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Lithium (Li) metal is considered a hopeful anode for next-generation Li-ion batteries thanks to its ultra-high theoretical specific capacity, extra-low theoretical density, and low negative potential. However, the uncontrolled growth of Li dendrites and volume fluctuation during plating/stripping processes severely hamper its commercial application. Herein, ZnS seeds sealed in N, P, S co-doped carbon hollow rhombic dodecahedra (ZnS@NPS-C HRD) is fabricated as a superlithiophilic host for Li metal anodes (LMAs) to solve the above problems. In addition, the Li nucleation and deposition mechanism on ZnS@NPS-C HRD is investigated by in situ optical microscopy, ex-situ X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and theoretical calculations. Owing to the synergistic strategy of ZnS seeds-inducing nucleation and Li-limited growth, the as-prepared composite exhibits stability for 300 cycles in asymmetric cells and a long lifespan over 1100 h in symmetric cells. Moreover, the ZnS@NPS-C HRD@Li|LiFePO 4 full cell demonstrates a reversible capacity of 100.91 mAh g -1 after 400 cycles at 1 C., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Background: Recently, a growing number of adolescents have been afflicted with mental disorders, with annual morbidity rates on the rise. This trend has been exacerbated by the global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, leading to a surge in suicide and self-harm rates among this demographic., Aim: To investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on adolescent bipolar disorder (BD), along with the underlying factors contributing to heightened rates of suicide and self-harm among adolescents., Methods: A comprehensive statistical analysis was conducted utilizing clinical interviews and self-reports obtained from patients or their guardians. Diagnostic criteria for BDs were based on the Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, international classification of diseases-11, and the National institute of mental health research domain criteria. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS 26.0 software, with significance set at P < 0.05., Results: A cohort of 171 adolescents diagnosed with BD between January 1, 2018, and December 31, 2022, was included in the analysis. The gender distribution was 2.8:1 (female to male), with ages ranging from 11 to 18 years old. Major factors contributing to adolescent BDs included familial influences, academic stress, genetic predisposition and exposure to school-related violence. Notably, a significant increase in suicide attempts and self-harm incidents was observed among adolescents with BD during the COVID-19 pandemic. Statistical analysis indicated that the pandemic exacerbated familial discord and heightened academic stress, thereby amplifying the prevalence of suicidal behavior and self-harm among adolescents., Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated familial tensions and intensified the incidence of suicide and self-harm among adolescents diagnosed with BD. This study underscores the urgent need for societal, familial and educational support systems to prioritize the well-being of adolescents and offers valuable insights and guidelines for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of adolescent BDs., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)

The development of cerebral ischemia involves brain damage and abnormal changes in brain function, which can cause neurosensory and motor dysfunction, and bring serious consequences to patients. P2X purinergic receptors are expressed in nerve cells and immune cells, and are mainly expressed in microglia. The P2X4 and P2X7 receptors in the P2X purinergic receptors play a significant role in regulating the activity of microglia. Moreover, ATP-P2X purine information transmission is involved in the progression of neurological diseases, including the release of pro-inflammatory factors, driving factors and cytokines after cerebral ischemia injury, inducing inflammation, and aggravating cerebral ischemia injury. P2X receptors activation can mediate the information exchange between microglia and neurons, induce neuronal apoptosis, and aggravate neurological dysfunction after cerebral ischemia. However, inhibiting the activation of P2X receptors, reducing their expression, inhibiting the activation of microglia, and has the effect of protecting nerve function. In this paper, we discussed the relationship between P2X receptors and nervous system function and the role of microglia activation inducing cerebral ischemia injury. Additionally, we explored the potential role of P2X receptors in the progression of cerebral ischemic injury and their potential pharmacological targets for the treatment of cerebral ischemic injury., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest We all agreed to deliver it to the magazine, and we promised that there are no conflict of interest in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Drug resistance is a major threat to the global health and a significant concern throughout the clinical treatment of diseases and drug development. The mutation in proteins that is related to drug binding is a common cause for adaptive drug resistance. Therefore, quantitative estimations of how mutations would affect the interaction between a drug and the target protein would be of vital significance for the drug development and the clinical practice. Computational methods that rely on molecular dynamics simulations, Rosetta protocols, as well as machine learning methods have been proven to be capable of predicting ligand affinity changes upon protein mutation. However, the severely limited sample size and heavy noise induced overfitting and generalization issues have impeded wide adoption of machine learning for studying drug resistance. In this paper, we propose a robust machine learning method, termed SPLDExtraTrees, which can accurately predict ligand binding affinity changes upon protein mutation and identify resistance-causing mutations. Especially, the proposed method ranks training data following a specific scheme that starts with easy-to-learn samples and gradually incorporates harder and diverse samples into the training, and then iterates between sample weight recalculations and model updates. In addition, we calculate additional physics-based structural features to provide the machine learning model with the valuable domain knowledge on proteins for these data-limited predictive tasks. The experiments substantiate the capability of the proposed method for predicting kinase inhibitor resistance under three scenarios and achieve predictive accuracy comparable with that of molecular dynamics and Rosetta methods with much less computational costs., (© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

