Investigation of the effects of static magnetic field on apoptosis in bone marrow stem cells of rat

This research was carried out to evaluate the influence of static magnetic field on the rate of apoptosis in bone marrow stem cells (BMSCs) of rats. Extracted cells were suspended in αMEM as a culture media for 48 h. After that, cells were exposed to 15 mT static magnetic field (SMF) for 5 h, incessantly with or without FeCl₂. The rate of apoptosis was then assessed via flow cytometery. The results showed that either treatment with FeCl₂ or exposure to SMF enhanced the rate of apoptotic cells. Moreover, cells that were treated simultaneously with FeCl₂ and SMF have higher rate of apoptosis. An increase in apoptosis by 26.5% was induced by SMF alone and an increase in apoptosis by 28.2% was induced by a combination of FeCl₂ and SMF, compared to their corresponding controls. The results recommended that the effects of SMF on apoptosis may be related to increment of the number of free radicals in the cells.     

活性污泥总DNA提取方法的比较

从处理某制药废水的MBR反应器中采集活性污泥,评价不同DNA提取方法对其总DNA提取效率的影响。DNA提取分细胞裂解和DNA纯化2步,对细胞裂解比较了珠磨匀浆法、反复冻融法、十二烷基磺酸钠（sodium dodecyl sulfate,SDS）裂解法等7种方法;对DNA纯化比较了酚/氯仿纯化法和胶回收纯化法。结果表明,SDS裂解法、酚氯仿纯化法最优。通过条件优化实验,确定SDS裂解酚/氯仿纯化法在污泥量1.1 g,10 000 r/min离心5 min的操作条件下,获得的DNA产量（10 774 μg/g泥重）和纯度（OD₂₆₀∶OD₂₈₀=1.84）等综合指标最好。     

Effects of chaotic acclimation applied on performance of microbial fuel cells

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are one of the bioreactors that produce electrons by metabolizing substrate from microorganisms, and have the ability to both degrade waste solution and produce electrons. Recently, the activity of microorganisms has limited the power performance of MFCs. Chaos has been used to stimulate activity of microorganisms, but it has not been used previously in MFCs. In this study, three types of acclimations – native acclimation (NA), MFC acclimation (MFCA), and MFC embedded with chaotic electric field acclimation (CMFCA) – are applied to realize their performance and chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal in MFCs, respectively. Results show that the current density and the power density of CMFCA were improved by 1.33 and 1.25 times than MFCA, and the COD removal of CMFCA reached 85% after five days. In addition, the acclimation stage at the condition of CMFCA appeared after 10 days, but was not found for the MFCA system. These observations would provide positive information for improving the performance of MCFs in the future.     

Comparative study of photovoltaic technologies based on performance,cost and space requirement: Strategy for selection and application

The module performance is an important consideration for selecting PV technologies for electricity production, as well as the economic aspect. Also, PV energy yield under varying environmental conditions is largely dependent on the type of technology used. Therefore, this article presents a comparative analysis of different PV modules, of the same power, namely, monocrystalline, polycrystalline, amorphous silicon and hybrid, based on performance, cost and space requirement. The performance is evaluated in terms of module power output, yield, capture losses, fill factor and efficiency, according to the IEC 61724 standards, using Gwako, Nigeria as a case study. A novel technique called Fundamental PV Module Performance Analysis is used to analyze and compare the performance of the PV modules. The performance of a single module is then employed to calculate the overall performance of a PV array designed for a small off-grid house, and a suitable module is determined amongst the modules under study. Results provide insights into the behaviors of the different technologies with the environmental factors of the location, which have an impact on their power and kWh/kW outputs and the efficiency. This knowledge, coupled with the understanding of the constraints of cost and the module space requirements would be useful to researchers, engineers, installers etc. in Nigeria, for planning and developing photovoltaic electric systems for off-grid applications.     

Effect of chronic exposure to acetaminophen and lincomycin on Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) and freshwater cladocerans Daphnia magna and Moina macrocopa, and potential mechanisms of endocrine disruption

Chronic toxicity of acetaminophen and lincomycin were evaluated using freshwater organisms including two crustaceans (Daphnia magna and Moina macrocopa) and a fish (Oryzias latipes). H295R, a human adrenal cell was also used to understand the effects on steroidogenesis. In 21 d D. magna exposure, survival NOEC was found at 5.72 mg L⁻¹ and no reproduction related effects were noted at this level of exposure to acetaminophen, while 21 d survival or growth effects were not observed even at the highest exposure levels (153 mg L⁻¹) for lincomycin. In the chronic fish toxicity test, significant reduction in juvenile survival was observed at 30 d post-hatch (dph) at 95 mg L⁻¹ of acetaminophen, and 0.42 mg L⁻¹ of lincomycin. After the exposure to both pharmaceuticals, vitellogenin levels tended to increase in male fish at 90 dph. In the eggs which were prenatally exposed to 9.5 mg L⁻¹ of acetaminophen, reduced hatchability was observed. The results of H295R cell assay showed that both pharmaceuticals could alter steroidogenic pathway and increase estrogenicity. Endocrine disruption potentials and their ecological implication may deserve further studies. Our observations suggest however that ecological risks of both pharmaceuticals are negligible at the concentrations currently found in the environment.     

