Removal of multiple metal ions from wastewater by a multifunctional metal-organic-framework based trap.

The design and preparation of multifunctional adsorbent for practical wastewater treatment is still an enormous challenge. To remove multiple metal ions from wastewater, we developed a broad-spectrum metal ions trap named UIO-67-EDTA by incorporation of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid into robust UIO-67. The adsorption experiments for 15 kinds of heavy metal ions including hard acid (Mn2+, Ba2+, Al3+, Cr3+, Fe3+), borderline acid (Co2+, Ni2+, Cu2+, Zn2+, Pb2+, Sn2+, Bi2+), soft acid (Ag+, Cd2+, Hg2+), and two kinds of dissolved minerals (Mg2+, Ca2+) show that the trap is very effective both in batch adsorption processes and breakthrough processes. At a pH value of 4.0, the removal efficiency for all metal ions was over 98% within 10 min, and the maximum static adsorption capacity for the representative metal ions Cr3+, Hg2+and Pb2+ was up to 416.67, 256.41, and 312.15 mg g-1, respectively. The adsorption kinetics fitted well with the pseudo-second-order model, indicating that the chemical adsorption was the rate-determining step in the adsorption process. Meanwhile, the material showed high stability and recyclability, the removal efficiency for the three representative metals was still maintained over 93% after five consecutive adsorption cycles.

Protein inhibitor of activated STAT1 (PIAS1) alleviates cerebral infarction and inflammation after cerebral ischemia in rats.

Background: Ischemic stroke is a severe disorder with high incidence, disability rate and mortality. Multiple pathogenesis mechanisms are involved in ischemic stroke, such as inflammation and neuronal cell apoptosis. Protein inhibitor of activated signal transducer and activators of transcription 1 (PIAS1) plays a crucial role in various biological processes, including inflammation. PIAS1 is also downregulated in ischemia-reperfusion injury and involved in the disease processes. However, the role of PIAS1 in cerebral ischemia is unclear. Methods: Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were induced with middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). The role and mechanisms of PIAS1 in ischemic cerebral infarction were explored by Longa test, 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining, Morris water maze (MWM) test, hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining, quantification of brain water content, reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase deoxyuridine triphosphate (dUTP) nick end labeling (TUNEL), Western blot and immunofluorescence assays. Results: The expression of PIAS1 in MCAO-induced rat was declined compared to sham rats. Overexpression of PIAS1 reduced the Longa neurological scores, the percent of infarction area, the pathological abnormality, the escape latency of swimming and the percent of brain water content, and increased the number of platform crossings and time in the target quadrant in the MCAO-induced rats. Besides, overexpression of PIAS1 decreased the MCAO-induced the contents of IL-1ß, IL-6 and TNF-α, but further elevated the concentrations of IL-10 in both sera and brain tissues. Moreover, overexpression of PIAS1 reversed the MCAO-induced apoptosis rate and the relative protein level of Bax, cleaved caspase3 and Bcl-2. Overexpression of PIAS1 also reversed the level of proteins involved in NF-κB pathway. Conclusion: PIAS1 reduced inflammation and apoptosis, thereby alleviating ischemic cerebral infarction in MCAO-induced rats through regulation NF-κB pathway.

Effects of high dose copper on plant growth and mineral nutrient (Zn, Fe, Mg, K, Ca) uptake in spinach.

Loessal soil is one of the main cultivated soils in northwest China. Part of its distribution area was irrigated with industrial wastewater in past three decades. This caused heavy metal contamination in the soil. It had induced toxicity on crops and also threatened local human health for now. Based on a field plot experiment, effects of different Cu concentrations (from 45 to 2000 mg kg-1) in loessal soil on spinach plant growth and uptake of mineral nutrients (Zn, Fe, Mg, K, and Ca) by spinach were investigated. The Cu addition increased available concentrations of mineral nutrients in loessal soil and concentrations of Cu, Zn, Mg, and Ca in roots. The translocation of mineral nutrients from roots to leaves was inhibited under Cu addition, inducing their decrease in leaves. The EC10 and EC50 of soil Cu in relative dry weights of leaves were 240.33 mg kg-1 and 1205.04 mg kg-1, respectively. The PLS-PM analysis showed that available concentrations of nutrients in soil were only affected by Cu in soil positively, nutrients in roots were mainly affected by Cu in soil and Cu in leaves positively, nutrients in leaves were mainly affected by Cu in roots negatively, translocation of nutrients in spinach and plant growth were principally affected by Cu in leaves negatively, and the total effect of Cu in leaves on nutrients in roots and leaves, translocation of nutrients in spinach, and plant growth was the highest. Our results indicated that the phytotoxicity of Cu including spinach growth inhibition and mineral disorder in spinach was mainly affected by the Cu concentrations in leaves.

Electronic and Magnetic Properties of Stone⁻Wales Defected Graphene Decorated with the Half-Metallocene of M (M = Fe, Co, Ni): A First Principle Study.

The geometrical, electronic structure, and magnetic properties of the half-metallocene of M (M = Fe, Co, Ni) adsorbed on Stone⁻Wales defected graphene (SWG) were studied using the density functional theory (DFT), aiming to tune the band structure of SWG. The introduction of cyclopentadienyl (Cp) and half-metallocene strongly affected the band structure of SWG. The magnetic properties of the complex systems originated from the 3D orbitals of M (M = Fe, Co, Ni), the molecular orbital of Cp, and SWG. This phenomenon was different from that found in a previous study, which was due to metal ion-induced sandwich complexes. The results have potential applications in the design of electronic devices based on SWG.