A large amount of heavy metal-contained wastewater (HMW) was discharged during Chinese industry development, which has caused many environmental problems. This study reviewed discharge, management and treatment of HMW in China through collecting and analyzing data from China's official statistical yearbook, standards, technical specifications, government reports, case reports, and research paper. Results showed that industry wastewater discharged by an amount of about 221.6 × 10 8  t (in 2012), where emission of heavy metals including Pb, Hg, Cd, Cr(VI), T-Cr was around 388.4 t (in 2012). Heavy metal emission with wastewater in east China and central south China was observed to be graver than that in other areas. However, control of heavy metals in Pb and Cd in northwest China was more difficult compared with other areas. In terms of management, China's government has issued many wastewater discharge standards, strict management policies for controlling HMW discharge in recent years, resulting in reduced HMW discharge. In addition, main HMW treatment technology in China was chemical precipitation, and other technologies such as membrane separation, adsorption, ion exchange, electrochemical and biological methods were also occasionally applied. In the future, chemical industries will be concentrated in northwest China, therefore control of HMW discharge should be paid much more attention in those areas. In addition, more effective and environment-friendly heavy metal removal and regeneration technologies should be developed, such as biomaterials adsorbent., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The development of insect appendages requires the expression of multiple genes in a strict spatial and temporal order. The odd-skipped family genes are vital transcriptional factors involved in embryonic development. The development and morphogenesis of the insect wing requires multiple transcription factors to regulate the expression of wing patterning genes at the transcriptional level. However, the function of odd-related genes in insect wing morphogenesis and development during postembryonic stages is unclear. We focused on the roles of the sister of odd and bowl (sob) gene, a member of odd-skipped family genes, during the wing morphopoiesis in Bombyx mori using the clustered regularly interspaced palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 system and in Tribolium castaneum by RNA interference. The results showed that the wings were significantly smaller and degenerated, and wing veins were indistinct in the sob gene loss-of-function group in both B. mori and T. castaneum. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction revealed that the Tcsob gene regulated the expression of wing development genes, such as the cht 7 and the vg gene. The findings suggest the importance of sob gene in insect wing morphology formation during postembryonic stages., (© 2021 Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.)

Objective: To establish a management strategy for multi-segment lumbar lateral recess stenosis., Methods: A retrospective study was performed in patients in whom suspected responsible nerve roots underwent sequential selective nerve root block (SNRB). Based on pain remission rate after blocking, the contribution of nerve root compression to symptoms was classified as absolutely (≥70%) or relatively (30-70%) responsible or non-responsible (<30%). Conservative treatment was continued if visual analogue scale (VAS) at 3 days after blocking a single nerve root or VAS at 3 days after blocking multiple nerve roots was ≥50%; otherwise, percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic discectomy (PTED) was performed. Pain and functional scores were evaluated on day 3, 6 months and 1 year after SNRB or PTED., Results: Fifty-seven of 80 patients had a single absolutely responsible root, 20 had 2 responsible roots, and 3 had 3 responsible roots. Among them, 41, 10, and 1 patient underwent PTED, respectively. Both the PTED and conservative groups improved significantly in VAS remission rate and functional scores compared with admission. Moreover, the PTED group had a better VAS remission rate compared with the conservative group., Conclusion: A combination of SNRB with PTED was effective for diagnosing and treating multi-segment lumbar lateral recess stenosis.

