Microbial fuel cell with three-dimensional electrodes for domestic wastewater treatment and electricity generation北大核心CSCD

A single chamber microbial fuel cell (MFC) with three-dimensional electrodes packed bed carbon felts was developed to treat domestic wastewater while simultaneously generating electricity. The influence of batch and continuous operation mode on treatment effectiveness and electricity production of the MFC was investigated to provide a reference for the application of the MFC. The MFC with a total working volume of 1 440 mL was operated in the fed-batch mode for 5 d repeatedly three times, and then shifted to the continuous mode. During the testing of the continuous mode, wastewater was continuously pumped into the anode compartment at a flow rate of approximately 0.2 mL/min, resulting in a hydraulic retention time of 5 d. During the batch test, the MFC obtained 91.1% chemical oxygen demand (COD) and 98.2% NH4 +-N removal, which accorded with the first criteria specified in the discharge standard of pollutants for municipal wastewater treatment plants in China (GB18918-2002). A maximum power density of 27.88 mW/m3 was achieved at a 51 Ω external resistor. During the continuous test, the COD removal efficiencies ranged from 83.2% to 97.4%. The concentration of NH4 +-N gradually decreased within 5 d and was then maintained below 9.45 mg/L, thus an enhanced removal performance of NH4 +-N was acquired. However, a low removal efficiency of total nitrogen was observed owing to the accumulation of NO3 --N in the effluent since day 11. Additionally, the MFC continually generated electricity with a maximum power density of 582.5 mW/m3 and average output voltage of 0.087 7 V during the stable period in the continuous operation mode. Moreover, 16S rRNA gene high-throughput sequencing showed that Thauera sp., Saprospiraceae-UN sp., and OPB56-UN sp. were identified as dominant populations. The results suggested that the organic matter associated with power generation was constantly utilized by the microorganisms in the reactor, which caused an excellent electricity generation performance during the continuous test. Therefore, the continuous operation mode could improve the low output voltage phenomenon in the MFC. Thauera sp., as a type of nitrate-reducing bacteria, was enriched in the autotrophic denitrifying microbial communities; therefore, bio-enrichment with denitrifying bacteria such as Thauera sp. could decrease the concentration of NO3 --N in the effluent during the continuous operation mode, which is expected to be an innovation for improvement of wastewater treatment. © 2018 Science Press. All rights reserved.     

林丹通过MAPK和UPR通路与干扰线粒体功能诱导黑腹果蝇(Drosophila melanogaster)肿瘤细胞迁移

环境污染物增加癌症死亡率的潜在机理研究尚需开展。选择与癌症致死显著相关的林丹作为目标物质,将黑腹果蝇作为受试生物进行暴露,对1 000μg·L~(-1)和对照组的果蝇样本进行实时聚合酶链式反应(RT-PCR),检测发现参与调控癌症细胞迁移的丝裂原活化蛋白激酶(MAPK)信号通路中的MEKK和p38α、未折叠蛋白反应(UPR)中的ATF4、Ire1、PERK和XBP1等基因的表达量呈现显著下调(P0.05)。通过肿瘤迁移品系果蝇统计林丹暴露下肿瘤细胞迁移率,结果显示肿瘤细胞迁移率随林丹浓度升高而增加,1 000μg·L~(-1)林丹暴露组与对照组的果蝇肿瘤细胞迁移率分别为69.2%和45.9%,具有显著性差异(P0.05)。进一步的RNA测序结果表明,高浓度暴露组与对照组之间存在380个基因具有显著性差异(P0.05),其中含169个上调基因和211个下调基因。差异基因主要涉及水解酶催化活性(42个基因)、神经系统(20)、对化学刺激的感知(6)和线粒体(5)。差异基因的富集分析表明林丹的暴露主要改变蛋白水解过程(83个基因)、胞外区域(84)和催化活性(311),其对应的平均富集因子分别为1.59、1.52和1.24(P0.001)。差异基因的表达解释了林丹的暴露不仅致使线粒体功能障碍,而且影响蛋白水解酶活性,加速胞外基质降解,为肿瘤细胞迁移供能并提供微环境。     

