Simultaneous denitrification and organics removal by denitrifying bacteria inoculum in a multistage biofilm process for treating desulfuration and denitration wastewater.

This study aimed to treat real wastewater from the desulfuration and denitration process in a petrochemical plant with high-strength nitrogen (TN≈200 mg/L, > 90% nitrate), sulfate (2.7%) and extremely low-strength organics (CODCr < 30 mg/L). Heterotrophic denitrification of multistage anoxic and oxic biofilm (MAOB) process in three tanks using facultative denitrifying bacteria inoculum was developed to simultaneously achieve desirable effluent nitrogen and organics at different hydraulic retention time (HRT) and carbon to nitrogen (C/N) mass ratios. The optimum condition was recommended as a C/N ratio of 1.5 and a HRT of A (24 h)/O (12-24 h) to achieve > 90% of nitrogen and organics removal as well as no significant variation of sulfate. The denitrifying biofilm in various tanks was dominant by Hyphomicrobium (8.9%-25.7%), Methylophaga (18.6%-25.8%) and Azoarcus (3.3%-19.6%), etc., containing > 20% aerobic denitrifiers. This explained that oxic zone in MAOB process also exhibited simultaneous nitrogen and organics removal.

Improving denitrification performance of biofilm technology with salt-tolerant denitrifying bacteria agent for treating high-strength nitrate and sulfate wastewater from lab-scale to pilot-scale.

This study focused on the application of salt-tolerant denitrifying bacteria (DBA) in an optimized biofilm process to treat high sulfate-nitrate wastewater from lab-scale to pilot-scale. Lab-scale results demonstrated the salinity, DBA inoculum, supplementary carbon and phosphorus source significantly varied the startup periods at the range of 36-74 d, and the optimum initial start-up conditions were as follows: >0.6 g/L of DBA, 2-4 of C/N ratio, 0.3-0.6 mg/L of phosphorus and a salinity-gradient domestication method. A pilot scale of biofilm technology with DBA was further developed for treating real wastewater from the desulfuration and denitration with both high nitrate (≈200 mg/L) and sulfate (2.7%). The denitrification efficiency reached above 90% after one-month gradient-salinity of 0.5%-2.7%. Mature biofilm had dominant genera Hyphomicrobium (31.80%-61.35%), Methylotenera (0.85%-20.21%) and Thauera (1.42%-8.40%), etc. Notably, the largest genera Hyphomicrobium covered the complete denitrification genes.

The Fig-Like hierarchical Double-Shelled hollow TiN particles as sulfur host for Lithium-Sulfur batteries.

Lithium-sulfur battery(LSB)'s commercial manufacturing has been mainly retarded by the "shuttle effect" and low electrical conductivity of polysulfides (LiPSs). Designing a cathode with hollow and hierarchically porous structures was expected to solve the above problems. Herein, a kind of TiN particles with the hierarchical hollow double-shelled structures was synthesized and applied to cathodes of LSB. The Fig-like hollow TiO2 particles (FHTiO2s) were firstly synthesized by the hard-template method. Subsequently, the Fig-like hierarchical hollow double-shelled TiN particles (FHTiNs) were synthesized by the template-free sequential transformation and separation approach (STSA). It was verified that the heating temperature and time were key parameters. Special Fig-like double-shell hollow structures could greatly increase the loading of S, and the excellent initial capacity of FHTiNs cathodes was up to 1159 mAh/g. On the one hand, the Fig-like framework in internal cavity and double-shell structures could promote the ultrahigh specific surface area, and the adsorption to LiPSs was improved by increasing active sites; On the other hand, the shuttle effect of LiPSs was weakened by the fig-like framework and double-shell structures, which slowed down the massive dissolution of sulfur in the electrolyte. As a result, the pleasant rate performance of FHTiNs cathodes was up to 400 mAh/g at 5C. This novel structures and synthesis method provided a new strategy for the designing of LSB cathodes.