Objective: To understand the epidemiologic characteristics of fall in the elderly in Shanghai, as well as the differences between urban and rural areas, and provide evidence for targeted fall prevention and intervention. Methods: From January to March in 2017, a questionnaire survey was conducted in the elderly aged 60 or above selected from 7 urban communities and 6 rural communities in Shanghai to understand the epidemiologic characteristics of fall in the elderly and analyze the gender and urban-rural differences. Results: In urban area, a total of 3 386 elderly people were surveyed, in whom 441 (13.0 % ) had fall and 261 (7.7 % ) were injured after fall. In rural area, a total of 2 826 elderly people were surveyed, in whom 320 (11.3 % ) had fall and 169 (6.0 % ) were injured after fall. Fall risk in women were higher than that in men in both urban and rural areas with OR of 1.62 (95 %CI : 1.42-1.86) and 1.16 (95 %CI : 1.38-1.98) respectively, but the differences of fall related injury were not significant. Compared with urban areas, fall risk and fall related injury risk were both lower in rural areas with OR of 0.86 (95 %CI : 0.73-0.99) and 0.74 (95 %CI : 0.56-0.99). Compared with urban areas, men had lower risk for fall, and women had lower risk for fall related injury with OR of 0.68 (95 %CI : 0.51-0.90) and 0.66 (95 %CI : 0.47-0.93) respectively. Fall mainly occurred at home. Fall in urban area more frequently occurred on stairs, and fall in rural area more frequently occurred during farming. More than 60 % of the falls had environmental risk factors. Slippery ground and uneven ground were main reasons. The incidence of fracture resulted from fall was high indicated by 89 fracture cases in urban areas (28.2 % ) and 64 fracture cases in rural areas (36.1 % ). Conclusions: The risk for fall in Shanghai had gender and urban-rural differences. Targeted intervention should be conducted according to the characteristics of fall in the elderly.

Pheromone-binding proteins (PBPs) are thought to bind and transport sex pheromones onto the olfactory receptors on the dendrite membrane of olfactory neurons, and thus play a vital role in sex pheromone perception. However, the function of PBPs has rarely been demonstrated in vivo. In this study, two PBPs (PBP1 and PBP3) of Chilo suppressalis, one of the most notorious pyralid pests, were in vivo functionally characterized using insects with the PBP gene knocked out by the CRISPR/Cas9 system. First, through direct injection of PBP-single guide RNA (sgRNA)/Cas9 messenger RNA into newly laid eggs, a high rate of target-gene editing (checked with polled eggs) was induced at 24 h after injection, 21.3% for PBP1-sgRNA injected eggs and 19.5% for PBP3-sgRNA injected eggs. Second, by an in-crossing strategy, insects with mutant PBP1 or PBP3 (both with a premature stop codon) were screened, and homozygous mutants were obtained in the G3 generation. Third, the mutant insects were measured for electroantennogram (EAG) response to female sex pheromones. As a result, both PBP mutant males displayed significant reduction in EAG response, and this reduction in PBP1 mutants was higher than that in PBP3 mutants, indicating a more important role of PBP1. Finally, the relative importance of two PBPs and the possible off target effect induced by sgRNA-injection are discussed. Taken together, our study provides a deeper insight into the function of and interaction between different PBP genes in sex pheromone perception of C. suppressalis, as well as a valuable reference in methodology for gene functional study in other genes and other moth species., (© 2017 The Authors. Insect Science published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.)

Orthaga achatina (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) is the most serious pest in south China of camphor trees, Cinnamomum camphora (L.) Presl, an important urban tree species. Gas chromatography-electroantennographic detection (GC-EAD) of the sex pheromone of O. achatina showed three EAD-active components. Coupled gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analyses identified these as (Z)-11-hexadecenol (Z11-16:OH), (Z)-11-hexadecenyl acetate (Z11-16:OAc), and (3Z,6Z,9Z,12Z,15Z)-tricosapentaene (Z3,Z6,Z9,Z12,Z15-23:H). In field tests using different combinations of the three compounds, male moths were attracted to a mixture of Z11-16:OAc and Z3,Z6,Z9,Z12,Z15-23:H, but less attracted to other blends. Further field tests with different ratios of the two compounds determined the optimal ratio of the binary blend as 500:250. The addition of Z11-16:OH to Z11-16:OAc, or to the binary mixture of Z11-16: OAc and the pentaene did not yield higher catches. This shows that O. achatina uses a mixture of Type I and Type II sex pheromone components. Orthaga achatina is the third Pyraloidea species found to utilize Z3,Z6,Z9,Z12,Z15-23:H as a sex pheromone component.

