Re-evaluation of thyroid hormone signaling antagonism of tetrabromobisphenol A for validating the T3-induced Xenopus metamorphosis assay

We developed the T3-induced Xenopus metamorphosis assay, which is supposed to be able to sensitively detect thyroid hormone(TH) signaling disruption of chemicals. The present study aimed to validate the T3-induced Xenopus metamorphosis assay by re-evaluating the TH signaling antagonism of tetrabromobisphenol A(TBBPA), a known TH signaling disruptor. According to the assay we developed, Xenopus tadpoles at stage 52 were exposed to 10–500 nmol/L TBBPA in the presence of 1 nmol/L T3. After 96 hr of exposure, TBBPA in the range of 10–500 nmol/L was found to significantly inhibit T3-induced morphological changes of Xenopus tadpoles in a concentration-dependent manner in term of body weight and four morphological endpoints including head area(HA), mouth width(MW), unilateral brain width/brain length(ULBW/BL), and hind-limb length/snout-vent length(HLL/SVL).The results show that these endpoints we developed are sensitive for characterizing the antagonistic effects of TBBPA on T3-induced metamorphosis. Following a 24-hr exposure,we found that TBBPA antagonized expression of T3-induced TH-response genes in the tail,which is consistent with previous findings in the intestine. We propose that the tail can be used as an alternative tissue to the intestine for examining molecular endpoints for evaluating TH signaling disruption. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that the T3-induced Xenopus metamorphosis assay we developed is an ideal in vivo assay for detecting TH signaling disruption.     

Applicability of LIVE/DEAD BacLight stain with glutaraldehyde fixation for the measurement of bacterial abundance and viability in rainwater

Rainwater contains substantial bacteria and rain is an efficient pathway for the dissemination of bacteria from the atmosphere to land and water surfaces.However,quantitative information on rainwater bacteria is very limited due to the lack of a reliable method.In this study,the epifluorescence microscopy enumeration with the LIVE/DEAD BacLight Bacterial Viability Kit stain was verified to quantify the abundance of viable and non-viable bacterial cells in rainwater,with the 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole(DAPI) stain for the reference of total cell counts.Results showed that the total counts of bacterial cells by LIVE/DEAD BacLight staining were consistent with those by DAPI staining,and the average detection efficiency was(109 ± 29)%.The ratio of cell count with glutaraldehyde fixation to that without fixation was(106 ± 5)%on average.The bacterial concentration in negative control was usually an order of magnitude lower than that in rainwater samples.However,in case of small precipitation,the abundance in negative control could be more than that in rainwater samples.These results indicate that the enumeration with LIVE/DEAD BacLight bacterial viability assay coupled with glutaraldehyde fixation and careful negative control investigation is an approach applicable to the measurement of the concentration and viability of bacterial cells in rainwater.     

Shifts in microbial community structure and diversity in a MBR combined with worm reactors treating synthetic wastewater

The chemical oxygen demand (COD) and NH₃-N removal, membrane fouling, sludge characteristics and microbial community structure in a membrane bioreactor (MBR) coupled with worm reactors (SSBWR) were evaluated for 210 days. The obtained results were compared to those from a conventional MBR (C-MBR) operated in parallel. The results indicated that the combined MBR (S-MBR) achieved higher COD and NH₃-N removal efficiency, slower increase in membrane fouling, better sludge settleability and higher activities of the related enzymes in the activated sludge. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis was used to analyze the microbial community structures in the C-MBR and the S-MBR. The microbial community structure in the S-MBR was more diverse than that in the C-MBR. Additionally, the slow-growing microbes such as Saprospiraceae, Actinomyces, Frankia, Clostridium, Comamonas, Pseudomonas, Dechloromonas and Flavobacterium were enriched in the S-MBR, further accounting for the sludge reduction, membrane fouling alleviation and wastewater treatment.     

