylation inhibits autophagy and lysosome biogenesis by disrupting the dimerization and DNA binding of TFEB.

To eliminate the requirement for inorganic salt in electrochemical processes, the present study reports the use of ion-exchange resin (IX) matrix to conduct H+ or OH– produced during electrolysis f...

Algae bloom is a major environmental problem that may occur in both freshwater and marine water, and thus it is important to develop effective manners for deactivating algae. In this study, we investigated the monolithic ceramic electrode (MCE) for electrochemical deactivation of Microcystis aeruginosa , a typical alga found in aquatic system. The results demonstrated that the MCE contained the mixed Magneli-phases of Ti 4 O 7 , Ti 5 O 9 and Ti 9 O 17 , which could achieve efficient and stable deactivation of M. aeruginosa cells and removal of chlorophyll- a . The chlorophyll- a removal was shown to be positively correlated with the current density applied, reaching the maximum efficiency of 89.2% at reaction time of 120 min. The 8-day re-cultivation experiments showed the dependence of deactivation performance on total coulombs, and the coulombs in excess of 77.4 C could completely deprived the M. aeruginosa cells of propagation and proliferation. As shown from atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and flow cytometric (FC) measurement, the algal cells underwent an irreversible damage of cell structure, isolation of intracellular components and dissolution of cytoplasm-like substances after being attacked by electrochemically produced oxidative species. The solution pH was observed to increase from 8.0 to 9.8 during 120-min electrolysis, which should be the consequence of leakage of cytoplasm containing a variety of small-molecule substances such as protein-, humus-, and sugar-like matters, indicated by 3D excitation-emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence spectra. This study provides a promising electrode material for effective electrochemical deactivation of algae in potential application of water purification.

In this study, mycelial pellets (MPs) were employed as efficient and sustainable bio-carriers to alleviate membrane fouling in membrane bioreactor (MBR). The comparative study was performed in lab-scale MBR in the absence and presence of MPs addition under continuous operation for 80 days. The results demonstrated efficient removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and ammonia nitrogen (NH4+-N) for both systems, while MPs addition led to lower rate at which transmembrane-pressure was increased, lower filtration resistance, thinner bio-cakes and fewer contents of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and soluble microbial products (SMP) in bio-cakes of membrane surface. Adding MPs into MBR could enhance biomass retention and EPS content in suspended liquid, thus accelerating the granulation of activated sludge, which should be responsible for mitigation of membrane fouling. According to the extended Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (XDLVO) theory, the total surface free energy between membrane and foulants was always attractive, but total interfacial interaction especially acid-based (AB) interaction in the presence of MPs was weaker than that in the absence, confirming lower adhesion force induced by MPs. Furthermore, high throughput sequencing analysis of bio-cakes illustrated that a smaller relative abundance of EPS producer including the classes Gammaproteobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria and Actinobacteria, and a higher abundance of SMP decomposer including the class Chloroflexia were observed. The relevant mechanisms were underlined schematically to explain the function of MPs in mitigating membrane fouling process, which could be attributed to formation of biofilm with MPs serving as bio-carriers followed by promoted sludge granulation. This study provides a proof-in-concept demonstration of using MPs as bio-carriers to mitigate membrane fouling, making wastewater treatment by MBR more efficient, more reliable and more sustainable.

The effects of fungal pellets (FPs) dosage on both structural and functional stability of aerobic granular sludge (AGS) were investigated during 200-day operation. Results showed that the AGS induced by low (a dry mass ratio of FPs to seed sludge, 30%) and high FPs dosage (60%) exhibited good morphology integrity during the entire phase of operation, while the filamentous overgrowth and AGS breakup were observed in the control reactor (0% FPs). Moreover, the granules developed at high FPs dosage demonstrated excellent nutrients removal (COD: 93%; NH4+-N: 100%; TN: 77%) and stable bioactivity with a maximum specific oxygen uptake rate (SOUR) of 52.6 ± 2.6 mg O2/(gVSS·h), a value being 12.2% and 26.7% higher than that of 30% and 0% dosage. The microbial community analysis revealed 60% FPs dosage enriched various functional bacteria involved in nutrients removal. This study suggests a sustainable strategy for improving structural and functional stability of AGS.