Pheromone binding proteins (PBPs) are thought to play crucial roles in perception of the sex pheromones particularly in noctuid moths, but this is rarely in vivo evidenced due to lacking an effective technique. Here, we reported an in vivo functional study of PBP1 in the important lepidopteran pest Helicoverpa armigera (HarmPBP1), by using the CRISPR/Cas9 system. Efficient and heritable mutagenesis was achieved by egg injection of mixture of Cas9-mRNA and HarmPBP1-sgRNA. The TA cloning and sequencing revealed various insertion and/or deletion (indel) mutations at the target site. Among those, one mutation resulted in a premature stop codon at the target site, which led to a highly truncated protein with only 10 amino acids. The HarmPBP1 with this mutation would completely loss its function, and thus was used to select the homozygous mutant insects for functional analysis. The electroantennogram recording showed that the mutant male adults displayed severely impaired responses to all three sex pheromone components (Z11-16:Ald, Z9-16:Ald and Z9-14:Ald). Our study provides the first in vivo evidence that HarmPBP1 plays important role in perception of female sex pheromones, and also an effective methodology for using CRISPR/Cas9 system in functional genetic study in H. armigera as well as other insects.

Species-specific sex pheromone is biosynthesized and released in most female moths as a chemical cue in mating communication. However, information on genes involved in this pathway is limited. The beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua, is a cosmopolitan agricultural pest that causes severe economic losses to many crops. In China, the female sex pheromones in sex pheromone glands (PGs) of S. exigua have been measured which comprises (Z,E)-9,12-tetradecadienyl acetate, (Z)-9-tetradecen-l-ol, (Z)-9-tetradecenyl acetate, and (Z,E)-9,12-tetradecadien-1-ol in a ratio of 47:18:18:17. Fifty-nine putative genes related to sex pheromone biosynthesis were identified in the present study by sequencing and analyzing the sex pheromone gland (PG) transcriptome of S. exigua. Expression profiles revealed that two desaturase (SexiDes5 and SexiDes11) and three fatty acyl reductase (SexiFAR2, 3, and 9) genes had PG-specific expression, and phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that they clustered with genes known to be involved in pheromone synthesis in other moth species. Our results provide crucial background information that could facilitate the elucidation of sex pheromone biosynthesis pathway of S. exigua as well as other Spodoptera species and help identify potential targets for disrupting sexual communication in S. exigua for developing novel environment-friendly pesticides.

Functional gene analysis by using genome editing techniques is limited only in few model insects. Here, we reported an efficient and heritable gene mutagenesis analysis in an important lepidopteran pest, Spodoptera litura, using the CRISPR/Cas9 system. By using this system, we successfully obtained the homozygous S. litura strain by targeting the pheromone binding protein 3 gene (SlitPBP3), which allowed us to elucidate the role of this gene in the olfaction of the female sex pheromones. By co-injection of Cas9 mRNA and sgRNA into S. litura eggs, highly efficient chimera mutation in SlitPBP3 loci was detected both in injected eggs (39.1%) and in the resulting individual moths (87.5%). We used the mutant moths as parents to obtain the G1 offspring and the homozygous mutant strain in G2. The function of SlitPBP3 was explored by Electroantennogram (EAG) recordings with a homozygous mutant strain. The result showed that the EAG responses were significantly decreased in mutant males than in control males when treated with the major sex pheromone component (Z9,E11-14:Ac) and a minor component (Z9-14:Ac) at higher dosages. The results demonstrate that s SlitPBP3 gene plays a minor role in the perception of the female sex pheromones. Furthermore, our study provides a useful methodology with the CRISPR/Cas9 system for gene in vivo functional study, particular for lepidopteran species in which the RNAi approach is not efficient., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Doxorubicin (DOX) is an efficient drug used in cancer therapy; however, it has severe cardiotoxic side effects. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of resveratrol on the adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK)/P53 pathway in mediating DOX-induced cytotoxicity. H9c2 cells were exposed to 5 µM DOX for 24 h to establish a model of DOX-induced cardiotoxicity. DOX administration amplified P53 and B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2)-associated X protein (Bax) expression and decreased Bcl-2 expression in H9c2 cells. Resveratrol increased the cell viability and decreased the apoptotic rate. In addition, resveratrol markedly increased the phosphorylation of AMPK. Of note, resveratrol protected against DOX-induced increases of P53 and Bax and also prevented the downregulation of Bcl-2 in H9c2 cells. Furthermore, AMPK inhibitor Compound C abolished the protective effects of resveratrol. The results of the present study therefore indicated that resveratrol protected H9c2 cells from DOX-induced apoptosis via the AMPK/P53 pathway.

