Measurement of flow speed in the channels of novel threadlike structures on the surfaces of mammalian organs

There have been several reports on novel threadlike structures (NTSs) on the surfaces of the internal organs of rats and rabbits since their first observation by Bonghan Kim in 1963. To confirm this novel circulatory function, it is necessary to observe the flow of liquid through the NTS as well as the structurally corroborating channels in the NTS. In this article, we report on the measurement of the flow speed of Alcian blue solution in the NTSs on the organ surfaces of rabbits, and we present electron microscopic images depicting the cribrous cross-section with channels. The speed was measured as 0.3 ± 0.1 mm/s, and the flow distance was up to 12 cm. The flow was unidirectional, and the phase contrast microscopic images showed that the NTSs were strongly stained with Alcian blue. The ultrastructure of the NTSs revealed by cryo-scanning electron microscopy and high-voltage electron microscopy showed that (1) there were cell-like bodies and globular clumps of matter inside the sinus of the channel with thin strands of segregated zones which is a microscopic evidence of the liquid flow, (2) the sinuses have wall structures surrounded with extracellular matrices of collagenous fibers, and (3) there exists a cribriform structure of sinuses. To understand the mechanism for the circulation, a quantitative analysis of the flow speed has been undertaken applying a simplified windkessel model. In this analysis, it was shown that the liquid flow through the NTSs could be due to peristaltic motion of the NTS itself. Baeckkyoung Sung and Min Su Kim contributed equally to this work.     

上海市PM2.5的物理化学特征及其生物活性研究

采集了上海市区和郊区春季和夏季的大气PM_2.5样品,分析了市区和郊区春夏2季PM_2.5质量浓度变化的规律,使用PIXE(Proton Induced X-ray Emission)分析技术获得S、K、Ca、Ti、Cr、Mn、Fe、Ni、Cu、Zn、As、Se、Br、Sr、Pb等15种元素的质量浓度.结果表明,上海PM_2.5中化学元素的质量浓度在春季　(5?038.6 ng·m^-3) 比在夏季 (3?810.6 ng·m^-3) 高,春季郊区(2?528.9 ng·m^-3) 和市区(2?509.7 ng·m^-3) PM_2.5中化学元素的质量浓度相当,夏季市区样品 (1?674.2 ng·m^-3) 中化学元素质量浓度的总量比郊区(2?136.3 ng·m^-3) 的低,但来自人为污染的化学元素 (Cr、Mn、Ti、Ni、Cu、Zn、As、Br、Sr、Pb) 在市区PM_2.5中的含量较高;场发射扫描电镜 (FESEM) 分析显示,上海PM_2.5主要由烟尘集合体、燃煤飞灰、矿物颗粒、生物质颗粒和不明物质组成,质粒DNA评价揭示上海市区PM_2.5比郊区的具有更强的生物活性,主要原因可能在于市区样品中含有较高的重金属元素和较多的烟尘集合体．     

Size fractionation and characterization of nanocolloidal particles in soils

A protocol was developed to fractionate soil particles down to the nanocolloid scale by combining sieving, sedimentation, centrifugation, and cross-flow filtration (CFF). The validity of the method and the performance of the CFF system were tested by characterizing fractions using laser granulometry, electron microscopy, and chemical analysis. The 0.1-μm-pore-size membrane CFF system effectively retained nanocolloids (<0.1 μm) as shown by laser granulometry and observed directly by transmission electron microscopy. However, environmental scanning electron microscopy images of freeze-dried colloids were very different from their TEM counterparts, suggesting that sample preparation influenced microscopy imaging. Chemical analysis of Cu, Cd, and organic carbon in each fraction showed that the concentrations of these components increased as particle size decreased, indicating colloids and nanocolloids play an important role in retaining trace metals. Particle-size fractionation combined with chemical analysis and electron microscopy can provide insight into the nature and properties of nanocolloids in soil.     