Bio-Inspired Salinity-Gradient Power Generation With UiO-66-NH2 Metal-Organic Framework Based Composite Membrane.

Salinity-gradient directed osmotic energy between seawater and river water has been widely considered as a promising clean and renewable energy source, as there are numerous river estuaries on our planet. In the past few decades, reverse electrodialysis (RED) technique based on cation-selective membranes has been used as the key strategy to convert osmotic energy into electricity. From this aspect, developing high-efficiency anion-selective membranes will also have great potential for capturing osmotic energy, however, remains systematically unexplored. In nature, electric eels can produce electricity from ionic gradients by using their "sub-nanoscale" protein ion channels to transport ions selectively. Inspired by this, here we developed a UiO-66-NH2 metal-organic framework (MOF) based anion-selective composite membrane with sub-nanochannels, and achieved high-performance salinity-gradient power generation by mixing artificial seawater (0.5 M NaCl) and river water (0.01 M NaCl). The UiO-66-NH2 metal-organic framework based composite membranes can be easily and economically fabricated with dense structure and long-term working stability in saline, and its performance of power generation can also be adjusted by pH to enhance the surface charge density of the MOF sub-nanochannels. This study will inspire the exploitation of MOFs for investigating the sub-nanochannel directed high-performance salinity-gradient energy harvesting systems based on anion-selective ion transport.

Toxicological evaluation of a flavonoid, chrysin: morphological, behavioral, biochemical and histopathological assessments in rats.

Nowadays, medicines from plant sources play a vital role in healthcare management. Chrysin, a plant flavonoid, possesses a wide range of pharmacological activities. The aim of present investigation was to evaluate the safety of chrysin by determining toxicity after acute and sub-chronic oral administration in rats. Acute oral toxicity (AOT) and sub-chronic oral toxicity studies of chrysin were carried out according to OECD 425 and OCED 408 in Sprague Dawley rats. In AOT, oral administration of chrysin (5000 mg/kg) showed 40% mortality. In the sub-chronic toxicity study, daily oral administration of chrysin (1000 mg/kg) showed significantly decreased body weight whereas liver weight was increased significantly in male rats. A significant alteration in the hematology (RBC, MCH, MCHC, TLC, lymphocytes, and neutrophil) and blood chemistry (albumin, bilirubin, ALT, AST, creatinine, and GGT) were found in chrysin (1000 mg/kg) treated rats which were either limited to one sex or lacked dose-response or were within the normal laboratory ranges. There was a significant increase in hepatic and renal oxido-nitrosative stress in chrysin (1000 mg/kg) treated rats. There was no significant change in electrocardiographic (except heart rate), hemodynamic, the left ventricular function, and lung function test. Renal and hepatic histological aberrations were induced in chrysin (1000 mg/kg) treated rats. In conclusion results of the present investigation determined the LD50 value of chrysin to be 4350 mg/kg whereas NOAEL and LOAEL of chrysin was found to be 500 and 1000 mg/kg, respectively for both the sexes.

RNA N6-methyladenosine modification is required for miR-98/MYCN axis-mediated inhibition of neuroblastoma progression.

Neuroblastoma (NB) is one of the most common malignant tumors of the sympathetic nervous system in childhood. NB severely threatens patient's health and life. However, more effective diagnosis and treatment methods are badly needed in clinics all over the world. MYCN is well recognized as a genetic biomarker of high risk and poor outcome in NB. miRNAs are small RNAs and miR-98 involved in the pathogenesis of various cancers. The role and mechanism of miR-98 in NB remains to be investigated. Here we found that miR-98 was decreased in human MYCN-high-expression NB tissues, and its down-regulation was associated with poor prognosis of NB. Over-expression of miR-98 inhibited cell proliferation, migration and invasion of NB cells. The analysis by employing the software of miRanda predicted the possible binding sites of miR-98 in the 3'-UTR of MYCN, and experimental data illustrated that miR-98 directly bound to MYCN 3'-UTR and decreased MYCN expression. Over-expression of MYCN rescued the decreased malignant phenotype caused by over-expression of miR-98 in NB. N6-methyladenosine modification in 3'-UTR of MYCN promoted its interaction with miR-98. The data collectively demonstrated that RNA m6A modification was required for miR-98/MYCN axis-mediated inhibition of neuroblastoma progression, and miR-98 might be novel targets for NB detection and treatment.