Although the general pathway of sex pheromone synthesis in moth species has been established, the molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood. The common cutworm Spodoptera litura is an important agricultural pest worldwide and causes huge economic losses annually. The female sex pheromone of S. litura comprises Z9,E11-14:OAc, Z9,E12-14:OAc, Z9-14:OAc, and E11-14:OAc. By sequencing and analyzing the transcriptomic data of the sex pheromone glands, we identified 94 candidate genes related to pheromone biosynthesis (55 genes) or chemoreception (39 genes). Gene expression patterns and phylogenetic analysis revealed that two desaturase genes (SlitDes5 and SlitDes11) and one fatty acyl reductase gene (SlitFAR3) showed pheromone gland (PG) biased or specific expression, and clustered with genes known to be involved in pheromone synthesis in other moth species. Furthermore, 4 chemoreception related genes (SlitOBP6, SlitOBP11, SlitCSP3, and SlitCSP14) also showed higher expression in the PG, and could be additional candidate genes involved in sex pheromone transport. This study provides the first solid background information that should facilitate further elucidation of sex pheromone biosynthesis and transport, and indicates potential targets to disrupt sexual communication in S. litura for a novel pest management strategy.

Insect chemosensory genes have been considered as potential molecular targets to develop alternative strategies for pest control. However, in Spodoptera exigua, a seriously polyphagous agricultural pest, only a small part of such genes have been identified and characterized to date. Here, using a bioinformatics screen a total of 79 chemosensory genes were identified from a public transcriptomic data of different developmental stages (eggs, 1st to 5th instar larvae, pupae, female and male adults), including 34 odorant binding proteins (OBPs), 20 chemosensory proteins (CSPs), 22 chemosensory receptors (10 odorant receptors (ORs), six gustatory receptors (GRs) and six ionotropic receptors (IRs)) and three sensory neuron membrane proteins (SNMPs). Notably, a new group of lepidopteran SNMPs (SNMP3 group) was found for the first time in S. exigua, and confirmed in four other moth species. Further, reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) and quantitative real time PCR (qPCR) were employed respectively to validate the sequences and determine the expression patterns of 69 identified chemosensory genes regarding to sexes, tissues and stages. Results showed that 67 of these genes could be detected and reconstructed in at least one tissue tested. Further, 60 chemosensory genes were expressed in adult antennae and 52 in larval heads with the antennae, whereas over half of the genes were also detected in non-olfactory tissues like egg and thorax. Particularly, S. exigua OBP2 showed a predominantly larval head-biased expression, and functional studies further indicated its potentially olfactory roles in guiding food searching of larvae. This work suggests functional diversities of S. exigua chemosensory genes and could greatly facilitate the understanding of olfactory system in S. exigua and other lepidopteran species.

Insect chemosensory proteins (CSPs) are proposed to capture and transport hydrophobic chemicals across the sensillum lymph to olfactory receptors (ORs), but this has not been clarified in moths. In this study, we built on our previously reported segment sequence work and cloned the full length CSP19 gene (SinfCSP19) from the antennae of Sesamia inferens by using rapid amplification of cDNA ends. Quantitative real time-PCR (qPCR) assays indicated that the gene was expressed in a unique profile, i.e. predominant in antennae and significantly higher in male than in female. To explore the function, recombinant SinfCSP19 was expressed in Escherichia coli cells and purified by Ni-ion affinity chromatography. Binding affinities of the recombinant SinfCSP19 with 39 plant volatiles, 3 sex pheromone components and 10 pheromone analogs were measured using fluorescent competitive binding assays. The results showed that 6 plant volatiles displayed high binding affinities to SinfCSP19 (Ki = 2.12-8.75 μM), and more interesting, the 3 sex pheromone components and analogs showed even higher binding to SinfCSP19 (Ki = 0.49-1.78 μM). Those results suggest that SinfCSP19 plays a role in reception of female sex pheromones of S. inferens and host plant volatiles., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Utilizing preferential ion exchange of the modified zeolite, the zeo-sequencing batch reactor (SBR) is recommended for a new nitrogen removal process. In this study, natural zeolite was modified by sodium chloride to enhance sorption capacity for ammoniacal nitrogen. The untreated and treated zeolite was characterized by XPS and XRD techniques. The sorption isotherm tests showed that equilibrium sorption data were better represented by the Langmuir model than by the Freundlich model. Treatment of natural zeolite by sodium chloride increased the sorption capacity for ammoniacal nitrogen removal from aqueous solutions. As a result of the continuous bioregeneration of ammonium saturated zeolite-floc in the SBR, the nitrogen removal efficiency of the zeo-SBR was relatively ideal. Scanning electron microscopy results showed that microbes were abundant in the zeo-SBR process.

