Phosphorus immobilization in sulfide-ferrous oxidation process driven by nitrate reduction during black-odorous sediment remediation.

During remediation of black-odorous sediment, the pathways of phosphorus immobilization require clarification alongside the oxidation of sulfide and ferrous. This study separated the oxidation stages of sulfide and ferrous through controlled sodium nitrate dosing ratios and methods, and analyzed the changes in phosphorus species and immobilization effects throughout these processes. Results showed that iron-bound phosphorus was the primary contributor to the phosphorus immobilization in the oxidation process, with increased 19% in ferrous oxidation stage and affected the transformation between phosphorus sources or sinks in the adsorption experiment. Additionally, the increase in abundance of phosphorus uptake and transport genes, and denitrifying phosphorus accumulation genes in sediment after ferrous oxidation (1 %-18 % and 87 %-164 %, respectively) indicated the potential for biological phosphorus immobilization. These results demonstrated that higher degrees of sediment oxidation correlate with stronger phosphorus immobilization capacities, providing theoretical bases for phosphorus immobilization during the restoration of black-odorous water bodies.

Synthesis of surficial-modified green biochar catalyst generated by biogas residue biochar and potential application for catalytic ozonation degradation of ciprofloxacin.

This study synthesized novel, green, and easily recoverable surface-modified economical catalysts via hydrothermal treatment (HT) successfully, utilizing biogas residue biochar (BRB), a food waste product from anaerobic fermentation, pyrolyzed at 500 °C for 50 min. Using autoclaves, a total of six solutions were prepared, each having 1 g fine-grinded BRB, surficial modified by adding glycerol (GL) (10 or 20 mL) and SDI water (70 or 60 mL), and heated in an oven at 240 °C, 180 °C, and 120 °C for 24 h. Afterward, the catalysts showed the potential for degradation of widely used emerging pollutants like ciprofloxacin. Taking advantage of catalytic surface modification, the catalytic ozonation degradation was more effective than that of a single ozonation. However, under similar conditions, catalyst amount 0.20 g, ozone dose 15 mg L-1, and ciprofloxacin 80 mg L-1, the performance of the 10 mL GL-180 °C catalyst was excellent. It showed a 92.45%-94.41% optimum removal rate in the 8-10 min interval. After five continuous cycles, the 10 mL GL-180 °C catalyst exhibited excellent stability and reusability. XPS, FT-IR, BET, XRD, and SEM before and after the reaction confirmed the successful synthesis and degradation mechanism. A possible degradation pathway was unrevealed based on a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometer (LC-MS) and scavenger test, proving the significant roles of superoxide radicals (O2•-), hydroxyl radicals (•OH), and singlet oxygen (1O2). Further, Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) analysis confirmed the presence of active oxygen species. Subsequently, 10 mL GL-180 °C showed promising degradation for the actual water environment, such as groundwater (73.55%) and river water (64.74%). This work provides a valuable economic strategy to convert biogas residue biochar into a low-cost catalyst for organic pollutant decomposition.

Electrochemical chlorine evolution reaction to improve the desalination of sea sand.

Sea sand, a vital sand and gravel resource, is rich in chloride, which causes corrosion of steel reinforcements. This study investigates the effect of the electrochemical chlorine evolution reaction (CER) on the desalination of sea sand. The results indicate that the chlorine removal efficiency (RE) of sea sand increased from 48.76 to 56.40 % under optimal conditions: a current density of 15 mA/cm2, an electrolysis time of 1 min, and a sodium sulphate-supported electrolyte concentration of 0.05 mol/L. After 30 days of resting, the dissolved chlorine content in sea sand was 0.154 %, which was 21.03 % lower than that of the control group. The electrically active chlorine-mediated desalination process demonstrated excellent dechlorination ability, facilitated the transformation of metal and organic chlorine into liquid and gaseous forms, and reduced the slow release of chloride from sea sand. Therefore, CER is expected to be an efficient method for sea sand desalination.

Solution to the issue of high-order diffraction images for cylindrical computer-generated holograms.