In vitro and in vivo studies of micro-depots using tailored microemulsion for sustained local anaesthesia.

In clinical practice, lidocaine is used as local anesthetic for the management of post-operative pain. The commercial formulation including gels, injections and ointments showed short duration of action (1 to 2 h). In this paper, the efforts have being made to develop tailored lidocaine-microemulsion (o/w), which on penetration in the skin layer cause micro-depots formation due to destabilization of the microemulsion system. To identify the microemulsion region, pseudo ternary diagrams were constructed using Capmul MCM as oil, Pluronic F68 as tri-block surfactant, polyethylene glycol 200 as co-surfactant at 1:4 and 1:6 ratios (S:Co-S). The selected 5%w/v lidocaine loaded microemulsion [Ld-ME-2(1:4)] was stable in thermodynamic test and during shelf life period (3 months). In ex vivo permeability study, the lidocaine release from Ld-ME-2(1:4) microemulsion was sustained in comparison to the marketed lidocaine ointment. The skin irritation study confirmed the safety of lidocaine loaded microemulsion. Tail flick test showed improved and sustain local anaesthetic effect in comparison to the market ointment. The improved efficacy of microemulsion system, was due to high penetration in the skin layer due to local precipitation of lidocaine from microemulsion. The findings suggest that the tailored microemulsion could be a potential strategy to prolong the local anaesthesia.

Janus Polymer Composite Electrolytes Improve the Cycling Performance of Lithium-Oxygen Battery.

The liquid electrolytes in lithium-air (oxygen) batteries are prone to volatilize, leak, flame, and cause uneven deposition of lithium during cycling, which makes the batteries to face serious problems in terms of safety and cycling stability. A novel Janus quasi-solid composite polymer electrolyte was fabricated by perfluorosulfonic acid (Nafion) membranes with tunable thickness and poly(vinylidene fluoride)-hexafluoropropylene (PVDF-HFP). The Nafion membranes not only guarantee the mechanical strength of the composites but also effectively prevent the migration of certain anions and macromolecules. The results indicate that Janus quasi-solid composite polymer electrolytes have excellent thermal stability, high lithium-ion migration number, and wide electrochemical window. Lithium-oxygen batteries using the novel quasi-solid composite electrolytes perform lower polarization and better cycling stability. The excellent properties of the quasi-solid composite electrolytes make it one of the effective materials for improving the cycling stability of lithium-air (oxygen) batteries.

A facile approach to preparation of silica double-shell hollow particles, and their application in gel composite electrolytes.

Double-shell hollow particles (DSHPs) have attracted significant attention due to their diverse potential applications. DSHPs are usually obtained by multi-step sacrificial template method which is tedious and inefficient. In this work, a facile synthesis of silica DSHPs has been developed via a novel one-step template method, which is using single-hole hollow particles (SHHPs) as the templates. The shapes and internal structures of the DSHPs were determined by SEM and TEM, and the average diameters of inner and outer shells were about 0.6 and 1.6 µm, respectively. According to FTIR analyses, the compositions of silica DSHPs were identified as well. Furthermore, the silica DSHPs was applied to Li-ion batteries as a modifier of gel polymer electrolyte (GPEs), and the results showed that the gel composite electrolytes (GCEs) could display higher capability, higher ionic conductivity and better rate performance at high current density for GCEs-cell. Properties of the silica DSHPs such as larger specific surface area, more porous structures and Lewis acid-base effect were important for high-performance Li-ion batteries.