Aims: To evaluate the biodegradability of 2,4-DNT using an anaerobic filter (AF) combined with a biological aerated filter (BAF), and elucidate the degradation mechanism of 2,4-DNT and analyze the bacterial community of the reactors over a long period of operation., Methods and Results: The pilot test experienced wide fluctuations influent concentrations and there was lower than 0.50 mg l(-1) of 2,4-DNT in the effluent of the system. The removal efficiency was above 99%. GC-MS analysis demonstrated that 2,4-DNT was mainly reduced to 2-amino-4-nitrotoluene (2-A-4-NT), 4-amino-2-nitrotoluene (4-A-2-NT), and 2,4-diaminotoluene (2,4-DAT) during the anaerobic reaction. In addition, ethanol was added into the influent as the electron donor. Because of the use of part ethanol as an auxiliary carbon source, more than twice the theoretical requirement of ethanol was needed to achieve a high 2,4-DNT removal efficiency (>93%). ESEM observations showed that the carrier could immobilize micro-organisms, which flourished more in reactors operating over longer periods. Further research by PCR-DGGE revealed that new 2,4-DNT-resistant bacterial had been generated during the stress of 2,4-DNT for 150 days. The dominant species for 2,4-DNT degradation were identified by a comparison with gene sequences in GenBank., Conclusions: 2,4-DNT could be effectively degraded by the combined process and ethanol played an important role in the biotransformation. The proposed transformation pathway of 2,4-DNT was concluded. During the 150-day operation, some microbial taxa unaccustomed to 2,4-DNT died out and some new 2,4-DNT-resistant microbial taxa appeared., Significance and Impact of the Study: The study provides a novel method for the bioremediation of 2,4-DNT, which is difficult to degrade by traditional biological methods. The most 2,4-DNT-resistant microbial taxa have not been reported elsewhere and they may be helpful to the treatment of actual 2,4-DNT wastewater., (© 2011 The Authors. Journal of Applied Microbiology © 2011 The Society for Applied Microbiology.)

Batch adsorption experiments were conducted using a PVA/EDTA resin as an adsorbent to adsorb Zn(II) ions from single component system in which experimental parameters were studied including solution pH, contact time, adsorbent dose and initial metal ions concentration. The equilibrium isotherms were determined at pH 6 under constant ionic strength and at different temperatures. The results showed that the maximum removal of Zn(II) (99.8%) with 1 g L(-1) of sorbent was observed at 40 mg L(-1) at an initial pH value of 6. Removals of about 60-70% occurred in 15 min, and equilibrium was attained at around 30 min. The equilibrium data for the adsorption of Zn(II) on PVA/EDTA resin was tested with various adsorption isotherm models among which three models were found to be suitable for the Zn(II) adsorption. In addition, the kinetic adsorption fitted well to the pseudo-second-order model and the corresponding rate constants were obtained. Thermodynamic aspects of the adsorption process were also investigated. Furthermore a higher desorption efficiency of Zn(II) from the PVA/EDTA resin using acid treatment was available by more than 95%., (Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

In this study, nanoscale Fe(0) was immobilized in and on poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) microspheres by the inverse suspension crosslinked method. Two different sizes of Fe(0)/PVA microspheres were synthesized in the presence and absence of dispersant. The chelating action between Fe(2+) and PVA was identified by Fourier transform infrared and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The morphology and distribution of the obtained Fe(0)/PVA microspheres were characterized by environmental scanning electron microscope, energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry, and X-ray diffraction. Nanoscale Fe(0) particles were mostly dispersed over the surface of the microspheres. They were distributed more homogeneously on the surfaces of Fe(0)/PVA microspheres with diameter of 600-700 microm than those with diameter of 10-12 microm. The nitrobenzene (NB) reduction reactions followed pseudo-first-order kinetics. The normalized surface rate constants (k(SA)) values were determined to be 0.162 L h(-1)m(-2) for L-Fe(0)/PVA microspheres, 0.098 L h(-1)m(-2) for S-Fe(0)/PVA microspheres, and 0.023 L h(-1)m(-2) for nanoscale Fe(0) particles. Furthermore, with the analysis of the products by GC/MS, possible reductive pathways of NB by Fe(0)/PVA microspheres were suggested. The recovery rates of iron in microspheres were determined to be 81.17% for large Fe(0)/PVA and 60.31% for small Fe(0)/PVA.