Performance and microbial community of a membrane bioreactor system——Treating wastewater from ethanol fermentation of food waste

In this study, a lab-scale biological anaerobic/anaerobic/anoxic/membrane bioreactor(A_-~3MBR) was designed to treat wastewater from the ethanol fermentation of food waste,a promising way for the disposal of food waste and reclamation of resources. The 454 pyrosequencing technique was used to investigate the composition of the microbial community in the treatment system. The system yielded a stable effluent concentration of chemical oxygen demand(202 ± 23 mg/L), total nitrogen(62.1 ± 7.1 mg/L), ammonia(0.3 ±0.13 mg/L) and total phosphorus(8.3 ± 0.9 mg/L), and the reactors played different roles in specific pollutant removal. The exploration of the microbial community in the system revealed that:(1) the microbial diversity of anaerobic reactors A_1 and A_2, in which organic pollutants were massively degraded, was much higher than that in anoxic A_3 and aerobic MBR;(2) although the community composition in each reactor was quite different, bacteria assigned to the classes Clostridia, Bacteroidia, and Synergistia were important and common microorganisms for organic pollutant degradation in the anaerobic units, and bacteria from Alphaproteobacteria and Betaproteobacteria were the dominant microbial population in A_3 and MBR;(3) the taxon identification indicated that Arcobacter in the anaerobic reactors and Thauera in the anoxic reactor were two representative genera in the biological process. Our results proved that the biological A_-~3MBR process is an alternative technique for treating wastewater from food waste.     

Effect of oxide nanoparticles on the morphology and fluidity of phospholipid membranes and the role of hydrogen bonds

Engineered oxide nanoparticles (NPs) are widely applied in insulators, catalyzers, paints, cosmetic products, textiles and semiconductors. Their attachment on cell membrane may lead to cytotoxicity. The effects of Al₂O₃, Fe₂O₃, SiO₂, TiO₂ and ZnO NPs on membrane integrity and fluidity were studied using giant or small unilamellar vesicles in this study. Al₂O₃ and SiO₂ NPs disrupted the oppositely charged membrane, indicating the important role of electrostatic attraction. However, Fe₂O₃, TiO₂ and ZnO NPs did not cause serious membrane disruption as Al₂O₃ and SiO₂ NPs. Membrane fluidity was evaluated by the generalized polarity (GP) values of Laurdan fluorescent emission. SiO₂ NPs induce the membrane gelation of both positively and negatively charged membrane. Al₂O₃ and ZnO NPs induced the gelation of the oppositely charged membrane, but did not cause obvious membrane gelation to the like charged membrane. The phospholipid molecular structural changes after NP exposure were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. FT-IR spectra revealed the hydrogen bond formation between NPs and the carbonyl/phosphate groups of phospholipids. Al₂O₃ and SiO₂ NPs showed strongest evidence of hydrogen bonding on their FT-IR spectra. It was consistent with the microscopic observation and fluorescent data that Al₂O₃ and SiO₂ NPs caused more serious membrane disruption and gelation. This study on membrane damage provides further knowledge on the cytotoxicity of nanomaterials and the safety of NP application.     

台州市大气PM_(2.5)中PAHs的污染特征与毒性评价

使用中流量颗粒物采样器采集台州市2015—2016年大气PM_(2.5)样品,利用气相色谱-质谱仪对样品中16种多环芳烃(PAHs)进行分析,研究PAHs的污染特征及可能来源。结果显示:PAHs总浓度为(20.69±4.84)ng/m3,浓度季节变化大小顺序依次为冬季>春季>秋季>夏季,空间变化为商住区>工业区>背景点。PM_(2.5)中PAHs以高环为主(≥4环),占86%。不同季节商住区和工业区PAHs(4环)含量均略高于背景点,PAHs(5~6环)的含量商住区略高于工业区和背景点。PAHs环数分布和比值法结果表明台州市大气PM_(2.5)中PAHs的主要来源是机动车尾气和燃煤。成年人和儿童的终生超额致癌风险(ILCR)分别为8.02×10-7和5.61×10-7,表明台州市PM_(2.5)中PAHs对人体健康影响在可接受范围内。     