北极夏季大气气溶胶单颗粒研究

为研究北极地区大气气溶胶颗粒的物理化学特性,于2013年8月8~12日环Svalbard岛收集大气气溶胶样品,利用带能谱的透射电子显微镜(TEM-EDS)共分析2530个单颗粒,并获得颗粒物的形貌特征和化学组成.结果表明,北极地区颗粒物主要表现为5种类型,分别为海盐颗粒、富S颗粒、富Fe颗粒、含碳颗粒和矿物颗粒.后向气流轨迹显示,采样期间大气污染物主要来自于北极点周边的海洋上空和附近格陵兰岛地区.来自海洋上空的大气中主要包含海盐颗粒,所占数量比例为54.7%;经过陆地的大气样品中95.4%为矿物颗粒.利用时间密度因子法估算出北极地区PM2.5质量浓度范围为0.55~0.72mg/m3.     

Enhanced catalytic oxidation of 2,4-dichlorophenol via singlet oxygen dominated peroxymonosulfate activation on CoOOH@Bi2O3 composite

• Bi₂O₃ cannot directly activate PMS. • Bi₂O₃ loading increased the specific surface area and conductivity of CoOOH. • Larger specific surface area provided more active sites for PMS activation. • Faster electron transfer rate promoted the generation of reactive oxygen species. • ¹O₂ was identified as dominant ROS in the CoOOH@Bi₂O₃/PMS system. Cobalt oxyhydroxide (CoOOH) has been turned out to be a high-efficiency catalyst for peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation. In this study, CoOOH was loaded on bismuth oxide (Bi₂O₃) using a facile chemical precipitation process to improve its catalytic activity and stability. The result showed that the catalytic performance on the 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) degradation was significantly enhanced with only 11 wt% Bi₂O₃ loading. The degradation rate in the CoOOH@Bi₂O₃/PMS system (0.2011 min⁻¹) was nearly 6.0 times higher than that in the CoOOH/PMS system (0.0337 min⁻¹). Furthermore, CoOOH@Bi₂O₃ displayed better stability with less Co ions leaching (16.4% lower than CoOOH) in the PMS system. These phenomena were attributed to the Bi₂O₃ loading which significantly increased the conductivity and specific surface area of the CoOOH@Bi₂O₃ composite. Faster electron transfer facilitated the redox reaction of Co (III) / Co (II) and thus was more favorable for reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. Meanwhile, larger specific surface area furnished more active sites for PMS activation. More importantly, there were both non-radical (¹O₂) and radicals (SO₄⁻•, O₂⁻•, and OH•) in the CoOOH@Bi₂O₃/PMS system and ¹O₂ was the dominant one. In general, this study provided a simple and practical strategy to enhance the catalytic activity and stability of cobalt oxyhydroxide in the PMS system.     

Isolation,identification, and the degradation characteristics of a BDE-47 degrading strain北大核心CSCD

In an effort to remove BDE-47 residues from the environment, a bacterial strain that is capable of utilizing BDE-47 as the sole carbon source was isolated and screened from soil collected from an e-waste recycling area in Tianjin to analyze the degradation properties. The strain was preliminarily identified as Enterobacter sp. according to a 16S rDNA gene sequence analysis. The strain degraded 35.8% of 525 μg/L of BDE-47 in 35 d when the initial concentration of bacteria was 7.1 × 105 cells/ mL. The product of the biodegradation of BDE-47 was BDE-28. The biodegradation of BDE-47 fit well with first-order kinetics, and its degradation kinetics was ln Ct = - 0.104t + 6.22. With the addition of an electron acceptor, such as Fe3+, SO4 2- and NO3 -, the BDE-47 degradation rate was significantly increased to 49.8%, 59.1%, and 67.3%, respectively. The above results revealed that the strain could degrade BDE-47, which is of importance in the application of environmental bioremediation of BDE-47. © 2018 Science Press. All rights reserved.     

Enhancement of extracellular Cr(VI) reduction for anammox recovery using hydrazine: performance,pathways, and mechanism