The effect of immobilized microorganism technique on the micro-polluted river water was studied by four kinds of gaia-biological aerated filter (G-BAF), which were formed by special microorganism (BP35) and four different carriers, including haydite, FPUFS, aquamats flexible carrier and artificial aquatic mat. The removal rates of NH4(+) -N, chlorophyll and turbidity were 83.0%-89.0%, 77.5%-89.0% and 84.4%-95.2%, respectively, and they were all higher than the removal rates of COD, UV254 and TP. The FPUFS contained reactive groups, such as hydroxyl, epoxy and acylamide groups, which made FPUFS load a great amount of enzymes and microorganisms. Therefore, the removal rates of pollutants for FPUFS-G-BAF were higher than those for the other three kinds of G-BAF. Hydraulic retention time (HRT) had little effect on the removal rate of NH4(+) -N, while affected the removal rate of COD significantly. When the concentration of dissolved oxygen (DO) increased from < 2 mg/L to > 4 mg/L, for the four kinds of G-BAF, the removal rates of COD and NH4(+) -N increased 11.9%-18.0% and 12.7%-16.1%, respectively. The result of GC-MS showed that the technique of G-BAF could effectively degrade the macro-molecule refractory organics into small-molecule substance.

This study investigated the feasibility of aerobic granulation for dimethyl phthalate (DMP) with the glucose as co-metabolism substrate in a sequencing batch reactor (SBR). Experimental results showed that aerobic granulation could be successfully realized in the reactor by controlling the organic loading and sludge settling time. The system could achieve average removal efficiencies of 92.3% for DMP and 90.6% for COD after 75 days operation. The DMP intermediate metabolites were determined and identified as monomethyl phthalate and phthalic acid. Degradation kinetics was well described by substrate inhibition pattern as Haldane equation, and the corresponding kinetic coefficients of V(max), K(s) and K(i) were 643.2 mg x (g x h)(-1), 171.0 mg x L(-1) and 337.5 mg x L(-1), respectively. Environmental scanning electronic microscope (ESEM) results showed that a clearly defined boundary with high porosity on the coarse surface. Many filamentous, coccoid and rod-shape bacteria were visible on the external surface of the granules.

Experimental studies were conducted on the effect of temperature on the Pb2+ biosorption with aerobic granules seeding with floccular activated sludge. The results showed that the aerobic granules manly comprised the elements of C, H, N, O and P. According to the elemental compositions of the microbial granules, the corresponding empirical formula of the granules can be determined as C5.7 H10.9 O3.9 NS0.04. ESEM results showed many coccoid bacteria were visiable on the granule surface with porous structure. Both Freundlich and Langmuir isotherm equations could describe the biosorption process well (R2 > 0.914)under various temperature (20-40 degrees C). The maximum biosorption capacity (Q(max)) increased from 80.65 mg x g(-1) (20 degrees C) to 97.09 mg x g(-1) (40 degrees C). The values of thermodynamic parameters (deltaG < 0, deltaH > 0, deltaS > 0) indicated the biosorption process was spontaneous and endothermic in nature. Moreover, the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) results demonstrated that such active groups as -OH, -COOH and P = O were involved in Pb2+ biosorption but nothing to do with nitrogen-containing groups.

Aerobic granules were utilized as an effective biosorbent to remove Cr(3+) from aqueous solution. The results showed that the initial pH, contact time, and Cr(3+) concentration affected the biosorption process significantly. Both Freundlich and Langmuir isotherms were able to describe the equilibrium data reasonably with high correlation coefficients (R(2)>0.95) and pseudo-second-order model best fitted the biosorption process at experimental conditions. Moreover, Environmental Scanning Electronic microscope (ESEM), X-ray energy dispersion (EDX), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analyses revealed that metal complexation, chemical precipitation, and ion exchange were involved in the removal of Cr(3+) with aerobic granules. Further analysis by a metal ion fraction test demonstrated that metal complexation could be the dominant mechanism of biosorption, whereas chemical precipitation and ion exchange appeared only to have minor role in the overall Cr(3+) biosorption process.