蚯蚓粪对油葵修复菲污染土壤的强化作用

采用室内盆栽试验,研究了蚯蚓粪对油葵修复菲污染土壤的强化作用。结果表明:在试验浓度范围内(菲0~200 mg/kg),蚯蚓粪提高了菲污染土壤中油葵株高和生物量;施用蚯蚓粪后,土壤中菲的平均去除率为57.14%,较对照(不施蚯蚓粪)增长了15.34%;当菲浓度为50 mg/kg时,试验组菲的去除率较对照组提高了20.55%,差异最为显著;此外,当菲的浓度相同时,试验组油葵的富集系数均高于对照组,并且试验组土壤根际中的多酚氧化酶和过氧化氢酶活性均有提高,分别较对照增加了16.75%和18.37%。综合分析,说明蚯蚓粪可强化油葵对土壤中菲的去除作用。     

浸没燃烧技术处理高浓度有机废水研究

针对现阶段高浓度有机废水处理困难的问题,提出了一种基于浸没燃烧技术的处理方法,设计制作了1台浸没燃烧装置,并开展了高浓度有机废水浸没燃烧实验研究,探究了过量空气系数、二次风量、燃烧温度等参数对燃烧尾气中CO、NOx排放的影响,以及浸没深度、燃烧温度对高浓度有机废水COD去除的影响。实验结果表明:该工艺对高浓度有机废水中的有机物去除效果明显,温度在900℃以上,浸没深度达到20 cm时,COD去除率可达90%以上。该方法可作为废水处理设备,与生物法等处理技术联用,应用前景广阔。     

有机质对p,p′-DDE在土壤中的吸附影响

为研究有机质对p, p′-DDE在土壤中的吸附影响因素,采用批量试验方法,分析p, p′-DDE在包气带土壤及含水层土壤上吸附量的变化及有机质对p, p′-DDE在土壤中的吸附影响.结果表明,p, p′-DDE在土壤中的吸附均符合先快后慢、最后达到吸附平衡的规律;其吸附动力学曲线用一级和二级反应动力学方程均能较好拟合,说明p, p′-DDE在这两种物质中的吸附以简单吸附为主,同时包含表面吸附、颗粒内部扩散等过程.包气带土壤和含水层土壤等温吸附线的拟合相关系数(R2)均大于0.95,符合Freundlich模型和线性模型,而含水层样品与Freundlich模型拟合得更好,表明p, p′-DDE在包气带土壤中的吸附以单分子层吸附为主,而在含水层土壤中的吸附还伴随着多分子层吸附的复杂过程;去除内源DOM(溶解性有机质)后,样品对p, p′-DDE的吸附量呈增加趋势,按吸附增加量由小到大的排序为1-1(0~10 cm) < 1-2(120~150 cm) < 2-4(100~120 cm),说明内源DOM的存在总体上抑制了p, p′-DDE的吸附,并且w(DOM)越高,其抑制作用越强;外源DOM的加入抑制了土壤对p, p′-DDE的吸附;去除有机质后样品对p, p′-DDE的吸附量与w(黏土矿物)具有正相关性.研究显示,有机质对土壤中有机污染物的吸附迁移研究对土壤修复有重要意义,需要对有机质影响土壤的吸附机制进行更深层次的研究.      

Construction of vesicle CdSe nano-semiconductors photocatalysts with improved photocatalytic activity: Enhanced photo induced carriers separation efficiency and mechanism insight

Visible-light-driven photocatalysis as a green technology has attracted a lot of attention due to its potential applications in environmental remediation. Vesicle Cd Se nano-semiconductor photocatalyst are successfully prepared by a gas template method and characterized by a variety of methods. The vesicle Cd Se nano-semiconductors display enhanced photocatalytic performance for the degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride, the photodegradation rate of78.824% was achieved by vesicle Cd Se, which exhibited an increase of 31.779% compared to granular Cd Se. Such an exceptional photocatalytic capability can be attributed to the unique structure of the vesicle Cd Se nano-semiconductor with enhanced light absorption ability and excellent carrier transport capability. Meanwhile, the large surface area of the vesicle Cd Se nano-semiconductor can increase the contact probability between catalyst and target and provide more surface-active centers. The photocatalytic mechanisms are analyzed by active species quenching. It indicates that h+and UO_2~-are the main active species which play a major role in catalyzing environmental toxic pollutants. Simultaneously, the vesicle Cd Se nano-semiconductor had high efficiency and stability.