The cylindrical computer-generated hologram (CCGH), featuring a 360° viewing zone, has garnered widespread attention. However, the issue of high-order diffraction images due to pixelated structure in CCGH has not been previously reported and solved. For a cylindrical model offering a 360° viewing zone in the horizontal direction, the high-order diffraction images always overlap with the reconstruction image, leading to quality degradation. Furthermore, the 4f system is commonly used to eliminate high-order diffraction images in planar CGH, but its implementation is predictably complex for a cylindrical model. In this paper, we propose a solution to the issue of high-order diffraction images for CCGH. We derive the cylindrical diffraction formula from the outer hologram surface to the inner object surface in the spectral domain, and based on this, we subsequently analyze the effects brought by the pixel structure and propose the high-order diffraction model. Based on the proposed high-order diffraction model, we use the gradient descent method to optimize CCGH accounting for all diffraction orders simultaneously. Furthermore, we discuss the issue of circular convolution due to the periodicity of the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) in cylindrical diffraction. The correctness of the proposed high-order diffraction model and the effectiveness of the proposed optimization method are demonstrated by numerical simulation. To our knowledge, this is the first time that the issue of high-order diffraction images in CCGH has been proposed, and we believe our solution can offer valuable guidance to practitioners in the field.

Piped-slow-release calcium nitrate dosing: A new approach to in-situ sediment odor control in rural areas.

Calcium nitrate addition is economically viable and highly efficient for the in-situ treatment of contaminated sediment and enhancement of surface water quality, particularly in rural areas. However, conventional nitrate addition technologies have disadvantages such as excessive nitrate release, sharp ammonium increase, and weakened sulfide oxidation efficiency owing to rapid nitrate injection into the sediment. To resolve these defects, we propose a piped-slow-release (PSR) calcium nitrate dosing method and investigate its treatment efficiency and underlying mechanisms. The results illustrated that PSR dosing had a longer half-life (t1/2 = 5.08 days) and a lower maximum apparent nitrate escape rate of 1.28 % than conventional nitrate injection and other dosing methods. In addition, the PSR managed the inorganic nitrogen release into the overlying water, and after the treatment, the nitrate, ammonium, and nitrite concentrations of 0 mg/L, 8.60 mg/L, and 0 mg/L on day 28 were close to those of the control group (0 mg/L, 8.76 mg/L, and 0 mg/L, respectively). Moreover, the PSR method maintained a moderate nitrate concentration of approximately 3000 mg/L in sediment interstitial water by its controlled-release design, thus greatly enhancing the sulfide oxidation efficiency by relieving the inhibitory effects of high nitrate concentrations, with 83.0 % sulfide being eradicated within 5 days. Sulfide-ferrous nitrate reduction (denitrification and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium) genera (e.g., Sulfurimonas, Thiobacillus, and Thioalkalispira) were successively enhanced and dominated the microbial community, and the related functional genes displayed high relative abundances. These results imply that the PSR dosing method for calcium nitrate, characterized by flexible operation, high efficiency, low cost, and controllable processes, is appropriate for remediating black-odorous sediment in rural areas.

Response of microbial communities to exogenous nitrate nitrogen input in black and odorous sediment.

Since nitrate nitrogen (NO3--N) input has proved an effective approach for the treatment of black and odorous river waterbody, it was controversial whether the total nitrogen concentration standard should be raised when the effluent from the sewage treatment plant is discharged into the polluted river. To reveal the effect of exogenous nitrate (NO3--N) on black odorous waterbody, sediments with different features from contaminated rivers were collected, and the changes of physical and chemical characteristics and microbial community structure in sediments before and after the addition of exogenous NO3--N were investigated. The results showed that after the input of NO3--N, reducing substances such as acid volatile sulfide (AVS) in the sediment decreased by 80 % on average, ferrous (Fe2+) decreased by 50 %, yet the changing trend of ammonia nitrogen (NH4+-N) in some sediment samples increased while others decreased. High-throughput sequencing results showed that the abundance of Thiobacillus at most sites increased significantly, becoming the dominant genus in the sediment, and the abundance of functional genes in the metabolome increased, such as soxA, soxX, soxY, soxZ. Network analysis showed that sediment microorganisms evolved from a single sulfur oxidation ecological function to diverse ecological functions, such as nitrogen cycle nirB, nirD, nirK, nosZ, and aerobic decomposition. In summary, inputting an appropriate amount of exogenous NO3--N is beneficial for restoring and maintaining the oxidation states of river sediment ecosystems.