苯胺对小鼠成纤维细胞L929的体外毒性评价

探讨不同浓度的苯胺化合物对小鼠成纤维细胞L929的体外毒性作用,为满足危险化学品分类鉴定和风险评估需求、更好地预防环境化合物对人体健康的损害提供理论依据。体外培养L929细胞,分别将不同浓度的苯胺化合物(0、0.001、0.01、0.1、1、10μg·mL~(-1))加入培养基中处理细胞,在不同时间点分别取材,MTT检测细胞增殖率,AO/PI染色检测细胞存活率,Annexin V-PI染色后流式细胞仪检测细胞凋亡,相关检测试剂盒测定细胞内活性氧(ROS)的含量及总谷胱甘肽的含量。结果表明,高浓度(1、10μg·mL~(-1))的苯胺化合物对L929细胞的生长和增殖具有显著的抑制效应。即使浓度降低至0.1μg·mL~(-1),在处理48 h后,细胞的存活数量显著下降,说明其对细胞增殖具有浓度和时间的累积效应和依赖性。同时,对各组细胞采用流式细胞仪测定细胞凋亡,发现低浓度的苯胺对细胞凋亡影响并不明显,但高浓度的苯胺处理后,细胞凋亡和坏死数量显著增加。ROS含量和GSH含量检测结果显示,较低浓度的苯胺对细胞氧化应激反应并无显著影响,但浓度至0.1μg·mL~(-1)时,细胞较对照组出现明显的氧化应激反应,说明细胞已受损,再继续培养将会导致细胞死亡。上述研究结果提示,高浓度苯胺化合物可显著影响L929细胞存活率,且具有时间和浓度累积效应。其毒性机制可能与细胞内活性氧增加、谷胱甘肽耗竭有关。     

地面输油管道泄漏流散数值模拟

针对库区地面输油管道发生泄漏后油品流散行为的不确定性,建立了地面油品泄漏流散的三维CFD仿真模型,模拟了不同管道运行压力和不同泄漏孔径下油品在地面上的流散过程,得到了油品扩展速度关于泄漏流量的关系式和流散面积关于管道压力、泄漏孔径、流散时间的偏微分方程组。结果表明:流散面积随管道压力增大呈线性函数增大;流散面积随泄漏孔径呈三次函数变化,先减小后增大;在泄漏的开始阶段,流散面积随泄漏时间的变化随管道压力呈线性增长,在扩展达到稳定时,扩展速度随泄漏流量呈指数函数增大。     

孕期低剂量镉暴露对不同性别胎鼠肝脏发育的影响及其分子调控机制的研究

为探究镉对胎儿肝脏发育的毒性作用.拟选用15只性成熟的8周龄的雌性C57BL/6小鼠,与雄鼠交配见栓后,于妊娠第7.5 d(Embryonic 7.5,E7.5)时,随机分为3组(每组5只),分别通过饮用水暴露法饲喂0、20和40 mg·L^-1的氯化镉溶液,并于E14.5 d时收集各组小鼠的胎儿肝脏等组织.通过Ki67和TUNEL染色方法探究镉对不同性别胎鼠肝脏的增殖功能和凋亡功能的影响,并通过PCR芯片筛查和实时定量PCR方法检测镉处理组的雌性和雄性胎鼠肝脏中与细胞增殖和凋亡功能相关基因的表达变化.此外,我们还将通过石墨炉火焰原子吸收技术对镉处理组的雌性和雄性胎鼠的镉含量进行检测.结果显示:孕期低剂量镉暴露对胎儿体重、胎肝重量和肝脏指数均无显著性影响.在本实验条件下,镉对胎鼠肝脏的凋亡功能无显著性影响,但对增殖功能具有抑制作用,且该抑制作用具有雌性依赖性的特征.镉特异性诱导雌性胎鼠肝脏中NF1等多个细胞增殖功能相关基因以及TGF-β1信号通路分子的表达失衡;但对雄性胎鼠肝脏中相关基因的表达水平无显著性影响.镉在雌性胎儿组织中的积累量显著高于雄性胎儿组织.综上所述,孕期低剂量镉暴露特异性抑制雌性胎儿肝脏的细胞增殖功能,并诱导雌性胎儿肝脏中NF1等多个增殖功能相关基因以及TGF-β1信号通路分子的表达失衡,该性别依赖性的抑制作用可能与镉在雌性胎儿中相对较高的积累量相关.     

生物电化学系统对河道沉积物中抗生素的强化去除

生物电化学系统已被证明可以有效降解废水或污泥中的抗生素,但对于河道沉积物中抗生素降解效果的研究还十分有限.本研究以河道沉积物为底物,考察了沉积物中本底抗生素在微生物电解池（microbial electrolysis cell, MEC）和微生物燃料电池（microbial fuel cell, MFC）中的去除、迁移和降解效率,以及反应器运行期间的电化学性能和微生物种群结构变化.结果显示,MEC和MFC均可以强化沉积物中抗生素的去除,喹诺酮类抗生素和四环素类抗生素中的CTC的去除是向上覆水中迁移与生物电化学降解共同作用的结果,而大环内酯类抗生素和四环素类抗生素中的TC和OTC的去除主要是依靠生物电化学降解作用.TC和OTC在MEC中的降解效率分别比MFC高出82.6%和29.5%,而MFC对大环内酯类抗生素的降解效率比MEC高27.6%~40.6%.电化学性能测试结果显示,以河道沉积物为底物的MFC内阻较大导致其功率密度相对较低,但MFC阳极比MEC阳极表现出了更好的氧化效果.微生物种群结构变化分析发现,门水平上的Proteobacteria及其对应的纲水平上的Deltaproteobacteria和Gammaproteobacteria可能对抗生素的强化去除起到了主要的积极作用,而且MFC阳极比MEC更容易富集Proteobacteria.     