Coking wastewater was treated by A/O process of biological filter with a special kind of carrier. The wastewater contained much more phenolic compounds with about 2000 mg/L of COD and 260 mg/L of NH4+ -N. The A/O system could achieve average removal efficiencies of 87.0% and 91.6% for COD and NH4+ -N, respectively, when HRT was 60 h. The NH4+ -N in the effluent could meet the first level of National Discharge Standard at optimal operation condition. The phenolic compounds with low molecular weight could be fully biodegraded by A/O system. The organic compounds in the effluent were in the relative molecular weight range of 10,000-30,000 and contained --OH, C==O, C--O and phenyl group. Based on the support and protection of the carrier, a great number of microorganisms adhered and immobilized on the outer and inner surface of carrier, which contributed to a simultaneous removal of COD, NH4+ -N and TN. The A/O system biological filter showed a characteristic of steady performance and resistance ability during the operation period.

Based on the satisfactory treatment effect of synthesized oil field wastewater with salinity of 0 - 3%, the salinity effect on the immobilized microorganism in the biological aerated filter (BAF) was further investigated. It was shown that the quantity of live microorganisms could rise to 1.3 x 10(7) per cm3 as the influent salinity was less than 1%, whereas it would decline to 1.1 x 10(6) per cm3 as the salinity increased to 2%, accompanied with the small and cracked cells running out in effluent in the domesticated system. Dehydrogenase activity (DHA) was the highest of 14.4 microg/(mg h) at salinity of 0.5%, which means the greatest degradation capability. And the extra cellular polysaccharide (ECP,) excreted by microorganisms to immobilize themselves on the carriers was the most of 209.9 microg/mg at the salinity of 2%. Although extra cellular polymers (ECP(s)) and microorganisms weight accumulated during the react system operation, the macro-pore diameter of patented FPUFS was from 0.3 to 0.7 mm, which could avoid the clog caused by the microorganisms and their ECP(s), and retained agreeable air and water condition for microorganisms under high salinity.

A special kind of carrier was used to immobilize effective microorganisms B350M in a biological aerated filter (BAF) react system for treatment of oil field wastewater, which is of salinity > 0.5%, lack of N and P, and contains low organic matter. Through the biodegradation system operated for 142d, the react system can achieve average degradation efficiency 90.5%, 74.4%, 85.6%, 100% for oil, TOC, COD and H2S, when HRT was 4h and COD volumetric load was 1.07 kg/(m3 x d). GC-MS results show that the organic substance in wastewater contain 27 different kind substances, a majority (23) of alkane and a minority (4) of aromatic substances. C14H30 to C28H58 in influent could be decomposed into small molecular substance efficiently, especially the C18H38 to C28H58, and also polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) such as Phenanthrene. The react system had a good diversity, because the carriers provide agreeable air and water condition for microorganisms, to resist high salinity and toxic pollutant. Filamentous microorganisms were observed in a great deal and will not cause foaming and bulking in BAF reactor by immobilization.

A comparative study was conducted on cytochemistry of spring and fall crop seeds in peanut cultivars Quanhua No. 10 and Shanyou 71 respectively. Lipids, protein, and polysaccharides in cells of axis and coteledon were simultaneously shown in the Epon812 buried section by means of cytochemistry, and their morphology, quantity and distribution were compared. Embryo cells of spring crop seed develop fully with big cell more vivid contrasting texture and more regularly disposed organelle, but the counterpart cells in fall crop seeds were not as much mature and their organelle arrangement appeared somewhat irregular. In cotyledon storage cells, there were also some difference between spring crop seed and fall crop seed. Cells of spring crop seeds were full of reserves, with more lipid and protein bodies that were closely ranged and extruded with each other. However, the cell structure in fall crop seeds was more loosely arranged, vacuoles had not been filled with protein, but starch grains accumulated more. Therefore, it was shown clearly that spring crop seeds have some advantages over fall crop seeds on production application. Moreover, some cytochemical techniques for demonstration of lipid, polysaccharide and protein in thick resin section and the stain protection were discussed in the paper.

In the title macrocyclic polyamine, C(24)H(38)N(6).5H(2)O, the centrosymmetric polyamine molecules are stacked in rows, and between these molecules there are channels along the a axis. The intermolecular hydrogen bonds formed between the water and polyamine, together with those formed between water molecules, generate an extensive hydrogen-bonding network.