Migration of phosphorus in pig manure during pyrolysis process and slow-release mechanism of biochar in hydroponic application.

Pyrolysis is an effective method for treating of livestock and poultry manure developed in recent years. It can completely decompose pathogens and antibiotics, stabilize heavy metals, and enrich phosphorus (P) in biochar. To elucidate the P migration mechanism under different pig manure pyrolysis temperatures, sequential fractionation, solution 31P nuclear magnetic resonance, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and K-edge X-ray absorption near-edge structure techniques were used to analyze the P species in pig manure biochar (PMB). The results indicated that most of the organic P in the pig manure was converted to inorganic P during pyrolysis. Moreover, the transformation to different P groups pathways was clarified. The phase transition from amorphous to crystalline calcium phosphate was promoted when the temperature was above 600 °C. The content of P extracted by hydrochloric acid, which was the long-term available P for plant uptake, increased significantly. PMB pyrolyzed at 600 °C can be used as a highly effective substitute for P source. It provides the necessary P species (e.g. water-soluble P.) and metal elements for the growth of water spinach plants, and which are slow-release comparing with the Hogland nutrient solution.

Asymmetrical neural network for real-time and high-quality computer-generated holography.

Computer-generated holography based on neural network holds great promise as a real-time hologram generation method. However, existing neural network-based approaches prioritize lightweight networks to achieve real-time display, which limits their capacity for network fitting. Here, we propose an asymmetrical neural network with a non-end-to-end structure that enhances fitting capacity and delivers superior real-time display quality. The non-end-to-end structure decomposes the overall task into two sub-tasks: phase prediction and hologram encoding. The asymmetrical design tailors each sub-network to its specific sub-task using distinct basic net-layers rather than relying on similar net-layers. This method allows for a sub-network with strong feature extraction and inference capabilities to match the phase predictor, while another sub-network with efficient coding capability matches the hologram encoder. By matching network functions to tasks, our method enhances the overall network's fitting capacity while maintaining a lightweight architecture. Both numerical reconstructions and optical experiments validate the reliability and effectiveness of our proposed method.

A new strategy for the enrichment of ammonia-oxidizing archaea in wastewater treatment systems: The positive role of quorum-sensing signaling molecules.

Ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) play an important role in natural nitrogen cycle, but are difficult to be enriched in wastewater treatment systems. In this experiment, under ambient temperature and high dissolved oxygen, different types of acyl-homoserine lactones (C6-HSL, C8-HSL, C10-HSL, C14-HSL and 3-oxo-C14-HSL) were added to five wastewater nitrification systems to achieve AOA enrichment. Results showed that AOA couldn't be detected in the blank group without the addition of signaling molecules, while the AOA could be detected in all the reactors with the addition. The enrichment effect of AOA was not obvious with added 100 or 200 nmol/L signaling molecules, while the enrichment effect was both obvious with added C8-HSL of 400 nmol/L and C10-HSL of 800 nmol/L. And relative abundance of AOA increased from undetected in the control group to 1.10 % and 0.96 %, respectively. The exogenous signaling molecules may provide new view for AOA enrichment in wastewater treatment systems.

Morning Glory Syndrome With Bergmeister Papilla and Retinal Detachment.

This case report discusses a diagnosis of morning glory syndrome and concurrent Bergmeister papilla and retinal detachment in a child aged 3 years.

The optimum particle size of anaerobic ammonia oxidation granular sludge under different substrate concentrations.