用盐桥支撑双分子层脂膜模拟研究锌离子跨细胞膜输运

采用盐桥支撑技术制备镶嵌胆固醇的双分子层卵磷脂(脑磷脂)膜,用以模拟细胞膜.用正辛烷做溶剂,对不同卵磷脂(脑磷脂)与胆固醇配比进行制膜,膜的稳定性均超过100h.实验发现,纯脂质体不能输运重金属离子,胆固醇能输运重金属离子.胆固醇与重金属离子之间存在吸附作用,无化学反应.采用电化学工作站对双分子层脂膜的稳定性、离子通透性、双层膜中胆固醇对离子通透性的影响等进行了研究,并利用实验制备的双分子层脂膜模拟研究锌离子跨细胞膜的输运过程,建立了锌离子跨细胞膜的吸附-扩散模型,该模型计算值与实验值基本吻合.     

Spatial relationships and matrilineal kinship in African savanna elephant (Loxodonta africana) clans

African savanna elephants, Loxodonta africana, live in stable family groups consisting of adult females and their dependent offspring. During the dry season, clans consisting of several family groups typically share a common home range. We compared spatial relationships and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplotypes among 14 adult female elephants within 3 clans during the dry season in northern Zimbabwe. Spatial relationships were studied by radio-tracking. Home-range similarity was quantified by correlating the estimated utilization distributions of all pairs of elephants. Clans were identified by cluster analysis of the home-range similarity values. All three clans contained at least two of the five mtDNA haplotypes that were found, indicating that clan members are not necessarily matrilineally related. Within clans, home ranges of elephants with the same haplotype were not significantly more similar to each other than those of elephants with different haplotypes. Most elephants within each clan used their shared home ranges independently of each other: the distribution of distances between their positions at any given time did not differ from the distribution expected by chance. However, 8 out of the 26 within-clan pairs exhibited long-term coordination of space use by remaining within known hearing distance of each others low-frequency calls significantly more often than expected by chance. At least four of these coordinated pairs consisted of animals in different family groups. Elephants in three of the four different-family pairs whose movements were coordinated had different haplotypes. Further research is needed to determine the relationship between these coordinated movements and conventionally defined bond-group behavior.Electronic Supplementary Material Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at .Communicated by C. Nunn     

Impact of the composition of combustion generated fine particles on epithelial cell toxicity: influences of metals on metabolism

Inhaled airborne particulate matter (PM) represents a potentially significant health hazard to humans. Exposure to PM strongly correlates with pulmonary inflammation and incidences of severe respiratory distress, including increased hospital admissions for breathing disorders, asthma, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis. PM generated from the combustion of fuel oils and coals contain a number of water-soluble transition metals including Fe, V, and Zn.

We have evaluated the impact of PM types with varying composition collected from the combustion of oils and coals on the health and metabolism of lung cell cultures. Three colorimetric assays (sulforhodamine B (SRB), Janus green, and MTT) have been adapted to quantify the impact of PM on rat lung alveolar type II epithelial cells (RLE-6TN cells). The PM toxicity metrics evaluated were inhibition of cell proliferation (SRB and Janus green) and inhibition of cellular metabolism (MTT). Cell proliferation is inhibited in a consistent dose-dependent manner by PM concentrations from 25 to 250 μg/ml. At a level of 100 μg/ml, oil-derived PM diminishes cell metabolism by as much as 40% relative to controls; the degree of inhibition is strongly dependent on PM particle size and metal content. Conversely, coal-derived PM at the same dosage diminishes cell metabolism by no more than 20% relative to controls. All three assays provide highly repeatable results and consistent toxicity rankings of the PMs evaluated. Overall, metabolic inhibition as measured by the MTT assay was deemed the most appropriate metric for PM toxicity, primarily due to its applicability with in vivo-like confluent cell monolayers.     

An Ecological Basis for Managing Giant Sequoia Ecosystems

A strategy for management of giant sequoia groves is formulated using a conceptual framework for ecosystem management recently developed by Region Five of the USDA Forest Service. The framework includes physical, biological, and social dimensions. Environmental indicators and reference variability for key ecosystem elements are discussed in this paper. The selected ecosystem elements include: 1) attitudes, beliefs, and values; 2) economics and subsistence; 3) stream channel morphology; 4) sediment; 5) water; 6) fire; 7) organic debris; and 8) vegetation mosaic. Recommendations are made for the attributes of environmental indicators that characterize these elements. These elements and associated indicators will define and control management activities for the protection, preservation, and restoration of national forest giant sequoia ecosystems.