微生物燃料电池处理污染废水的研究进展

微生物燃料电池(MFC)在处理污染废水的同时还能产生电能,成为环境和能源领域的研究热点之一。结合典型MFC结构,分别介绍了阳极室、阴极室和中间室所具有的不同功能,比较分析了各个室去除污染物的基本原理和当前的研究进展,讨论了MFC应用于实际工程中存在的问题,展望并提出了未来MFC的发展目标及发展方向。     

微生物燃料电池与好氧堆肥协同处理餐厨垃圾

实验主张将餐厨固体垃圾和餐厨废水分开处理,并研究微生物燃料电池(MFC)作为餐厨废水和堆肥渗滤液处理工艺的可行性,通过调节不同的有机负荷,分析其生物产电的潜力和处理效率。对于餐厨废水而言,3 000 mg/L是较为理想的处理浓度,输出电压最高,始终维持在0.5 V以上;高于此浓度时电压输出特性与底物浓度呈现反相关,输出电压略低于0.5 V。极化曲线,电化学阻抗分析等也都表明3 000 mg/L是较为理想的处理浓度。而且在各种浓度下经MFC处理后的餐厨废水去除率均在90%左右,出水COD均低于400 mg/L。至于堆肥渗滤液,虽然在产电性能、去除效果上较餐厨废水稍差一些,但整体上与餐厨废水呈现出相似的规律。以上结果表明,餐厨垃圾中的废水可以通过MFC有效的去除和实现能量的回收。     

微生物燃料电池对苯酚的降解及其产电性能

构建了单室空气阴极微生物燃料电池(MFC),研究了苯酚含量对以苯酚和葡萄糖为底物的MFC产电性能及苯酚去除率的影响。实验结果表明:当CODB(苯酚贡献的COD)为0时,MFC的运行周期为36 h,最大输出电压为560 m V,最大功率密度为489 m W/m2;CODB为1 000 mg/L时,MFC的运行周期为54 h,最大输出电压为436 m V,最大功率密度为98 m W/m2;当CODB为200 mg/L时,MFC的COD去除率、苯酚去除率和库伦效率(CE)均达到最大,分别为89.7%、99.9%和7.2%,同时,MFC的阳极生物膜产生的氧化峰电流最高,表明在葡萄糖-苯酚双底物对微生物的协同作用下,MFC的阳极生物膜氧化性最强;随着CODB的增大,COD去除率、苯酚去除率和CE均逐渐减小,说明苯酚的抑制作用导致微生物活性降低。     

Genotoxic potentials and related mechanisms of bisphenol A and other bisphenol compounds: A comparison study employing chicken DT40 cells

Bisphenol A (BPA) has been found in plastic food containers, paper currencies and toys. BPA has been reported for various adverse health concerns including reproduction, development and carcinogenesis. These potential health implications have led to increasing use of alternative bisphenols such as bisphenol F and bisphenol S among many. However, little is known about the toxicity of alternative bisphenols and most of the toxicological information is limited to endocrine disrupting potentials. In this study, we evaluated cytotoxicity and the genotoxic potentials of several bisphenol compounds, and identified the mechanism of genotoxicity using a panel of mutant chicken DT40 cell lines deficient in DNA repair pathways. Several bisphenols including bisphenol AP, bisphenol M, or bisphenol P exerted genotoxic potentials that are greater than that of BPA. Generally RAD54^−/− mutant cells were the most sensitive to all bisphenols except for bisphenol F, suggesting the induction of DNA double-strand breaks that could be rescued by homologous recombination. Genotoxic potential of bisphenols was confirmed by chromosomal aberration assay and γ-H2AX foci forming assay between wild-type and RAD54^−/− mutant. Among the tested bisphenols, BPP at 12.5 μM showed the greatest genotoxic potency, inducing chromosomal aberration and γ-H2AX foci in RAD54^−/− mutant by 2.6 and 4.8 folds greater than those in wild-type, respectively. Our results clearly show several alternative bisphenols can cause genotoxicity that could be rescued by homologous recombination pathway, and some bisphenols induced even greater genotoxic potentials than that of BPA.