The nitrogen removal performance of anaerobic ammonia oxidation granular sludge (AnGS) varies widely among particle sizes. In this paper, the nitrogen removal performance, extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) secretion level and microbial community of AnGS with different particle sizes were investigated to select the optimal particle size for different substrate concentrations. The results showed that the optimal particle size migrated from 0.6-1.6 mm to 1.6-2.5 mm and then to 2.5-3.2 mm as the substrate concentration increased. When the influent concentration of NH4+-N was 110 mg/L, granular sludge with particle size of 1.6-2.5 mm showed excellent nitrogen removal performance with the highest EPS secretion, while the highest EPS secretion gradually migrated to smaller particles as the substrate concentration decreased. The nitrogen removal performance of AnGS with different particle sizes depends on different proportions of anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing (anammox) bacteria (Candidates_Jettenia, Candidates_Kuenenia, Candidatus_Brocadia), heterotrophic nitrification aerobic denitrifying bacteria (Acinetobacter) and denitrifying bacteria (Denitratisoma). The optimum particle size range for AnGS has been clarified for different influent nitrogen concentrations, which can provide some new understanding for the application of anammox reactors.

Clinical outcomes of severe sepsis and septic shock patients with left ventricular dysfunction undergoing continuous renal replacement therapy.

Baseline left ventricular (LV) dysfunction is associated with subsequent risks of acute kidney injury (AKI) and mortality in patients with sepsis. This study investigated the therapeutic effects of continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) in hemodynamically unstable patients with severe sepsis and septic shock combined with LV dysfunction. In this multicenter retrospective study, severe sepsis and septic shock patients with LV dysfunction were classified into one of two groups according to the timing of CRRT: the early group (before AKI was detected) or the control group (patients with AKI). Patients from the control group received an accelerated strategy or a standard strategy of CRRT. The primary outcome was all-cause intensive care unit (ICU) mortality. Patients were weighted by stabilized inverse probability of treatment weights (sIPTW) to overcome differences in baseline characteristics. After sIPTW analysis, the ICU mortality was significantly lower in the early group than the control group (27.7% vs. 63.5%, p < 0.001). Weighted multivariable analysis showed that early CRRT initiation was a protective factor for the risk of ICU mortality (OR 0.149; 95% CI 0.051-0.434; p < 0.001). The ICU mortality was not different between the accelerated- and standard-strategy group (52.5% vs. 52.9%, p = 0.970). Early CRRT in the absence of AKI is suggested for hemodynamically unstable patients with severe sepsis and septic shock combined with LV dysfunction since it benefits survival outcomes.

Spontaneous resolution of recurrent Descemet's membrane detachment after trabeculectomy: A case report.

PURPOSE: We report a rare case of recurrent Descemet's membrane detachment (DMD) post-trabeculectomy which was resolved spontaneously without surgical intervention. OBSERVATIONS: A 66-year-old patient with a history of acute angle closure glaucoma in his right eye presented to our hospital. The intraocular pressure (IOP) of his right was 40 mm Hg, and the visual acuity was10/20. After trabeculectomy of the affected eye, a severe Descemet's membrane detachment was found by AS-OCT. Part of Descemet's membrane was lying in front of the iris and lens. Surgical repair was performed, and viscoelastics and sterile air were injected into the anterior chamber to return the detached Descemet's membrane. AS-OCT showed that the DMD was successfully resolved. However, on the 7th day of follow-up, the DMD was detached again as seen on AS-OCT images. The patient refused reoperation to repair the DMD. Six months later, the patient visited our hospital again, and, interestingly, the DMD was completely resolved spontaneously without reoperation. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPORTANCE: Descemet's membrane is the basement membrane that lies between the stroma and the endothelial layer of the cornea. Minor DMD may be resolved spontaneously within a period of time without surgery, but large DMD is difficult to recover spontaneously. We believe that this is a rare case with spontaneous recovery of extensive DMD after trabeculectomy. But, despite all this, we still remain of the view that DMD should be treated immediately once it occurs.

Association between left ventricular diastolic dysfunction and septic acute kidney injury in severe sepsis and septic shock: A multicenter retrospective study.