● N₂H₄ addition enhanced and recovered anammox performance under Cr(VI) stress. ● N₂H₄ accelerated electron transfer of Cr(VI) reduction for detoxification. ● N₂H₄ enhanced anammox metabolism for activity recovery from Cr(VI) inhibition. ● Extracellular Cr(VI) reduction to less toxic Cr(III) was the dominant mechanism. The hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) would frequently impose inhibition to anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) process, hindering the efficiency of nitrogen removal in wastewater treatment. Hydrazine (N₂H₄), which is an intermediate product of anammox, participates in intracellular metabolism and extracellular Cr(VI) reduction. However, the roles of N₂H₄-induced intracellular metabolism and extracellular reduction in nitrogen removal under Cr(VI) stress remain unclear. The addition of 3.67 mg/L of N₂H₄ increased the anammox activity by 17%. As an intermediate, N₂H₄ enhanced anammox metabolism by increasing the heme c content and electron transfer system activity. As a reductant, N₂H₄ accelerated the reduction of c-Cyts-mediated extracellular Cr(VI) to the less toxic Cr(III). Extracellular Cr(III) accounts for 74% of the total Cr in a Cr(VI)-stressed anammox consortia. These findings highlight that N₂H₄-induced extracellular Cr(VI) reduction is the dominant mechanism for the survival of anammox consortia. We also found that N₂H₄ increased the production of extracellular polymeric substances to sequester excessive Cr(VI) and produced Cr(III). Taken together, the study findings suggest a potential strategy for enhancing nitrogen removal from ammonium-rich wastewater contaminated with Cr(VI).     

Effect of components in activated sludge liquor on membrane fouling in a submerged membrane bioreactor

Introduction The membrane bioreactors (MBRs) have shown many advantages over conventional activated sludge processes, which apply membrane modules instead of the secondary settle tank to make a better separation of the solids and liquid and have been grea…     

Utilizing transparent and conductive SnO2 as electron mediator to enhance the photocatalytic performance of Z-scheme Si-SnO2-TiOx

• A novel Z-scheme Si-SnO₂-TiO_x with SnO₂ as electron mediator is first constructed. • Transparent and conductive SnO₂ can pass light through and promote charge transport. • V_O from SnO₂ and TiO_x improve photoelectrochemical performances. • Efficient photocatalytic degradations originate from the Z scheme construction. Z-scheme photocatalysts, with strong redox ability, have a great potential for pollutants degradation. However, it is challenging to construct efficient Z-scheme photocatalysts because of their poor interfacial charge separation. Herein, by employing transparent and conductive SnO₂ as electron mediator to pass light through and promote interfacial charge transportation, a novel Z-scheme photocatalyst Si-SnO₂-TiO_{x (1<x<2)} was constructed. The Z-scheme photocatalyst displayed an order of magnitude higher photocurrent density and a 4-fold increase in open-circuit potential compared to those of Si. Moreover, the onset potential shifted negatively for approximately 2.2 V. Benefiting from these advantages, this Z-scheme Si-SnO₂-TiO_x exhibited efficient photocatalytic performance toward phenol degradation and mineralization. 75% of the phenol was degraded without bias potential and 70% of the TOC was removed during phenol degradation. Other typical pollutants such as bisphenol A and atrazine could also be degraded without bias potential. Introducing a transparent and conductive electron mediator to construct Z-scheme photocatalyst gives a new sight to the improvement of photocatalytic performance in Z scheme.     

Dual-reaction-center catalytic process continues Fenton’s story

• Dual-reaction-center (DRC) system breaks through bottleneck of Fenton reaction. • Utilization of intrinsic electrons of pollutants is realized in DRC system. • DRC catalytic process well continues Fenton’s story. Triggered by global water quality safety issues, the research on wastewater treatment and water purification technology has been greatly developed in recent years. The Fenton technology is particularly powerful due to the rapid attack on pollutants by the generated hydroxyl radicals (•OH). However, both heterogeneous and homogeneous Fenton/Fenton-like technologies follow the classical reaction mechanism, which depends on the oxidation and reduction of the transition metal ions at single sites. So even after a century of development, this reaction still suffers from its inherent bottlenecks in practical application. In recent years, our group has been focusing on studying a novel heterogeneous Fenton catalytic process, and we developed the dual-reaction-center (DRC) system for the first time. In the DRC system, H₂O₂ and O₂ can be efficiently reduced to reactive oxygen species (ROS) in electron-rich centers, while pollutants are captured and oxidized by the electron-deficient centers. The obtained electrons from pollutants are diverted to the electron-rich centers through bonding bridges. This process breaks through the classic Fenton mechanism, and improves the performance and efficiency of pollutant removal in a wide pH range. Here, we provide a brief overview of Fenton’s story and focus on combing the discovery and development of the DRC technology and mechanism in recent years. The construction of the DRC and its performance in the pollutant degradation and interfacial reaction process are described in detail. We look forward to bringing a new perspective to continue Fenton’s story through research and development of DRC technology.