INTRODUCTION: Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD) adversely impacts renal function, and E/e' is a significant predictor of adverse kidney events under different clinical conditions. However, no studies have evaluated the association between LVDD and septic acute kidney injury (AKI) among patients with severe sepsis and septic shock. METHODS: This multicenter retrospective study evaluated adult patients with severe sepsis or septic shock between January 1, 2013, and December 31, 2019, who underwent echocardiography within 24 hours after admission to an intensive care unit. RESULTS: A total of 495 adult patients were enrolled in the study. LVDD grades II and III were associated with severe (stage 3) AKI (p < 0.001, p for trend < 0.001). E/e' and e' were risk factors for septic AKI (OR, 1.155; 95% CI, 1.088-1.226, p < 0.001; and OR, 7.218; 95% CI, 2.942-17.712, p < 0.001, respectively) in the multivariate logistic regression analysis. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of E/e' and e' was 0.728 (95% CI, 0.680-0.777, p < 0.001) and 0.715 (95% CI, 0.665-0.764, p < 0.001), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: LVDD was associated with septic AKI, and E/e' and e' are useful predictors of septic AKI among patients with severe sepsis or septic shock. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The study was registered at the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (Protocol No. ChiCTR2000033083).

Multi-functional biochar preparation and heavy metal immobilization by co-pyrolysis of livestock feces and biomass waste.

Biomass waste is a desirable additive in livestock feces biochar preparation due to its easy access, better moisture adjustment, and abundant organic content. In the present study, co-pyrolysis of livestock feces (PM: pig manure, CM: chicken manure) and biomass wastes (WC: wood chips, BS: bamboo sawdust, RH: rice husk, and CH: chaff) with different blending ratios was conducted at 600 °C to investigate the biochar characteristic and Cu/Zn immobilization performances. The results showed that WC and BS have more significant effect on the increase in fixed carbon content and heating value and the decrease in ash content of biochar. The biochar with lower pH and electrical conductivity is obtained from co-pyrolysis of manure with RH and CH. Compared with CM-based biochar, PM-based biochar presented better potential as fuel and soil remediation considering the higher heating value and lower aromatic H/C ratio. Specially, the residual fractions of Cu and Zn in PM biochar increased from 73.09% and 65.54% to 90.68% and 72.31% after 10 wt% BS addition and those in CM biochar increased from 81.07% and 73.57% to 88.87% and 84.11% after 10 wt% WC addition, which induced the lowest environmental risk of biochar. This work provided a strategy and direction for targeted enhancement in biochar characteristics with selective biomass addition during manure pyrolysis, which is beneficial to the local treatment and utilization of farm wastes.

Adsorption performance and mechanisms of mercaptans removal from gasoline oil using core-shell AC-based adsorbents.

Sulfur compound detection such as mercaptans in liquid fuels is undesirable because sulfur is the main sourcing emission of sulfur oxide (SOx) into the air. The use of activated carbon (AC) has proven to efficiently remove mercaptans. In the meantime, it is limited by the generation of the second pollution in oil and the difficulties of recovery and regeneration. A core-shell structured AC with high mechanical strength and big intra-particles space was synthesized and demonstrated to efficiently remove organic pollutants from an aqueous solution without the generation of the second pollution in our previous work. However, the performance and behaviors of mercaptans adsorption from gasoline oil by core-shell structured AC were still unclear. In this study, the mercaptans adsorption behaviors using core-shell powdered activated carbon (CSAC) and core-shell granulated activated carbon (CSGAC), along with raw PAC, PAC-core, raw GAC, and GAC-core, were carried out. The results showed that both the CSAC and CSGAC adsorbents effectively removed sulfur-based pollutants and were provided with good recovery and recyclability without second pollution in gasoline oil. The CSGAC exhibited a higher mercaptans removal efficiency compared to those of CSAC as a result of the bigger intra-particles space. PAC-based adsorbents presented the shrinking of removal efficiency after regeneration. The pseudo-second-order kinetic model was dominated for mercaptans adsorption by both CSAC and CSGAC. The adsorption of ethanethiol on CSGAC was better fitted to the Freundlich model, 1-butanethiol adsorption by CSAC and CSGAC, and ethanethiol adsorption on CSAC which was dominated by Langmuir model.